26 April 2025 The Future is the Product of the Past

Scientists identified a unique engraving that could be the oldest three-dimensional (3D) map in the world

Scientists working in the Ségognole 3 cave, located in the famous sandstone massif south of Paris have identified a unique engraving that could be the oldest three-dimensional (3D) map in the world.

A recent study published in the Oxford Journal of Archaeology, reveals how hunter-gatherers over 20,000 years ago shaped and adapted the cave environment to represent water flow and potentially the surrounding landscape. Archaeologists found engravings of horses and the female human form in the cave along with the map, indicating that the site may have symbolic meaning.

The research team led by Médard Thiry and Anthony Milnes hypothesize that the set of engravings in the cave is an artificial representation of the surrounding landscape, a kind of “scale model” of the region with hydrological and geomorphological variations.

The scale model of Noisy-sur-École’s landscape is situated on the floor behind the Ségognole 3 cave. The level of detail and accuracy is astounding. The cave’s former occupants, hunter-gatherers, created an amazing miniature depiction of the area’s hydrological and geomorphological features.

Researchers explained that the floor’s surface was masterfully engraved to manipulate water flow through accurate channels, depressions, and basins. The specific indents of indents and inclinations in the stone represent the various hills in the area and how they correlate to the surrounding rivers, lakes, and deltas.

“The carved motifs and their relationship with natural features in the sandstone of the shelter can be compared with major geomorphological features in the surrounding landscape,” the researchers said.

The authors claim that the engravings on the shelter may be the earliest known three-dimensional map of a region, which differs from other representations of the era that were portable and two-dimensional.

These most recent discoveries mark the end of an investigation into the engravings in the cave that began in 2020. When Thiry and Milnes discovered that all of the water that passed through the cave’s grooves ended up in a vulva-like depression, while other depressions and fractures in the cave manipulated water to flow along other paths, they realized that the patterns in the cave had a specific meaning. They clarified that rainwater entered through tiny surface fissures that were designed to catch precipitation directly from the wind’s push.

The carvings and natural cracks thus represent both the surrounding landscape and the female body.

“The natural geomorphological characteristics of the Ségognole 3 shelter thus provided appropriate disposition to imprint this fragmented representation of femininity, a theme that shows clear importance during the Upper Palaeolithic,” the researchers said in a paper about the cave.

In addition to their skill at hunting and gathering, Paleolithic hunter-gatherers also demonstrated a deep awareness of their surroundings and the capacity to abstract and use them in practical ways, as evidenced by the discovery at Ségognole 3.

https://doi.org/10.1111/ojoa.12316

Cover Image Credit: SYGREF, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons

Related Articles

Metal signature of Roman 19th Legion identified at Teutoburg battle site that shook Rome in AD9

5 December 2022

5 December 2022

Researchers in Germany have identified the metallurgic signature of the Roman 19th Legion in artifacts recovered from the Battle of...

Metal Scraps were Used İnstead of Money in Bronze Age Europe

8 May 2021

8 May 2021

Bronze scrap uncovered in hoards in Europe was used as currency, according to researchers from the Universities of Göttingen and...

Archaeologists reveal largest paleolithic cave art site in Eastern Iberia

17 September 2023

17 September 2023

More than 100 ancient paintings and engravings thought to be at least 24,000 years old were found in the cave...

Scientists discover traces of paint on the Parthenon Sculptures that reveal their true colours

12 October 2023

12 October 2023

Recent research on the Parthenon Sculptures has found traces of the original paint used to decorate the Parthenon Sculptures, revealing...

2nd-Century Statue Head Discovered at Fethiye Castle

22 August 2024

22 August 2024

Türkiye’s coastal town of Fethiye, which is famous for its natural beauties and historical sites, found an 1800-year-old statue head...

5000-year-old jewelry factory found in Rakhi Garhi in India’s Indus Valley region

9 May 2022

9 May 2022

The Archaeological Survey of India (ASI) has made an important discovery by finding the remains of a 5000-year-old jewelry factory...

The 11-meter giant statue of the island of Naxos “Dionysus of Apollonas”

22 March 2023

22 March 2023

One of the two ancient marble quarries, thought to have begun the sculpture, the greatest art of antiquity, is located...

Central Turkey’s largest Byzantine mosaic structure found

28 October 2021

28 October 2021

A 300-square-meter (3,330 square feet) ​floor mosaic belonging to the Late Roman-Early Byzantine period was discovered during excavation work in...

A Medieval Barbican and a Network of Passages Uncovered in Western Slovakia’s town of Trenčín

5 December 2024

5 December 2024

A medieval barbican (fortified outpost or fortified gateway), and a network of passages that acted as a sewerage system have...

Refurbishment at the Uffizi Gallery Revealed a Pair of Priceless Lost Renaissance Frescoes

24 April 2021

24 April 2021

A couple of construction workers discovered two Renaissance-era treasures while working on an extensive renovation project at Florence’s world-famous Uffizi...

A 2,200-Year-Old Monumental Pyramidal Structure Discovered in the Judean Desert

26 March 2025

26 March 2025

In a remarkable archaeological breakthrough, Israeli archaeologists have uncovered a monumental pyramidal structure in the Judean Desert, dating back 2,200...

A spectacular rare ancient Roman bronze coin depicting the moon goddess was discovered off the coast of Israel

25 July 2022

25 July 2022

A rare 1850-year-old exceptionally well-preserved bronze coin depicting the Roman moon goddess Luna has been found off the coast of...

Archaeologists discover three extraordinary 1,800-year-old residential-style tombs featuring rooms and windows, Filled with Han Dynasty Treasures

19 May 2024

19 May 2024

Archaeologists discovered three remarkable 1,800-year-old, residential-style tombs featuring rooms and windows, where a wealthy family was laid to rest alongside...

The two sarcophagi discovered beneath Notre Dame start to reveal their secrets

12 December 2022

12 December 2022

The owner of one of the two sarcophagi that were found in an excavation at the intersection of Notre Dame...

A Rare Ancient Saber Discovered in Kyrgyzstan

5 August 2023

5 August 2023

An ancient saber (heavy military sword with a long cutting edge and, often, a curved blade) was found by three...