Man digs up 1,000-year-old sword from Swedish Crusades in his yard in Finland
Jennifer Nalewicki
Thu, October 19, 2023
A partially bent sword with rust.
While conducting maintenance work on his land, a man in southern Finland discovered a piece of iron sticking out of a mound of dirt. What he pulled out, however, wasn't scrap metal but a centuries-old sword.
The unnamed landowner immediately contacted local archaeologists about the partially bent weapon, which had a straight cross guard outfitted with a three-sided, oval pommel similar to what a Swedish Crusader would've carried into battle. Researchers radiocarbon-dated the artifact to between A.D. 1050 and 1150, according to a statement.
The Swedish Crusades were a series of religious-fueled raids that unfolded between the 12th and 13th centuries. The aim of the raids, initiated by the Roman Catholic Church and the Swedish Crown, was to gain control of what is now Finland, according to an article in Yleisradio Oy, the Finnish Broadcasting Co. These wars were cast as "Crusades" by 19th-century romantic nationalists, and it's likely that the first of the three crusades was mythical and didn't actually happen, according to All Things Nordic.
An X-ray of the sword's blade revealed that it contained an inscription, which archaeologists think reads "in the name of Jesus Christ," Juha Ruohonen, an archaeologist and instructor in the Department of Archaeology and Finnish History at the University of Turku in Finland who led the excavation, told Live Science in an email.
Related: Crusader sword found in Holy Land was bent, possibly in naval battle, X-rays reveal
As researchers continued surveying the area, they came upon a second discovery: an "unknown" cemetery located in the same vicinity as a medieval stone church, according to the statement. This marks the first time a burial ground has been found from this time period in Finland's Salo region.
"The location of the site, in the immediate vicinity of a medieval stone church, can be considered as evidence of a much earlier church organization in the area than previously believed," Ruohonen said in the statement. "It has been thought that Pertteli parish was established with the founding of the Uskela chapel in the 15th century."
During the excavation, archaeologists unearthed a number of artifacts that are thought to be part of a single burial: parts from a different sword, wood fragments from a coffin, cross-shaped pendants and a leather belt decorated with 30 bronze ornaments containing rosette patterns.
"The whole belt also included a buckle, several end tips, animal-head decorations and strap dividers," Ruohonen said in the statement. "The leather parts of the belt are partially preserved. In addition, the bronze ornaments still show plenty of fragments of attached fabric, remnants of the clothing of the deceased."
They also found human bones at the burial site.
"Radiocarbon dating is on the way for the bone[s] of the deceased," Ruohonen told Live Science. "But the result will not be available until January."
So far, archaeologists have uncovered eight graves at the site, but they think there could be anywhere from a dozen to 200 burials in total, according to the statement.
Amateur detectorist’s coin find reveals unknown British king
Telegraph reporters
Thu, October 19, 2023
Construction worker Lewis Fudge found the coin in this Hampshire field - SPINKS/SWNS/SPINKS/SWNS
A new name has been added to the list of British monarchs after experts examined a coin found in a Hampshire field by an amateur detectorist.
Dating from around 50BC and smaller than a fingernail, the gold coin is stamped with the name Esunertos, a previously unrecorded Iron Age ruler. It sold at auction for more than £20,000.
The find, by hobbyist Lewis Fudge, has been described by experts as “one of the outstanding discoveries of recent decades”.
The coin was dug up from a farmer’s field in March by Mr Fudge, a construction worker, after he obtained permission to detect.
He said: “I am over the moon, if it were not for people in the auction room I would have jumped around.
“The collectors I spoke to are gobsmacked. I’m so glad I did not take them up on their private offers before the auction.
“To think my find has generated its own Wikipedia page is incredible.”
The circa 50 BC gold coin found in a Hampshire field
The coin dates to the very beginnings of written language appearing in the British Isles.
It was expected to fetch around £4,000 but bidding at auctioneers Spink pushed the price up to £20,400, including premium, beating the world record for a similar type of coin, a “Medusa” quarter stater that sold for £10,800.
It was struck sometime between 50BC and 30BC, shortly after Julius Caesar’s first raid on Britain in 55BC. Caesar arrived with a small force off the coast of Kent but was forced to turn back after struggling to land and rough seas wrecking their boats.
