Pillar of the Boatmen, Roman monumental column at Musée de Cluny, Paris, France
The Pillar of the Boatmen is a Roman column made of limestone now displayed at the Musée de Cluny in Paris. Its surface carries reliefs and inscriptions that depict Roman gods such as Jupiter alongside Celtic figures.
Workers uncovered the column in 1710 beneath the foundations of Notre-Dame, where it had been reused as building material. The monument dates to the first century AD and stood originally on the left bank of the Seine.
The inscriptions on the monument honor the Nautae Parisiaci, a guild of boatmen who dedicated it to the Roman emperor and Celtic gods together. Such combinations show how both belief systems coexisted in the daily life of the ancient city.
The column stands in the frigidarium of the Musée National du Moyen Âge, also called Thermes de Cluny. Visitors can walk around it to see the reliefs and inscriptions from all sides and study the carved details up close.
The inscription provides the oldest known mention of the Parisii, the Celtic tribe that gave the modern city its name. It is also the oldest surviving structure from Roman times in Paris.
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