French scientists have identified a unique engraving in the Ségognole 3 cave, located in the famous sandstone massif south of Paris. This engraving, dating back to the Upper Paleolithic, could be the oldest three-dimensional map ever found.

The research, 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.

The Ségognole 3 site, in Noisy-sur-École, is unique in combining figurative cave art with architectural interventions on the stone. These alterations not only served a practical purpose in controlling water infiltration but may also have had symbolic or ritual significance.

Three-dimensional paleolithic map
The interior of the cave with the three-dimensional map. Credit: Médard Thiry / courtesy of Médard Thiry for labrujulaverde.com

The most captivating hypothesis is that the set of engravings on the cave floor constitutes a miniature representation of the surrounding landscape, a kind of “scale model” of the region’s hydrological and geomorphological features.

The research, led by Médard Thiry and Anthony Milnes, describes how the shelter was carefully modified by human hands to manipulate water flow through a series of channels, basins, and depressions. These features, combined with complex engravings, evoke a representation of the area’s hydrographic system, including rivers, lakes and their delta inlets, and hills.

The cave not only housed figurative representations of animals, such as horses stylistically similar to those of Lascaux, but also integrated a natural geomorphological features and natural fractures widened to guide water into a vulva-shaped crevice, while other depressions in the ground acted as basins that drained water into engraved patterns mimicking river courses.

Three-dimensional paleolithic mapo
The map of the cave compared to the environment where it is located. Credit: Médard Thiry / courtesy of Médard Thiry for labrujulaverde.com

The discovery at Ségognole 3 is remarkable not only for its uniqueness but also for its implications in understanding the cognitive abilities and social organization of prehistoric humans. According to the authors, the shelter’s engravings could be considered the first known three-dimensional map of a territory, marking a departure from other representations of the time, which were two-dimensional and portable.

The cave is strategically located above the École River valley, upstream of the Seine river, where ancient hunter-gatherers settled, taking advantage of natural resources. From a landscape perspective, the valley offered abundant hunting opportunities, with large herbivores migrating across the river at specific points. This context makes the hypothesis plausible that the engraved model in the cave may have been used to plan hunting strategies or even to teach new community members about key environmental resources.

One of the most fascinating features of the Ségognole engraving is its active interaction with water. During rains, water flows through the channels and basins, “animating” the model and demonstrating how rivers and tributaries might have functioned in the actual landscape. The whole thing could be animated by water input. This dynamic element reinforces the idea that the engravings were not merely decorative but functional and educational tools, possibly imbued with cultural and spiritual significance.

Three-dimensional paleolithic map
Another view of the Paleolithic three-dimensional map. Credit: Médard Thiry / courtesy of Médard Thiry for labrujulaverde.com

Moreover, the design reflects an advanced understanding of the natural environment and an abstract capacity to represent spatial and functional relationships. In this sense, the three-dimensional map of Ségognole 3 stands out as a testament to the cognitive and symbolic complexities of Upper Paleolithic communities.

The discovery at Ségognole 3 adds to a growing body of evidence suggesting that Paleolithic hunter-gatherers were not only adept at hunting and gathering but also possessed a profound understanding of their environment and the ability to represent it in abstract and functional ways. Similar, though less sophisticated, examples include engravings in Ukraine and the Iberian Peninsula that depict landscape elements in rudimentary forms.

However, the Ségognole model stands out for its three-dimensional integration and potential practical use, combining the shelter’s natural features with human modifications to create a unique functional and symbolic system.

SOURCES

Thiry, M., and Milnes, A. (2024) Palaeolithic map engraved for staging water flows in a Paris basin shelter. Oxford Journal of Archaeology, doi.org/10.1111/ojoa.12316

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