Leading Iron Age experts who studied the coin deduced it had been struck by a pre-eminent male figure dubbed Iisvnirtos, an alternative spelling of Esunertos that translates from the Celtic language spoken at the time as Mighty as the God Esos. One theory is that he ruled as king from nearby Danebury Hill fort.
Dr John Sills, of the Celtic Coin Index at the Ashmolean Museum, said: “It is one of the outstanding discoveries of recent decades in Celtic numismatics.”
‘Fabulous piece of prehistoric artwork’
Gregory Edmund, Iron Age coin specialist at auctioneers Spink, who led the team of experts that recorded the find, added: “This fabulous piece of prehistoric artwork completes the mental image we have when we think of Iron Age Britain – the war horse and chariot.
“But it also surprises us with the appearance of classical languages like Latin.
“This is the reason I come to work; to document the discoveries of national importance and share that knowledge directly with museums and amongst academics, collectors and the public at large.”
Mr Edmund continued: “On a personal note, this find is particularly vindicating for me.
“I focused my university degree on the Roman invasion of Britain through the lens of Britain’s first coinage.
“To now add a critically important contemporary witness to those seismic events in the birth of our island’s story is electrifying.
“Despite the coin’s diminutive size, the name of its conceiver - Esunertos - now truly echoes down the ages.
“Esunertos was once forgotten, but now his name looms large in the historic record.”
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Aspen Pflughoeft
Wed, October 18, 2023
Someone buried treasure 3,500 years ago. A metal detectorist searching a carrot field in Switzerland just found it.
Franz Zahn has been metal detecting around Güttingen for years, according to an Oct. 16 news release from Thurgau Canton. He’s found a lot of scrap metal and, occasionally, historical artifacts.
In August, Zahn was searching a freshly plowed carrot field with a metal detector when he stumbled on a metallic disc, the release said. He immediately realized it was an extraordinary find.
Archaeologists identified Zahn’s find as a large jewelry set from the Middle Bronze Age. The finds date to about 1500 B.C. or about 3,500 years ago, according to the release.
Returning to the carrot field, archaeologists removed a section of soil and excavated it in a lab. A photo shows this process.
Excavations uncovered 14 necklace pieces known as spike discs, 11 small bronze spirals, eight larger gold wire spirals, two rings and more than 100 amber beads the size of pinheads, archaeologists said. A photo shows this treasure collection.
A bronze arrowhead, beaver tooth, bear tooth, rock crystal, fossilized shark tooth, small ammonite and lumps of ore were also unearthed, archaeologists said.
The ancient artifacts were not found near a grave but were likely buried on their own in a now-gone container, according to the release.
Archaeologists know of very few Middle Bronze Age settlements in the area where the collection was found. It’s unclear how or why the jewelry set came to be buried in Güttingen, the release said.
Thurgau Canton shared close-up photos of the jewelry set in an Oct. 17 Facebook post. One photo shows the pair of rings. They have a matching spiral design in a figure-eight shape.
Another close-up photo shows the spike discs arranged in a necklace-like shape. Each disc has roughly four concentric circles and a singular raised point, or spike, in the middle. Spiral shapes like coils or springs are placed between the discs.
Archaeologists likened these types of spike disc necklaces to Bronze Age costume jewelry, the release said.
Archaeologists are documenting, analyzing and restoring the artifacts and plan to eventually display them in the Museum of Archaeology in Frauenfeld, according to the release.
Güttingen is in Thurgau Canton and about 45 miles northeast of Zurich.
Google Translate was used to translate the news release from Thurgau Canton. Facebook Translate was used to translate the Facebook post from Thurgau Canton.
Failed projects sat in medieval workshop for 800 years. Photos show the site in France
Aspen Pflughoeft
Wed, October 18, 2023
Broken and abandoned, a collection of failed projects sat in the ruins of a tile workshop in northwestern France for 800 years. Not anymore.
Archaeologists uncovered the ruins of a medieval tile-making workshop in Beaupréau-en-Mauges, the French National Institute for Preventive Archaeological Research (Inrap) said in an Oct. 17 news release. The workshop functioned for a few decades around 1150 to 1200 A.D.
The workshop site had two sections, the release said. The interior egg-shaped section is about 65 feet across and has a cellar and staircase. The exterior section is where the terracotta tile-making took place and has a main extraction pit.
