'No one has seen it since antiquity': Archaeologists uncover ancient necropolis near Paris metro

For centuries, Parisians have been walking on top of thousands of years of history – from the catacombs to remnants of civilisations past.

Scientists have now unveiled the latest surprising discovery made just three metres beneath the well-beaten pavement in the heart of the French capital – 50 previously undisturbed graves found just a stone’s throw from a popular metro stop.

Somehow the necropolis had remained buried despite multiple construction projects over the years, as well as the construction of the Port-Royal station on the historic Left Bank in the 1970s.

It was finally uncovered this year, when plans for a new exit for the train station prompted an archaeological excavation. The discovery offers a rare glimpse into what life was like in the Roman town of Lutetia, which existed nearly 2,000 years ago where Paris now stands.

Camille Colonna, an anthropologist at France's National Institute of Preventive Archaeological Research (INRAP), told journalists that there were already "strong suspicions" the site was close to Lutetia's southern necropolis.

The "Saint Jacques" necropolis, the largest burial site in the Gallo-Roman town of Lutetia, was partially excavated in the 1800s. But only artefacts considered “precious” were taken from the graves, which means many skeletons and burial offerings were abandoned.

The site was not maintained, and over the years it became covered again and its exact location lost in time. This new section of the necropolis, which archaeologists began excavating in March, has never before been seen.

"No one has seen it since antiquity," said INRAP president Dominique Garcia.

Colonna said the team was able to date the burial site to the second century AD, due to a coin they found in one of the