Discover the Fascinating Tale of a 1900 Rock Slab Unveiled as a ‘Treasure Map’

Archaeologists have made an intriguing discovery—a 4,000-year-old rock slab that could be a “treasure map” of France’s Brittany region. Known as the Saint-Bélec slab, this large stone was found in an ancient burial mound in the city of Roudouallec in 1900. The engraved markings on the slab were previously unnoticed until researchers created a 3D scan, which revealed that they corresponded to the natural features of the region with 80% accuracy, according to Insider.

In 2021, these findings were published, prompting archaeologists to further investigate the slab. Over the past few weeks, researchers have been excavating the burial mound in search of an exact date for the artifact. It is believed that the slab was carved between 2150 BC and 1600 BC. During this process, additional fragments of the slab were discovered, suggesting that it had been broken off, as reported by Insider. The cup shapes and small hollows on the surface of the slab are now thought to indicate the locations of mineral deposits or burial mounds from the Bronze Age, including, potentially, the burial mound of the slab’s original owner, AFP confirms.

The National Archaeology Museum of France, which received the slab after the death of the original archaeologist, Paul du Châtellier, suggests that the map may have been used by a ruling prince who was buried with valuable bronze and gold objects. Lead researcher Yvan Pailler of the University of Western Brittany describes it as “a treasure map.” He also praises the unconventional approach of using the map to locate archaeological sites, although surveying the entire 250-square-mile area depicted on the map could take up to 15 years, according to Clement Nicolas of Bournemouth University. (Read more discoveries stories.)