It's not just modern walkers who need the aid of GPS when hiking through the Brecon Beacons in Wales.
So, too, did their ancient ancestors.
Archaeologists have found what they believe to be a 4,000 year old GPS system in the Brecon Beacons.
An ancient standing stone - whose exact location is being kept a secret - has 12 hollow cup marks cut into the rock face to help travellers navigate the landscape thousands of years ago.
The small wells are thought to have acted as markers for geographical features in the surrounding landscape to help people regain their bearings.
Geologist Alan Bowring came across the ancient signpost last year while working on land owned by the National Trust.
Is this Britain's first SAT NAV? 4,000-year-old rock art 'directed lost prehistoric farmers in the Brecon Beacons'
Standing stone is the first prehistoric carved rock recorded in the Brecon Beacons - and is thought to be the only example of its kind in Wales
It has 12 hollow cup marks cut into the rock face to help travellers navigate the mountainous landscape 4,000 years ago
Cup marks were the most common later prehistoric rock art form in Britain and Europe, but their occurrence in mid Wales is rare
Walkers can easily get lost in the Brecon Beacons even with the help of modern gadgets and GPS systems.
And it seems prehistoric man also struggled to find his way around the Welsh mountainside as archaeologists have stumbled across a 4,000-year-old signpost.
The Bronze Age rock art is the first of its kind to be found in the Brecon Beacons and its exact location is being kept secret to protect the site.
A Bronze Age Sat-Nav? The rock art is the first of its kind to be found in the Brecon Beacons and its exact location is being kept secret to protect the site
Experts claim prehistoric stone served as a way marker for primitive farming communities.
The ancient standing stone has 12 hollow cup marks cut into the rock face to help travellers navigate the landscape thousands of years ago.
The small wells are thought to have acted as markers for geographical features in the surrounding landscape to help people regain their bearings.
Geologist Alan Bowring came across the ancient signpost last year while working on land owned by the National Trust.
‘I often find myself working and walking in remote locations and encountering hidden features in the landscape of south and mid Wales that few others will have seen,’ he said.
‘But this chance discovery appears to be significant in our understanding of human cultural history in the region.’
Sensing it was unusual, he sought advice from national park archaeologist Natalie Ward, who has experience of recording similar artefacts in the north of England.
Miss Ward said the discovery of the ancient marker was a ‘unique find’ in Wales.
‘There are lots of other rock art sites in Britain but they are mainly in Scotland and North England,’ she said.
‘But this particular formation with cut marks that are joined by connecting lines - there are only a handful of these sites in Wales.
‘The fact this could have once been an upright standing stone would make it unique in Wales.’
The National Trust’s own archaeological survey had already highlighted Bronze Age features in the area.
Bronze Age people lived in isolated farms which were just one or two small round houses of timber and stone - or in small villages of up to 30 people.
From the archaeological evidence available, cattle were the most important animals kept and barley and wheat the most important crops.
Dr George Nash of the University of Bristol confirmed the standing stone is the first prehistoric rock engraved panel recorded in the Brecon Beacons.
Dr Nash said that based on the shape of the stone and its engravings it was probably carved in the early to middle Bronze Age period, between 2,500 BC and 1,500 BC.
‘We might have been able to predict a discovery of this kind considering the large amount of prehistoric ritual sites in the Brecon Beacons, but this is the first evidence of prehistoric rock art to be ever recorded here,’ he said.
‘There are no other later prehistoric standing stones within this part of Wales that are cup marked, making this one rather unique.’
He said the cup marks were the most common later prehistoric rock art form in Britain and Europe, but their occurrence in mid Wales is rare.
THE BRONZE AGE STANDING STONE
The Brecon Beacons
The 4,000-year-old signpost lies in a secret location in the Brecon Beacons, south Wales.
It is the first of its kind to be found in Wales, which is rich in Bronze Age sites.
Experts claim prehistoric stone served as a way marker for primitive farming communities who lived in isolated farms which were just one or two small round houses of timber and stone - or in small villages of up to 30 people.
The stone is marked with 12 cup marks to denote the area's geography.
Cup marks were the most common later prehistoric rock art form in Britain and Europe, but their occurrence in mid Wales is rare.
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