Found in an ancient burial mound and later hidden away in a castle for a century, the Saint-Bélec slab could be the oldest European map found so far. After being re-examined in 2014, one of the markings corresponded to the topography of the area surrounding the burial mound it was found in, with the other markings possibly denoting other Bronze Age settlements. If true, it may be a symbol of the emerging hierarchical societies of the early Bronze Age.
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Research
Researcher uses AI to make texts that are thousands of years old readable
The Gilgamesh Epic, the oldest work of world literature, has been brought back to life by LMU researchers in the Electronic Babylonian Literature project. Using their new Fragmentarium tool, they have discovered hundreds of manuscripts, including the most recent tablet of the Gilgamesh Epic which dates from 130 BC – thousands of years after the earliest known version. This shows how highly valued the Epic was, even at a late period. With the public release of the Fragmentarium, anyone can now explore the thousands of cuneiform fragments and explore the ancient Babylonian literature. Read full article here
Merv
March 12, 2023
