There are a lot of old things in Paris. You just find them laying around in the oddest places. One is the wall of Philipe August, at the left side of this photo, built at the end of the 12th century. Some remnants of the wall are marked as monuments, like this one in the 5th arrond. Others are found when construction workers dig for a new building. From what I have read, the wall was designed as a "development project" to get people to move to the city, because it was safer than the surrounding areas, being contained and protected. By Parisian standards, this wall is pretty new. After a while if you're paying attention, you notice that the modern city is overlaid on an ancient Roman city, with many of its structures still standing. That in turn is overlaid on a much older civilization, evidence of which still exists. Another photo of ancient Paris tomorrow night. Photo by Eric Francis.
They do, don’t they — and they live in a kind of museum. They speak a language that evolves only a little faster than Latin. But they do remember.
The gods love the Parisis, who like to remind themselves of history at every chance they get!