When I returned to my swimming instructor position, many of the children had a lot of questions about where I had been and what I had seen. It made me happy to reminisce about our time in Paris. I can still almost make myself believe that it wasn't real sometimes. One little girl asked me, simply, "why is Paris called Paris?" and I had no answer. So here it is:
Paris was originally founded in the third century B.C. E. by a group of Celtics called the Parisii. These people lived during the iron age, and collected in Gaul near the Seine. Around the roman era (~52BCE), the Parisii aided against Julius Caesar in the rising of Vercingetorix.
The major city for the Parisii was Oppidum which was located on Lutetia. This later became Fallia Lugdunensis (a Roman provence), and eventually Paris (obviously named after the people).
When I started to think about this, I was really mind blown. So many layers of history can be seen currently in the physical city, but it is difficult to imagine it being influence by people so early back. It seems like almost every leader/"phase" of the city left its own little mark. In my opinion, this is one of the things that makes Paris so incredibly special.
This is so cool, and reminds me why kids are the greatest. It's one of those things I would never stop to think about, but seems fundamental when looking for the bigger picture of Parisian history. After reading this, I googled the same question for Chicago. The answers were a little less clear, but the general consensus is that the name comes from a Native American word. I'm now reminded of how clear and proud the French seem to be when it comes to their history. In my experience, French people seem to understand more about their individual and national history than the average American does.
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