A Map of Meaning

Archeologists recently uncovered what could be the world’s oldest three-dimensional map at a French cave, dating to the Paleolithic era.

Found in the Ségognole 3 rock shelter south of Paris, the map, estimated to be 13,000 years old, was etched into quartzitic sandstone and offers a miniature representation of the surrounding landscape, blending geology, hydrology, and even mythological symbolism, the researchers wrote in their study.

The discovery sheds light on how Paleolithic humans understood and manipulated their environment: The sandstone showed artistic engravings of horses and female forms, as well as depictions of natural water flows and geomorphological patterns.

“What we’ve described is not a map as we understand it today – with distances, directions, and travel times – but rather a three-dimensional miniature depicting the functioning of a landscape, with runoff from highlands into streams and rivers, the convergence of valleys, and the downstream formation of lakes and swamps,” explained Anthony Milnes, a geologist from the University of Adelaide in Australia and study co-author, in a statement.

Milnes and his colleague, Medard Thiry, suggested that the prehistoric people shaped the sandstone to promote specific rainwater flow paths, which may have served both practical and symbolic purposes.

The study also highlights how the shelter’s sculpted sandstone mirrors the female form, with water infiltrating fractures and outflowing at the base of a pelvic triangle, according to Popular Science.

“The fittings probably have a much deeper, mythical meaning, related to water,” said Thiry. “The two hydraulic installations … are two to three meters from each other and are sure to relay a profound meaning of the conception of life and nature, which will never be accessible to us.”

The authors believe the ancient map challenges earlier notions about prehistoric mapping, adding that it highlights the ingenuity of early humans in blending functional and symbolic designs into their environment.

“These are exceptional findings and clearly show the mental capacity, imagination, and engineering capability of our distant ancestors,” added Milnes.