Mysterious 4,000-Year-Old Treasure Map Reveals Ancient World

Archaeologists aim to uncover ancient secrets with a 4,000-year-old map that has been mostly unexamined. This ancient map, dating back to the Bronze Age, may seem like a simple rock with mysterious carvings. However, this stone, known as the “Saint-Belec slab,” could guide archaeologists to forgotten landmarks in Northwestern France, as reported by the French news agency Agence France-Presse.

“Using the map to try to find archaeological sites is a great approach. We never work like that,” commented Yvan Pailler, a professor at the University of Western Brittany, during an interview with AFP.

Typically, archaeologists rely on technology such as radar devices and aerial photographs to make their findings.

Saint-Belec slab declared Europe’s oldest map

In 2021, the Saint-Belec slab was declared Europe’s oldest map, and archaeologists have been working hard to decode its symbols, hoping it will guide them to more historical discoveries. It was initially found in 1900, but the historian who stumbled upon it didn’t realize its significance, as reported by AFP.

Then, in 2014, Yvan Pailler and his colleague Clement Nicolas from the CNRS research institute rediscovered this artifact, which had been tucked away in a museum. They decided to take a closer look at the enigmatic markings it bore.

The Saint-Bélec slab is 4,000 years old and is believed to be the oldest map in Europe. It depicts a portion of the Odet valley in western Brittany. #WyrdWednesday pic.twitter.com/QI0B24Xbhs

— Paul Robichaud 🍁 (@PaulJRobichaud) May 18, 2022

Some of the carved symbols immediately had clear meanings, noted Pailler in an interview with the news agency. Researchers have determined that the map covers an area of approximately eighteen by thirteen miles.

Archaeologists suspect that the region represented on the map might have been an ancient kingdom. However, before further exploration, the entire area needs to be thoroughly examined and cross-referenced. This extensive task is expected to take about fifteen years to complete, reported Miami Herald.

These areas include the Roudouallec mountains in the Brittany region of France. The team of researchers also managed to classify the rivers shown on the slab as raised bumps and lines on the rock.

80 percent resemblance between ancient and modern map

When they compared this ancient map to modern ones, they found a surprising eighty percent match. Clement Nicolas told AFP, “We still have to identify all the geometric symbols, the legend [key] that goes with them.”

The 4,000-year-old treasure map also features small indented areas, possibly indicating specific burial mounds and revealing structures from an ancient world. Prior to venturing into other potential sites, researchers have decided to commence their investigations at the location where the slab was initially unearthed.

Yvan Pailler from the CNRS research institute said that this site ranks as one of the largest Bronze Age sites in Brittany. Up to this point, they have uncovered some additional fragments belonging to the slab.