The Incredible Objects Found in the Seine

Victor Hugo said it well. The little islands on the Seine are where Paris first began: 
“Paris was born, as we all know, on the old Île de la Cité ….. the strike of this island was its first enclosure, the Seine its first moat .” Today, on the riverside, under the square in front of Notre Dame, you can visit the Crypte Archaéologique and see remains of Roman Paris, or Lutetia as it was known. This year, the Crypt is running a special exhibition with a much broader remit, namely to reveal secrets hidden in the Seine over an enormous timespan, from many millennia before the Romans to the present day. 

If you have not visited the Crypt before, you are in for a surprise. The Roman remains, discovered in the 1960s while an underground car park was being built, are extensive enough to give a sense of the city in the 4th century. Over 18,000 square meters, you’ll find the remains of a Gallo-Roman public bath, part of an old city wall and part of the docks where goods flowed in an out of the city along the Seine. You’d never guess, from the little entrance to be found down some steps just near the overhead car park sign, what treasures are down there. It’s the only place in Paris with public access to an archaeological site, yet many people don’t know it’s there. 

A rich period for archaeological finds in Paris was the mid-19th century, when building new quays and locks involved dredging the Seine, leading to interesting finds on the riverbed. The first ever archaeological exhibition was held at the Universal Exhibition in 1867, sparking such interest that people began collecting and cataloguing the finds. For example, one amateur “prehistorian,” Jules Reboux, took some of the flint tools which had been found to a Paris slaughterhouse where he experimented with them to see how well they cut meat or scraped animal hide. That brought insight into the lives of those living along the Seine in various time periods.   

The current exhibition, called Dans la Seine, is displayed on a walkway through the crypt, leading past the permanent structures, so you can enjoy both at once. It’s  divided into four periods: prehistoric, antiquity, medieval and modern, presenting, in chronological order, about 150 objects found on the riverbed. From them, alongside the scholarship of archaeologists and scientists, emerge fascinating details about the lives of those who lived on the banks of the Seine, from the earliest times to the 21st century. Here are 10 objects which particularly caught my eye. 

1. A Woolly Mammoth Tusk 

This tusk, discovered in 1991, is a reminder that these giant animals, extinct members of the elephant family, roamed the banks of the Seine until about 10,000 years ago. They lived in herds and were vegetarian, using their long, curved tusks to dig up plants and grasses. They were hunted by humans who devised tools from flint to carve their meat.   

2. A Bronze Age Axe 

This implement was certainly used for cutting and splitting wood, but also as a weapon. The exhibition traces the development of objects through the Bronze Age, the Iron Age and beyond, showing how tools became gradually more sophisticated and weapons deadlier. It’s instructive to see how mankind became both more creative and more destructive simultaneously.   

3. Gallo-Roman Statuettes

These little statues represent gods the Romans worshipped. One is of Apollo, god of many things including the sun, music, poetry and healing, and another of Mercury, the god of wealth and commerce, who is holding a purse, a symbol of prosperity. It’s thought it was probably kept in a household as an object of worship. There’s information too on how the Romans made offerings to Sequana, the goddess of the Seine, throwing objects into the river as they made a wish.   

4. Everyday Roman Objects 

The simplest everyday objects give a picture of real people living their lives in Lutetia nearly two thousand years ago. Was the ceramic goblet used for ordinary meals, or was it perhaps brought out only on special occasions? Similarly, there’s a Roman bracelet on display, leading to questions on who made it, who perhaps gave it as a gift and who wore it.   

5. Medieval Tokens 

Many of these small lead items have been found and during the 19th century especially, people liked to collect them. Some were religious in nature, such as figures of saints, including St Denis, the 3rd century Bishop of Paris. Others had secular purposes, serving as toll passes to allow entry into certain towns or badges to denote a profession – a fishmonger’s token for example. Some were brought back, like modern souvenirs, as proof of a visit to a place of worship and others, such as little soldier figures, were toys. The large number found around the Basilica of St Denis and Notre Dame Cathedral suggests that people sometimes threw them into the river as a form of prayer, not unlike their Roman forebears had done. 

6. Statue of St Agnès 

The head is missing on this beautiful, little robed figure carved in cream stone, but it’s recognizable as St Agnes because of the lamb she is carrying. It’s known to date from the Medieval period and illustrates the extent to which the Christian faith, which had first arrived in Roman times, had taken root in France. Medieval Paris saw the construction of some of the city’s most important places of worship, including Notre Dame (begun in 1163) and the Sainte Chapelle (completed in 1248).  

7. 19th Century Bottle for Sparkling Water 

This item was a familiar sight to 19th century Parisians because sparkling water was sold as a treatment for many illnesses. It’s duck-head spout is purely decorative, a sign that this was a luxury item. Other everyday items from this era on display include a set of thimbles and a button with the letter M as decoration, raising the question were they perhaps thrown in to the river as good luck tokens? 

8. Items from the two World Wars 

World War I finds include bayonets and helmets belonging to both French and German soldiers. Some weapons ended up in the Seine during combat, while others were dumped, perhaps because their owners were trying to hide them for collection later. Sometimes, as in the case of members of the Résistance, they may have been off-loaded quickly when someone thought they were in danger of being arrested. As recently as 2022, a cache of 154 shells from World War II was found near the Pont d’Austerlitz.  

9. A Lamp from the Pont Alexandre III 

A film at the end of the exhibition shows two members of the Brigade Fluviale, the city’s River Police, explaining their work. One refers to finding a lamp from the Alexander III Bridge which had fallen into the river and was retrieved, handed over to be repaired and then replaced in its original location. 

10. A Mascaron from the Pont Neuf 

This story is also recounted on the film. In 2014, a Brigade Fluviale diver found one of the mascarons from the Pont Neuf. When the bridge – the oldest in Paris – was built around 1600, these huge, scary stone “masks” were added as decorations in the belief, common since antiquity, that they would ward off evil spirits. The one found on the riverbed, which weighed an incredible 100 kilos, was brought to the surface and is now on display in the Carnavalet Museum in the 3rd arrondissement. 

It made an interesting end to the exhibition to learn of the work of the Brigade Fluviale, the river police charged with looking after the city’s river and canals, ensuring the safety of all and the protection of property. They were founded in 1900, just in time for the Exposition Universelle when so many visitors were expected in Paris. Their work today includes general patrols, rescue missions and searching for evidence for criminal justice cases.   

This exhibition offers insights into life as it has been lived along the Seine for many thousands of years. It will whisk you back to fascinating moments in time: woolly mammoths roaming the Île de la Cité, Roman children playing dice games, medieval builders heaving mascarons onto the Pont Neuf. And, as you leave, you’ll be wondering what other treasures will surface from the riverbed in years to come. For surely there are more lying down there, just waiting to be discovered.  

DETAILS

The Seine Recovered Objects from Prehistory to the Present Day  
Crypte Archaéologique, 7 Parvis Notre Dame, 4th arrondissement
Metro: Cité or Saint-Michel 
Open Tuesday-Sunday from 10 am to 6 pm  
Entry: 9€, Concessions: 7€
Under 18s free