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PALAEOLITHIC MAP ENGRAVED FOR STAGING WATER FLOWS IN A PARIS BASIN SHELTER.

  • Published In: Oxford Journal of Archaeology, 2025, v. 44, n. 1. P. 2 1 of 3

  • Database: Academic Search Ultimate 2 of 3

  • Authored By: Thiry, Médard; Milnes, Anthony 3 of 3

Abstract

Summary: The Ségognole 3 shelter lies within a quartzitic sandstone megaclast in a lag deposit in the Paris Basin. It displays a female sexual configuration associated with a horse engraving, stylistically attributed to the Upper Palaeolithic. Recent studies have demonstrated that modifications to the natural features of the shelter had been undertaken to cause water to flow through what is seen as the vulva. New investigations reported here describe additional modifications to natural features in the shelter to direct rainwater infiltration to a network of channels engraved onto the shelter floor to form a functioning representation of watercourses. The carved motifs and their relationship with natural features in the sandstone of the shelter can be compared with major geomorphological features in the surrounding landscape. The engraved floor is not quite a map but more like a model in miniature of the surrounding landscape, potentially a world‐first 3D‐model of a Palaeolithic territory. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Additional Information

  • Source:Oxford Journal of Archaeology. 2025/02, Vol. 44, Issue 1, p2
  • Document Type:Article
  • Subject Area:Religion and Philosophy
  • Publication Date:2025
  • ISSN:0262-5253
  • DOI:10.1111/ojoa.12316
  • Accession Number:183919694
  • Copyright Statement:Copyright of Oxford Journal of Archaeology is the property of Wiley-Blackwell and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites without the copyright holder's express written permission. Additionally, content may not be used with any artificial intelligence tools or machine learning technologies. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

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