Photo credit: SYGREF, CC BY-SA 4.0
A groundbreaking discovery has emerged from the Ségognole 3 rock shelter in France, already renowned for its artistic engravings dating back to the Late Palaeolithic period. Known since the 1980s for depictions of two horses flanking a female pubic figuration, researchers have now revealed that part of the shelter also contains the oldest-known three-dimensional map. This intricate model, shaped and adapted by Palaeolithic people approximately 13,000 years ago, reflects the surrounding landscape’s natural water flows and geomorphological features.
Dr. Medard Thiry’s earlier research at the site identified the intentional shaping of sandstone to echo the female form, with fractures that allowed water infiltration into the sandstone and nourished a natural outflow at the base of the pelvic triangle. However, new findings suggest that these adaptations were not just symbolic but also functional. A portion of the sandstone floor appears to have been deliberately modeled to mimic the hydrology and topography of the surrounding region. This miniature landscape depicts runoff from highlands, the convergence of valleys, and the formation of downstream lakes and swamps, offering insights into how early humans visualized and interacted with their environment.
Dr. Milnes, who contributed to the study, emphasized that this ancient representation is not a “map” in the modern sense but a three-dimensional depiction of a landscape’s functionality. This discovery pushes back the timeline for 3D cartographic representations by nearly 10,000 years. Until now, the oldest known example was a Bronze Age rock slab from approximately 3000 years ago, engraved with a river network and earth mounds in a manner more aligned with contemporary navigation tools.
The Ségognole 3 discovery underscores the ingenuity and deep environmental understanding of Palaeolithic people, who not only created art but also shaped their surroundings in ways that helped them interpret and manage the landscape. This find provides a rare glimpse into early humans’ cognitive and cultural evolution, revealing a sophisticated ability to visualize and model the natural world long before the advent of written language or modern mapping techniques.
We were not able to share the best images of the 3D map on the cave floor because of copyrights. They are spectacular. We highly recommend visiting this page to see the pictures.
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