A photo shows the excavation pit and, at the bottom, some of the failed tile projects. A dismantled oven was also found in the pit, according to the release.
Archaeologists identified the workshop as an early pioneer of the region’s tile manufacturing.
Tile making largely disappeared from northern France, then known as Gaul, between the sixth and 11th centuries, the release said. By the 12th century, the small or medium-sized workshop in Beaupréau-en-Mauges had begun operating, likely with some trial and error.
Photos show some of the tiles left at the workshop. The tiles vary in shape and size. Some are shaped like horseshoes, others like long, narrow rectangles, and some are flatter with a protruding point.
Archaeologists found a specific stamp marking repeated on several tiles, the release said. This stamp depicted an outstretched wolf with an open mouth and curling tail, a photo shows. The workshop used this wolf stamp like a signature.
A photo shows one broken terracotta tile decorated with rows of wolf stamps and other X-shaped markings.
Tiles from the workshop were used for roofs, bread ovens and likely decorative purposes, archaeologists said.
Excavations of the workshop began in 2020, according to the release.
Beaupréau-en-Mauges is about 220 miles southwest of Paris.
Google Translate was used to translate the news release from the French National Institute for Preventive Archaeological Research (Inrap).
Aspen Pflughoeft
Wed, October 18, 2023
Broken and abandoned, a collection of failed projects sat in the ruins of a tile workshop in northwestern France for 800 years. Not anymore.
Archaeologists uncovered the ruins of a medieval tile-making workshop in Beaupréau-en-Mauges, the French National Institute for Preventive Archaeological Research (Inrap) said in an Oct. 17 news release. The workshop functioned for a few decades around 1150 to 1200 A.D.
The workshop site had two sections, the release said. The interior egg-shaped section is about 65 feet across and has a cellar and staircase. The exterior section is where the terracotta tile-making took place and has a main extraction pit.
A photo shows the excavation pit and, at the bottom, some of the failed tile projects. A dismantled oven was also found in the pit, according to the release.
Archaeologists identified the workshop as an early pioneer of the region’s tile manufacturing.
Tile making largely disappeared from northern France, then known as Gaul, between the sixth and 11th centuries, the release said. By the 12th century, the small or medium-sized workshop in Beaupréau-en-Mauges had begun operating, likely with some trial and error.
Photos show some of the tiles left at the workshop. The tiles vary in shape and size. Some are shaped like horseshoes, others like long, narrow rectangles, and some are flatter with a protruding point.
Archaeologists found a specific stamp marking repeated on several tiles, the release said. This stamp depicted an outstretched wolf with an open mouth and curling tail, a photo shows. The workshop used this wolf stamp like a signature.
A photo shows one broken terracotta tile decorated with rows of wolf stamps and other X-shaped markings.
Tiles from the workshop were used for roofs, bread ovens and likely decorative purposes, archaeologists said.
Excavations of the workshop began in 2020, according to the release.
Beaupréau-en-Mauges is about 220 miles southwest of Paris.
Google Translate was used to translate the news release from the French National Institute for Preventive Archaeological Research (Inrap).
4,000-year-old rock becomes a "treasure map" for archaeologists
CBSNews
Updated Wed, October 18, 2023
4,000-year-old rock becomes a "treasure map" for archaeologists
A piece of rock with mysterious markings that lay largely unstudied for 4,000 years is now being hailed as a "treasure map" for archaeologists, who are using it to hunt for ancient sites around northwestern France.
The so-called Saint-Belec slab was found at the site of a tomb and claimed as Europe's oldest known map by researchers in 2021. They have been working ever since to understand its etchings — both to help them date the slab and to rediscover lost monuments.
"Using the map to try to find archaeological sites is a great approach. We never work like that," said Yvan Pailler, a professor at the University of Western Brittany (UBO).
Ancient sites are more commonly uncovered by sophisticated radar equipment or aerial photography, or by accident in cities when the foundations for new buildings are being dug.
"It's a treasure map," said Pailler.
But the team is only just beginning their treasure hunt.
The ancient map marks an area roughly 30 by 21 kilometers and Pailler's colleague, Clement Nicolas from the CNRS research institute, said they would need to survey the entire territory and cross reference the markings on the slab. That job could take 15 years, he said.
