Editing History of Paris (section)

==Parisii and the Roman conquest (250–52&nbsp;BC)==
[[File:ParisiiCoins.jpg|thumb|right|Gold coins minted by the Parisii (1st century&nbsp;BC)]]

Between 250 and 225&nbsp;BC, during the [[Iron Age]], the [[Parisii (Gaul)|Parisii]] settled on the banks of the Seine. At the beginning of the 2nd century&nbsp;BC, they built an [[oppidum]], a walled fort, whose location is disputed. It may have been on the [[Île de la Cité]], where bridges of an important trading route crossed the Seine. In his account of the [[Gallic wars]], [[Julius Caesar]] recorded meeting with the leaders of the Parisii on an island in the Seine. Other historians cite an absence of traces of an early Gallic settlement on the island, and believe the oppidum was actually in [[Nanterre]], in the Paris suburbs, where vestiges of a large settlement were discovered during construction of a highway in the 1980s.<ref>Nanterre et les Parisii : Une capitale au temps des Gaulois ?, Antide Viand, {{ISBN|978-2757201626}}</ref><ref name="Combeau, Yvan, 1999, p.6"/><ref>Sarmant, Thierry, ''Histoire de Paris'', p. 10</ref>

The settlement was called "Lucotocia" (according to the ancient Greek geographer [[Strabo]]) or "Leucotecia" (according to Roman geographer [[Ptolemy]]), and may have taken its name from the Celtic word ''lugo'' or ''luco'', for a marsh or swamp.<ref>Schmidt, ''Lutèce,- Paris, des origines à Clovis'' (2009), pp. 28–29.</ref> It had a strategic position on the main trade route, via the Seine and [[Rhône]] rivers, between Britain and to the Roman colony of [[Provence]] and the [[Mediterranean Sea]].{{sfn|Arbois de Jubainville|Dottin|1889|p=132}}{{sfn|Cunliffe|2004|p=201}} The location and the fees for crossing the bridge and passing along the river made the town prosperous,{{sfn|Lawrence|Gondrand|2010|p=25}} so much so that it was able to mint its own gold coins.

[[Julius Caesar]] and his [[Roman army]] campaigned in Gaul between 58 and 53&nbsp;BC under the pretext of protecting the territory from Germanic invaders, but in reality to conquer it and annex it to the Roman Republic.<ref>Schmidt, ''Lutèce, Paris des origines à Clovis'' (2009), pp. 74-76.</ref> The Parisii formed a secret alliance with the other Gallic tribes, under the leadership of [[Vercingetorix]], and launched an uprising against the Romans in January 52&nbsp;BC.<ref>Schmidt, ''Lutèce, Paris des origines à Clovis'' (2009), pp. 80–81.</ref> The Parisii fought bravely and desperately in what became known as the [[Battle of Lutetia]]. The Commander of the Parisii, [[Camulogene]], was killed and his soldiers were cut down by the disciplined Romans. Despite the defeat, the Parisii continued to resist the Romans. They sent eight thousand men to fight with Vercingetorix in his last stand against the Romans at the [[Battle of Alesia]].<ref name="Schmidt, 2009 pp. 88-104"/>