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Sunday, August 9, 2009

14,000 Year Old Map the Oldest Known Cartography

World's oldest map: Spanish cave has landscape from 14,000 years ago - Telegraph


Archaeologists have discovered what they believe is man's earliest map, dating from almost 14,000 years ago.

A stone tablet found in a cave in Abauntz in the Navarra region of northern Spain is believed to contain the earliest known representation of a landscape.

Engravings on the stone, which measures less than seven inches by five inches, and is less than an inch thick, appear to depict mountains, meandering rivers and areas of good foraging and hunting.

A team from the University of Zaragoza spent 15 years deciphering the etched lines and squiggles after unearthing the artefact during excavation of the cave in 1993.

"We can say with certainty that it is a sketch, a map of the surrounding area," said Pilar Utrilla, who led the research team.


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