While early maps are known from all over the world, the key questions always involve: what exactly do they show? And what spatial extent do they cover? In this context, we recently used 3D-modelling to re-examine a carved stone slab datable to the Early Bronze Age (c.2150–1600 BC) that was found at Saint-Bélec in Brittany. We show that the surface of the slab had been shaped in three dimensions to represent the relief of the surrounding landscape in which it was found, while several engraved motifs on it evoke contemporary structures known archaeologically. We argue that the Saint-Bélec slab represents an area of c.545 km² corresponding to the extent of a prehistoric political entity. The carving and subsequent burying of the slab can be linked to the postulated rise and fall of hierarchical societies and raises many wider questions about socio-economic structures in temperate Europe at that time.

中文翻译：

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领土的早期 3D 地图？青铜时代的雕刻板，产自圣贝莱克，勒汉（法国布列塔尼）

虽然世界各地都知道早期的地图，但关键问题始终涉及：它们到底显示了什么？它们覆盖的空间范围是多少？在这种情况下，我们最近使用 3D 建模重新检查了在布列塔尼圣贝莱克发现的可追溯到青铜时代早期（公元前 2150-1600 年）的雕刻石板。我们展示了平板的表面被塑造成三个维度，以代表发现它的周围景观的浮雕，而它上面的几个雕刻图案唤起了考古学上已知的当代结构。我们认为 Saint-Bélec 板代表c 的面积。545 公里² 对应于史前政治实体的范围。石板的雕刻和随后的掩埋可能与假定的等级社会的兴衰联系在一起，并引发了有关当时温带欧洲社会经济结构的许多更广泛的问题。