"Symbols that made sense right away"
Nicolas and Pailler were part of the team that rediscovered the slab in 2014 — it was initially uncovered in 1900 by a local historian who did not understand its significance.
At the time, more than a dozen workers were needed to move the heavy slab out of the mound where it had been used to form a wall of a large burial chest, according to the National Archeology Museum. It has been kept in the museum's collections since 1924.
A broken ceramic vessel characteristic of early Bronze Age pottery was also found with the slab, according to the French Prehistoric Society.
The French experts were joined by colleagues from other institutions in France and overseas as they began to decode its mysteries.
"There were a few engraved symbols that made sense right away," said Pailler.
In the coarse bumps and lines of the slab, they could see the rivers and mountains of Roudouallec, part of the Brittany region about 500 kilometers west of Paris. The researchers scanned the slab and compared it with current maps, finding a roughly 80% match.
"We still have to identify all the geometric symbols, the legend that goes with them," said Nicolas.
The slab is pocked with tiny hollows, which researchers believe could point to burial mounds, dwellings or geological deposits. Discovering their meaning could lead to a whole flood of new finds.
But first, the archaeologists have spent the past few weeks digging at the site where the slab was initially uncovered, which Pailler said was one of the biggest Bronze Age burial sites in Brittany.
"We are trying to better contextualize the discovery, to have a way to date the slab," said Pailler.
Their latest dig has already turned up a handful of previously undiscovered fragments from the slab.
The pieces had apparently been broken off and used as a tomb wall in what Nicolas suggests could signify the shifting power dynamics of Bronze Age settlements.
The area covered by the map probably corresponds to an ancient kingdom, perhaps one that collapsed in revolts and rebellions.
"The engraved slab no longer made sense and was doomed by being broken up and used as building material," said Nicolas.
Scientists Are Getting Closer To Understanding This Ancient Stone ”Treasure Map“
Tim Newcomb
Wed, October 18, 2023
Experts Work to Understand Ancient “Treasure Map”Public Domain, Paul du Châtellier
The Saint-Belec stone, carved roughly 4,000 years ago, is Europe’s oldest known 3D map. Scholars now call it a “treasure map” to a Bronze Age past.
While the stone was originally discovered in 1900, it wasn’t understood at the time, and has recently been embraced by researchers as a map of the Brittany region, west of Paris.
Researchers are still working to understand everything they can about this stone in order to pry the most information possible out of their treasure map.
The love of treasure maps spans through time—all the way back to the Bronze Age, it appears.
The Saint-Belec slab—a 4,000-year-old, 5-foot by 6.5-foot carved piece of stone—was found to be what researchers are calling a “treasure map” to Bronze Age archaeological destinations back in 2021. Now, experts are beginning to put it to use.
“Using the map to try to find archaeological sites is a great approach. We never work like that,” Yvan Pailler, professor at the University of Western Brittany, told AFP.
Where that “treasure map” leads, though—that’s still the mystery. And it’s one with a truly ancient twist.
The Bronze Age stone slab was originally discovered in 1900, but the implications of its carvings were not understood at the time, and the slab was then lost for another century. In 2014, French researchers rediscovered the stone and the wealth of information it holds in the cellar of a French castle. Since 2021, they’ve been working to better understand just where the map is from.
Now, Pailler and colleague Clement Nicolas of the French National Centre for Scientific Research have come to believe that the region pictured in the map is an 18 mile by 13 mile tract somewhere in the Brittany region—about 300 miles west of Paris. To better understand the incomplete portions of the map, researchers have continued a search the Brittany area where the slab was first discovered.
“We are trying to better contextualize the discovery,” Pailler says, “to have a way to date the slab.”
And so far, it’s working. Researchers have uncovered additional fragments from the stone to help piece together more of the map, and they now believe that the slab was discarded at one point—likely depicting a kingdom since conquered.
By comparing it to modern maps, the team found what they believe is an 80 percent match to the Odet Valley region in Brittany. “There were a few engraved symbols that made sense right away,” Pailler tells AFP. The undulations and lines on the stone showed off rivers and mountains, including what they believe to be the Odet River. “We still have to identify all the geometric symbols,” Nicolas says, “the legend that goes with them.”
Unearthing those little symbols is part of the continued treasure map fun, of course. They could direct researchers to nearly anything, from a burial ground to a unique feature in the land.
