2000 years history of France. But the history of what became France began much earlier. In the Palaeolithic period. At the Bois-de-Riquet site in Lézignan-la-Cèbe, Hérault, one of the oldest known human traces on French soil was discovered, dated between 1.1 and 1.2 million years ago. From 350,000 years ago, Neanderthal man was present in France. From 42,000 years ago, Homo sapiens arrived in France and occupied the territories of the Neanderthals, who gradually disappeared.
As in the rest of Europe, the Neolithic period saw the emergence of agriculture and animal husbandry, based on two major currents of Neolithization: the Danubian current (Ribbon culture) and the Mediterranean current (heart pottery culture).
Around the 6th millennium B.C. in the southeast, and between 5,700 and 5,500 B.C. in eastern France, cereal cultivation, animal domestication and new craft techniques such as pottery, weaving and stone polishing gradually appeared.
This population of Neolithic farmers was almost totally replaced or assimilated by the arrival of new populations, from the end of the Neolithic to the beginning of the Bronze Age. These steppe-derived populations were present in present-day France as early as 2650 B.C. They were characterized by their mastery of the horse, the invention of the wheel, the introduction of bronze metallurgical technologies and the establishment of new social structures. Celtic populations were characterized by different subgroups of haplogroup R1b-M269, introduced into Europe by these Indo-European migrations.
From 1300 BC to La Tène (500 BC), before the 2000 years history of France of our post
It seems that the colonization of the future Gaul by Celts from Central Europe began around 1300 BC and ended around 700 BC. Towards the end of the 8th century BC, iron metallurgy became widespread (Iron Age). A new warrior aristocracy emerged, thanks to the advent of iron swords and horseback combat. This revolutionized the Celts’ hitherto agrarian and egalitarian social organization. As a result of the climate towards the end of the Danish Bronze Age, Celts from the Rhenish regions (Rhine-Danube, Hercynian Forest) extended their authority over the rest of Gaul at the end of the 6th century BC and the beginning of the 5th century BC. This was the Second Iron Age or La Tène period.
Long-distance trade relations develop. Around 600 B.C., the Greek trading post of Massalia (Marseille) was founded on the shores of the Mediterranean by Greek sailors from Phocaea (giving it its enduring nickname of “Phocaean City”). When the Phocaeans founded the city, they came up against Celtic tribes. However, Massalia gained a decisive foothold over its rivals around 550 BC with the arrival of Phocaean refugees en masse, Phocaea having fallen to the Persians. Greek influence was evident along the major trade routes, thanks to the active role played by Massalia.
Development of Gallic civilization (290 to 52 BC), when start our 2000 years history of France
From the end of the 4th century B.C. and the beginning of the 3rd century B.C., some Belgians, the Germani cisrhenani, advanced towards the Oise. In the 2nd century B.C., a relative Arverne hegemony (located around present-day Clermont-Ferrand) was established, characterized by strong military power and wealthy chieftains. At the same time, however, Roman influence increased in southern Gaul. This was evident first and foremost in terms of trade. On several occasions, the people of Marseilles called on Rome to defend them against threats from Celto-Ligurian tribes and pressure from the Arverne Empire. By the end of the 2nd century, Rome had conquered southeastern Gaul, in particular the regions of Languedoc and Provence, forming the Roman province of Narbonnaise. The conquest of these regions was completed in 118 BC after the defeat of the Arvernes and Allobroges and Rome’s alliance with the Aedui people of Gaul.
The Gauls under Arverne leadership
After the fall of the Arvern hegemony under Roman pressure, the great peoples of Gaul – Aedui and Sequanes in particular – experienced a strong rivalry. In 58 BC, Julius Caesar used the threat of Germanic pressure on the Gauls to intervene at the behest of the Aedui, allies of Rome. The war was long and bloody, and in January 52 BC, with Vercingetorix’s accession to power, the Arvernes and their clientele raised their heads. They rose up against the proconsul’s army. Julius Caesar was faced with the determination of the Gauls, whose uprising was almost universal. Sieges, city burnings, scorched earth policies, massacres and deportation into slavery were all on the agenda, culminating in a Roman victory over the disorganized Gauls. In 50 BC, Julius Caesar left Gaul bled dry. He gave the towns a great deal of autonomy. And it was during this period that the 1st personality on our list of those who built France lived: Vercingetorix.
We present these personalities in chronological order, to make it easier to understand the evolution of the French territory through the rivalries between European peoples and countries, and under the authority of these personalities.
You can cross-reference the information below with the many articles on our site about the monuments of Paris. They were built, modified and inhabited by the exceptional people we describe:
- The Ile-de-la Cité was already there under Clovis 1er, but also under Philippe-Auguste and Saint Louis.
- as was La Conciergerie, the Palais de Justice de la Cité
- La Sainte Chapelle, built by Saint-Louis
- Notre-Dame since the Middle Ages, where some were crowned
- The Louvre, home to Philippe-August, Henri IV, Louis XIV and Napoléon 1er
- The Tuileries with Napoleon III (before he went up in flames)
- Château de Versailles, built by Louis XIV
- Hôtel des Invalides, also begun by Louis XIV and where Napoleon 1er is laid to rest
- The Memorial of the Templar Jacques-de-Molay, closely linked to Philippe-Auguste
- The Pont Neuf and Henri IV
- The Marais district, which has lived through all these periods
For more convenience when visiting these monuments, remember to make a reservation to avoid long queues. Reservations can be made directly from our website by clicking on the name of the monument:
- Booking Conciergerie and Sainte-Chapelle
- Booking Le Louvre
- Booking Château de Versailles
- Booking Les Invalides
To complete our offer, you can follow our self-guided walks with commentary and abundant documentation on the history of Paris:
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