Oldest 3D map discovered in French cave rewrites history
Scientists have made a groundbreaking discovery in the Ségognole 3 cave near Paris. They found engravings on the floor that may represent the oldest three-dimensional map of the world. Researchers suggest that prehistoric cave dwellers created a model of the surrounding landscape, which might have been used for planning hunts.
In the Ségognole 3 cave, located in the École River valley near Paris, scientists made an extraordinary discovery—engravings on the cave floor, which could represent the oldest three-dimensional map in the world.
As reported by "National Geographic," researchers Médard Thiry and Anthony Milnes observed that the ancient inhabitants of this cave altered its floor, shaping it to reflect the landscape of the École River valley. Although it is not a complete, precise map, the engravings clearly depict spatial relationships and distinctive features of the surrounding landscape.
The oldest 3D map found
Scientists suggest that such a representation might have helped plan hunts and educated new community members who needed to learn how to navigate the terrain. Although older examples of settlements or hunting grounds exist, the find in the Ségognole 3 cave is unique because no other similar map depicts the natural landscape with geomorphological features.
This discovery provides evidence of the advanced cognitive abilities of the hunter-gatherers of that era, who could create spatial models of their environment. The carved cave floor is not a literal map but a miniature terrain model, which could have helped in spatial orientation and planning hunting expeditions. It is also the first known example of a three-dimensional representation of a Paleolithic territory worldwide.
Scientists emphasize that caution should be exercised in interpreting this discovery. Paleolithic art mainly focused on figurative representations of animals and humans, and natural landscapes were rare. The find in Ségognole 3 is thus an extraordinary rarity in the context of the art of this period, which makes it even more exceptional.