Using a Bronze Age map as an archeological guide isn’t common, at least outside of movie plots. But this story won’t wrap up in 90 minutes. In fact, the researchers expect to take over a decade to search out all this Bronze Age map has to offer, treasure or not.
Looks like we can gear up for a fun hunt.
A mysterious 4,000-year-old slab may be a treasure map that could point the way to long-lost Bronze Age riches
Marianne Guenot
Wed, October 18, 2023
A mysterious millennia-old slab sat undisturbed in storage for more than a century.
Scientists found it was a gigantic map, likely used by a Bronze Age prince to rule the area.
They now want to use this "treasure map" to uncover lost archaeological sites.
Mysterious engravings on an ancient stone slab, long relegated to the storage area of an ancient castle, might reveal the locations of long-lost Bronze Age treasure.
A new analysis of the slab, which had been forgotten since it was first discovered in the early 1900s, suggests it could mark the location of forgotten Bronze Age sites dating back to between 2,150 and 1,600 BC.
"Using the map to try to find archaeological sites is a great approach. We never work like that," said Yvan Pailler, a professor at the University of Western Brittany, told Agence France Presse (AFP), Science Alert reported. "It's a treasure map," he said.
Secrets from the Bronze Age
Paul du Châtellier, an archaeologist of the late 1800s, was clearly struck by the profound significance of the gigantic block, known as the Saint-Bélec slab, when he first uncovered it lining an ancient burial mound in Brittany, on the west coast of France in 1900.
He marveled at the "remarkable monument's" delicate engravings of cups, circles, and lines, but he didn't quite know what to make of it, per a post written about the finding published in 2021 in The Conversation.
Sadly, he would go to his grave without uncovering the secrets of the mysterious rock. The slab remained du Châtellier's castle storage and was passed on to the French Museum of National Archaeology after his death in 1911.
It's only a century later that the hidden meaning behind the prehistoric engravings may have been revealed.
The slab is shown here being photographed by a scientistY.
It could lead to an archeological treasure
After some sleuthing to recover the lost slab, whose pictures had been shared in archaeological circles since the 1900s, experts conducted a thorough analysis of the engravings, including scanning the rock in a 3D scanner.
As we now have the technology to know exactly what an area looks like from above, the significance of the lines and bumps in the rock became immediately apparent, said Pailler, who led the analysis of the slab, per AFP.
The scientists found an 80% match with the rivers and mountains of the Roudouallec area in Brittany.
The findings, published in the peer-reviewed journal Bulletin de la Société préhistorique française in 2021, identified the map as the oldest cartographical representation of a territory in Europe.
The scientists are now hoping to uncover the last secrets of the map to find new Bronze Age archaeological sites.
"What we're missing now is the map key, the decoder," said Clément Nicolas, a lead researcher on the dig from Bournemouth University, in a post for research institute Inrap in 2021.
The cups, they believe, could be burial mounds, houses, or even mineral deposits, AFP reported.
For the past few weeks, the researchers have been excavating the site where the slab was originally found to better date the discovery, Pailler said per AFP. The dig has uncovered some lost fragments of the slab that had been snapped off and left behind.
The map was likely used by a despotic Bronze Age ruler
The map could point the way to a burial mound of a prince, per a post from the National Archaeology Museum.
It's likely that it was once used by a prince from the early Bronze Age who would have directed a small military faction to forcibly rule the area.
Such rulers were typically buried with bronze daggers, arrowheads, and sometimes golden objects.
The fact the map was carelessly broken into pieces to be used as building materials could be the sign that the prince's rule in that area had come to an end.
"The engraved slab no longer made sense and was doomed by being broken up and used as building material," said Nicolas, per AFP.
Read the original article on Business Insider
CBSNews
Updated Wed, October 18, 2023
4,000-year-old rock becomes a "treasure map" for archaeologists
A piece of rock with mysterious markings that lay largely unstudied for 4,000 years is now being hailed as a "treasure map" for archaeologists, who are using it to hunt for ancient sites around northwestern France.
The so-called Saint-Belec slab was found at the site of a tomb and claimed as Europe's oldest known map by researchers in 2021. They have been working ever since to understand its etchings — both to help them date the slab and to rediscover lost monuments.
"Using the map to try to find archaeological sites is a great approach. We never work like that," said Yvan Pailler, a professor at the University of Western Brittany (UBO).
