8 July 2025 The Future is the Product of the Past

The Oldest Known Map of Europe, “Saint-Bélec Slab”

An ornate Bronze Age stone slab (Saint-Bélec slab) that was excavated in France in 1900 and forgotten about for over a century may be the oldest three-dimensional map in Europe.

In 2014, a 2m x 1.5m slab (5 feet x 6.5 feet) was again found in the cellar of a castle in Brittany, France. Archaeologists who study patterns carved on 4,000-year-old stones say they believe these marks are maps of the western region of Brittany. They say this makes the tablet the oldest 3D map of a known area in Europe.

Researchers examined the carved stone slab and dated it to the early bronze age. (MÖ 2150-1600)

Their research, published in the French journal Bulletin de la Société préhistorique française, identified it as the oldest cartographic representation of a known territory in Europe, a likely marker of the political power of the early Bronze Age.

The broken plate was reused for the burial of Saint-Bélec at the end of the Early Bronze Age (ca. 1900-1640 BC). At that time, the slab formed one of the walls of a stone cyst, a small coffin-like stone box used to contain the bodies of the deceased. His engraved face turned towards the inside of the tomb, but its ends were hidden. The plate was transferred to a private museum in 1900 before the collection was taken over by the Musée des Antiquités Nationales (MAN – Museum of National Antiquities) in 1924. Until the 1990s, the Saint-Bélec plate was kept in a niche in the castle cellar. Finally, in 2014, he was found in the castle’s basement.

Saint-Belec Slab 1900
The slab was first discovered in Brittany in 1900.

The research team, including in 2017, began to perform high-resolution 3D research and plate photogrammetry, registering the surface of the plate and its engravings.

After analyzing the markings and carvings on the stone, the researchers suspected that it might be a map. A study in the Bulletin of the French Prehistoric Society stated that the “repetitive patterns connected by lines” on its surface indicate that it depicts a Finistère region. Researchers say that the dent is a 3D representation of the Odette River valley, and there appear to be several lines that delineate the river network in the area. The geographical location shows that the territory represented on the slab has an accuracy of 80% relative to the 18-mile-long area of ​​the river.

Markings on the rock are believed to depict an area of western Brittany.
Markings on the rock are believed to depict an area of western Brittany. Photo: DENIS GLIKSMAN

“This is probably the oldest map of a territory that has been identified,” Dr. Clément Nicolas from Bournemouth University, one of the study’s authors, told the BBC.

“There are several such maps carved in stone all over the world. Generally, they are just interpretations. But this is the first time a map has depicted an area on a specific scale.”

Dr. Nicolas said the map may have been used to mark a particular area.

“It was probably a way to affirm the ownership of the territory by a small prince or king at the time,” he said.

“We tend to underestimate the geographical knowledge of past societies. This slab is important as it highlights this cartographical knowledge.”

Saint-Bélec Slab is contemporary with the famous Nebra Nebula Disk discovered in Germany. It is the oldest known specific depiction of the cosmos and highlights the cartographic knowledge of prehistoric society.

Related Articles

Earliest evidence for intestinal parasites in the UK came from Stonehenge

20 May 2022

20 May 2022

Researchers think they have discovered the earliest evidence for intestinal parasites in the UK. Ancient poop found at the site...

Was the mystery of Noceto Vasca Votiva the water ritual?

13 June 2021

13 June 2021

The Noceto Vasca Votiva is a one-of-a-kind wood building discovered in 2005 on a tiny hill in northern Italy. The...

Archeologists in Peru find a 1,000-year-old adolescent mummy wrapped in bundle

25 April 2023

25 April 2023

Archaeologists have unearthed a more than 1,000-year-old mummy on the outskirts of Peru’s capital, Lima. The mummified adolescent was wrapped...

Carvings at Göbeklitepe could be World’s Oldest Calendar

6 August 2024

6 August 2024

Experts suggest that markings on a stone pillar at the 12,000-year-old Göbeklitepe archaeological site in Türkiye probably represent the oldest...

Tombs of Queens of Commagene Detected

23 September 2021

23 September 2021

The graves built by Commagene King Mithritades II (36-21 BC) for his mother Isias, his sister Antiokhis, and Antiochis’s daughter...

Divers Discover 2,500-Year-Old Shipwreck and anchors Off the Coast of Sicily

23 January 2025

23 January 2025

A shipwreck dating back to the 5th and 6th centuries BC was discovered in the waters of Santa Maria del...

Spectacular Roman Mosaics Unearthed in Thalheim bei Wels: A Unique Discovery in Upper Austria

10 June 2025

10 June 2025

Archaeologists from the University of Salzburg uncovered three exceptionally preserved Roman mosaics during excavations A remarkable archaeological discovery has captivated...

A shipboard 14th-century cannon found off the Swedish coast may be the oldest in Europe

14 September 2023

14 September 2023

An international research team led by maritime archaeologist Staffan von Arbin of the University of Gothenburg has confirmed that a...

One of the greatest gold treasures in Danish history found in Vindelev

6 September 2021

6 September 2021

Near the town of Jelling in Denmark, one of the biggest treasures ever found dating from the sixth century has...

Paleontologists Unearth 139 Million-Year-Old Pregnant Dinosaur Fossil in Chile

10 May 2022

10 May 2022

Archeologists in Chile have unearthed the fossilized remains of a 13ft-long pregnant ichthyosaur from a melting glacier -marking the first...

Remarkable Roman mosaic discovered near London Bridge in Southwark

22 February 2022

22 February 2022

A team of archaeologists from the Museum of London Archaeology have announced the discovery well-preserved Roman mosaic that may have...

Glazed Bricks with Bull and Dragon Motifs Discovered at Persepolis

17 December 2021

17 December 2021

A team of Iranian and Italian archaeologists recently unearthed some glazed bricks bearing bull and dragon motifs in the ancient...

The Longest Greek Papyrus from the Judean Desert Sheds Light on a Pivotal Roman Court Case

31 January 2025

31 January 2025

New research by a group of Austrian and Israeli scholars has finally deciphered a 1,900-year-old scroll describing a tense court...

A Roman Sanctuary with Inscriptions Discovered in Cova de les Dones, One of the Largest Rock Art Sites in the Iberian Peninsula

31 January 2025

31 January 2025

A team of researchers from the universities of Alicante (UA) and Zaragoza (Unizar) have discovered a Roman temple at Cova...

Ancient Egyptian cult drank a trippy mix of drugs, human blood, and bodily fluids

7 June 2023

7 June 2023

Researchers have identified some of the components of found in an ancient Bes vase dating back to Ptolemaic era Egypt....