Probably the oldest on the planet: archaeologists discover a unique three-dimensional map in France

Archaeologists have made an incredible discovery when they found the oldest three-dimensional map in the world, estimated to be about 13,000 years old, in the French cave Segognol-3. While exploring this rock shelter, known for its drawings, scientists noticed that part of the cave floor was carefully engraved.

It turned out that this is an image of the surrounding landscape, which accurately reproduces rivers, valleys and other natural objects. This is reported by onlinelibrary.wiley.

"It's not just a map in the modern sense of the word," explains one of the researchers, "but rather a three-dimensional model that shows the relationships between different parts of the landscape.

This discovery proves that Paleolithic people had much more advanced cognitive abilities than previously thought. They not only created impressive artworks, but were also capable of abstract thinking and modeling the world around them.

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"Our study demonstrates that the changes in hydraulic behavior made by humans in and around the shelter also relate to the modeling of natural water flows in the landscape of the region around the rock shelter. These are exceptional results that clearly demonstrate the mental capacity, imagination, and engineering skills of our distant ancestors," the scientists say.

This discovery challenges conventional wisdom about the capabilities of ancient people and proves that even in ancient times, people had complex knowledge of their environment and were able to pass this knowledge on to future generations.

Earlier, we told you what made the largest river on Earth change its course.

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