Ancient stone found in France termed as oldest 3D map in Europe

According to details, the freshly unearthed bronze-age stone is 2m by 1.5m large (5ft by 6.5ft), first uncovered in 1900, was found again in a cellar in a castle in France in 2014.

The slab, known as the Saint-Bélec Slab, is said to date from the early Bronze Age, between 1900 BC and 1650 BC.

Archeologists who are examining the markings engraved on the 4,000-year-old stone say they believe that the patterns over the slap are a map of an area in Western Brittany.

They have termed it as an oldest 3D map of a known area in Europe.

It was in 1900 that the slap was first discovered by local archaeologist Paul du Chatellier during a dig. Later it was forgotten for over a year and was found again by in a cellar in 2014.

After analyzing marks and engravings on the stone, the researchers say the indentations are a 3D representation of the River Odet valley, while several lines appear to illustrate the area's river network.

"This is probably the oldest map of a territory that has been identified," Dr Clément Nicolas from Bournemouth University, one of the study's authors, told the BBC.