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Surprising find: the oldest 3D map of the world dates from the Bronze Age

More than 4,000-year-old stone slabs measuring 2 x 1.5 m were discovered by archaeologists as early as 1900 during excavations at the prehistoric cemetery of Finistère in western Brittany. It was then found by the local archaeologist Paul du Chatellier. His collection was then bought by the National Museum of Antiquities (MAN) in 1924, and by 2014 the plaque was lost.

It was not until 2014 that scientists rediscovered it in the cellar of Saint-Germain-en-Laye Castle, northwest of Paris. The plaque, which was then known as the plaque of Saint-Bélec, probably dates from the early Bronze Age, ie from 1900 BC – 1650 BC

After an extensive analysis of the marks and engravings, archaeologists discovered that it could be a map. “The presence of repeated motifs connected by lines on the surface of the stone suggests that this is the Finistère region of Brittany,” the researchers said in a study in the Journal of the French Prehistoric Society.

According to scientists, the engraved depressions should be a 3D representation of the Odet river valley, and other lines then show the river networks and hills in the area. Subsequent geographic surveys revealed that the representation of the area on the board is 80 percent accurate and covers an area of ​​a 29-kilometer-long section of the Odet River.

The oldest map of the territory

“This is probably the oldest map of a specific area ever found,” Dr. Clément Nicolas of Bournemouth University, who was involved in the research, told the BBC. According to him, there are only a few such maps carved in stone around the world. In general, however, these are only interpretations.

“This is the first time a map has shown an area on a scale,” Nicolas added, adding that the map could be used to identify a specific area. “It was probably a way to confirm the ownership of a territory by a monarch at the time,” he said, adding that it was a demonstration of early Bronze Age political power.

“We tend to underestimate the geographical knowledge of our ancient ancestors, which is why this plaque is important. It shows that our ancestors knew cartography, “adds Nicolas. It is believed that the slab was used as one of the walls of the stone tomb. However, the other parts were not found.

To confirm their hypothesis, scientists compared this stone map with similar findings from the European prehistoric period and other ethnic groups, including the Tuaregs and Papuans. “Because it’s probably a mind map, some of the elements represented may be oversized, while their location may not be proportional to the distances that separate them,” the researchers said in a study by The Guardian.

According to them, the plaque from Saint-Bélec depicts the territory of a strongly hierarchical political entity that firmly controlled the territory in the early Bronze Age. “The fact that it was eventually placed in a tomb could, according to scientists, mean the end or rejection of the elites that several ruled the society at the time,” archaeologists said.

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