France: Archaeologists unearth 3D map from Bronze Age

A 3D map has been unearthed in France which belonged to the Bronze Age and may be the oldest map to exist in Europe.

Archaeologists in France found the Bronze Age stone, which they believe was earlier once unearthed in 1900 in the prehistoric burial ground in Finistère by Paul du Chatellier.

After that, the slab was reportedly forgotten under a moat at Mr du Chatellier's home, the Château de Kernuz and was then found again in a cellar of a castle in 2014.

The stone is 2m b 1.5 m slab and has patterns engraved on it, which are being assumed to be markings of a map of an area in western Brittany.

As per experts, the piece of rock, called Saint-Bélec Slab is dated back to the Bronze age, between 1900 BC and 1650 BC.

The “presence of repeated motifs joined by lines” on the surface of the slab made experts believe it to be a map.

"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."

He also believes that the map may have been a trial to mark a particular area, affirming ownership of the territory by a small King or Prince.