Ancient sites are more commonly uncovered by sophisticated radar equipment or aerial photography, or by accident in cities when the foundations for new buildings are being dug.
"It's a treasure map," said Pailler.
But the team is only just beginning their treasure hunt.
The ancient map marks an area roughly 30 by 21 kilometers and Pailler's colleague, Clement Nicolas from the CNRS research institute, said they would need to survey the entire territory and cross reference the markings on the slab. That job could take 15 years, he said.
"Symbols that made sense right away"
Nicolas and Pailler were part of the team that rediscovered the slab in 2014 — it was initially uncovered in 1900 by a local historian who did not understand its significance.
At the time, more than a dozen workers were needed to move the heavy slab out of the mound where it had been used to form a wall of a large burial chest, according to the National Archeology Museum. It has been kept in the museum's collections since 1924.
A broken ceramic vessel characteristic of early Bronze Age pottery was also found with the slab, according to the French Prehistoric Society.
The French experts were joined by colleagues from other institutions in France and overseas as they began to decode its mysteries.
"There were a few engraved symbols that made sense right away," said Pailler.
In the coarse bumps and lines of the slab, they could see the rivers and mountains of Roudouallec, part of the Brittany region about 500 kilometers west of Paris. The researchers scanned the slab and compared it with current maps, finding a roughly 80% match.
"We still have to identify all the geometric symbols, the legend that goes with them," said Nicolas.
The slab is pocked with tiny hollows, which researchers believe could point to burial mounds, dwellings or geological deposits. Discovering their meaning could lead to a whole flood of new finds.
But first, the archaeologists have spent the past few weeks digging at the site where the slab was initially uncovered, which Pailler said was one of the biggest Bronze Age burial sites in Brittany.
"We are trying to better contextualize the discovery, to have a way to date the slab," said Pailler.
Their latest dig has already turned up a handful of previously undiscovered fragments from the slab.
The pieces had apparently been broken off and used as a tomb wall in what Nicolas suggests could signify the shifting power dynamics of Bronze Age settlements.
The area covered by the map probably corresponds to an ancient kingdom, perhaps one that collapsed in revolts and rebellions.
"The engraved slab no longer made sense and was doomed by being broken up and used as building material," said Nicolas.
Scientists Are Getting Closer To Understanding This Ancient Stone ”Treasure Map“
Tim Newcomb
Wed, October 18, 2023
Experts Work to Understand Ancient “Treasure Map”Public Domain, Paul du Châtellier
The Saint-Belec stone, carved roughly 4,000 years ago, is Europe’s oldest known 3D map. Scholars now call it a “treasure map” to a Bronze Age past.
While the stone was originally discovered in 1900, it wasn’t understood at the time, and has recently been embraced by researchers as a map of the Brittany region, west of Paris.
Researchers are still working to understand everything they can about this stone in order to pry the most information possible out of their treasure map.
The love of treasure maps spans through time—all the way back to the Bronze Age, it appears.
The Saint-Belec slab—a 4,000-year-old, 5-foot by 6.5-foot carved piece of stone—was found to be what researchers are calling a “treasure map” to Bronze Age archaeological destinations back in 2021. Now, experts are beginning to put it to use.
“Using the map to try to find archaeological sites is a great approach. We never work like that,” Yvan Pailler, professor at the University of Western Brittany, told AFP.
Where that “treasure map” leads, though—that’s still the mystery. And it’s one with a truly ancient twist.
The Bronze Age stone slab was originally discovered in 1900, but the implications of its carvings were not understood at the time, and the slab was then lost for another century. In 2014, French researchers rediscovered the stone and the wealth of information it holds in the cellar of a French castle. Since 2021, they’ve been working to better understand just where the map is from.
Now, Pailler and colleague Clement Nicolas of the French National Centre for Scientific Research have come to believe that the region pictured in the map is an 18 mile by 13 mile tract somewhere in the Brittany region—about 300 miles west of Paris. To better understand the incomplete portions of the map, researchers have continued a search the Brittany area where the slab was first discovered.
“We are trying to better contextualize the discovery,” Pailler says, “to have a way to date the slab.”
And so far, it’s working. Researchers have uncovered additional fragments from the stone to help piece together more of the map, and they now believe that the slab was discarded at one point—likely depicting a kingdom since conquered.
