The majority of archaeological collections come from excavations carried out in Paris from the 19th century.

A mammoth’s molar and Neolithic dugout canoes (4800-1800 BC) conjure up activity in the prehistoric era.

A surgeon’s instrument case from the 3rd century BC or a painted fragment depicting a stylised male head shed light on the life of the inhabitants of Lutetia, an ordinary provincial town in the Roman Empire.