By comparing it to modern maps, the team found what they believe is an 80 percent match to the Odet Valley region in Brittany. “There were a few engraved symbols that made sense right away,” Pailler tells AFP. The undulations and lines on the stone showed off rivers and mountains, including what they believe to be the Odet River. “We still have to identify all the geometric symbols,” Nicolas says, “the legend that goes with them.”
Unearthing those little symbols is part of the continued treasure map fun, of course. They could direct researchers to nearly anything, from a burial ground to a unique feature in the land.
Using a Bronze Age map as an archeological guide isn’t common, at least outside of movie plots. But this story won’t wrap up in 90 minutes. In fact, the researchers expect to take over a decade to search out all this Bronze Age map has to offer, treasure or not.
Looks like we can gear up for a fun hunt.
A mysterious 4,000-year-old slab may be a treasure map that could point the way to long-lost Bronze Age riches
Marianne Guenot
Wed, October 18, 2023
A mysterious millennia-old slab sat undisturbed in storage for more than a century.
Scientists found it was a gigantic map, likely used by a Bronze Age prince to rule the area.
They now want to use this "treasure map" to uncover lost archaeological sites.
Mysterious engravings on an ancient stone slab, long relegated to the storage area of an ancient castle, might reveal the locations of long-lost Bronze Age treasure.
A new analysis of the slab, which had been forgotten since it was first discovered in the early 1900s, suggests it could mark the location of forgotten Bronze Age sites dating back to between 2,150 and 1,600 BC.
"Using the map to try to find archaeological sites is a great approach. We never work like that," said Yvan Pailler, a professor at the University of Western Brittany, told Agence France Presse (AFP), Science Alert reported. "It's a treasure map," he said.
Secrets from the Bronze Age
Paul du Châtellier, an archaeologist of the late 1800s, was clearly struck by the profound significance of the gigantic block, known as the Saint-Bélec slab, when he first uncovered it lining an ancient burial mound in Brittany, on the west coast of France in 1900.
He marveled at the "remarkable monument's" delicate engravings of cups, circles, and lines, but he didn't quite know what to make of it, per a post written about the finding published in 2021 in The Conversation.
Sadly, he would go to his grave without uncovering the secrets of the mysterious rock. The slab remained du Châtellier's castle storage and was passed on to the French Museum of National Archaeology after his death in 1911.
It's only a century later that the hidden meaning behind the prehistoric engravings may have been revealed.
The slab is shown here being photographed by a scientistY.
Pailler, Inrap, Examining the Saint-Bélec slab
It could lead to an archeological treasure
After some sleuthing to recover the lost slab, whose pictures had been shared in archaeological circles since the 1900s, experts conducted a thorough analysis of the engravings, including scanning the rock in a 3D scanner.
As we now have the technology to know exactly what an area looks like from above, the significance of the lines and bumps in the rock became immediately apparent, said Pailler, who led the analysis of the slab, per AFP.
The scientists found an 80% match with the rivers and mountains of the Roudouallec area in Brittany.
The findings, published in the peer-reviewed journal Bulletin de la Société préhistorique française in 2021, identified the map as the oldest cartographical representation of a territory in Europe.
The scientists are now hoping to uncover the last secrets of the map to find new Bronze Age archaeological sites.
"What we're missing now is the map key, the decoder," said Clément Nicolas, a lead researcher on the dig from Bournemouth University, in a post for research institute Inrap in 2021.
The cups, they believe, could be burial mounds, houses, or even mineral deposits, AFP reported.
For the past few weeks, the researchers have been excavating the site where the slab was originally found to better date the discovery, Pailler said per AFP. The dig has uncovered some lost fragments of the slab that had been snapped off and left behind.
The map was likely used by a despotic Bronze Age ruler
The map could point the way to a burial mound of a prince, per a post from the National Archaeology Museum.
It's likely that it was once used by a prince from the early Bronze Age who would have directed a small military faction to forcibly rule the area.
Such rulers were typically buried with bronze daggers, arrowheads, and sometimes golden objects.
The fact the map was carelessly broken into pieces to be used as building materials could be the sign that the prince's rule in that area had come to an end.
"The engraved slab no longer made sense and was doomed by being broken up and used as building material," said Nicolas, per AFP.
Read the original article on Business Insider
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