What is the oldest jigsaw puzzle?

While it's impossible to definitively say which jigsaw puzzle is *the* oldest, there are strong contenders for the title:

* 1760s: John Spilsbury: A London mapmaker and engraver, Spilsbury is credited with creating the first jigsaw puzzles. He mounted a map onto wood, then cut it into irregular pieces for educational purposes.

* 18th century: "Dissected Maps": Dissected maps, similar to Spilsbury's creation, became popular educational tools in the 18th century.

It's important to note that these early puzzles were not the picture puzzles we know today. They were essentially maps or images cut into irregular shapes for educational purposes. The modern concept of a jigsaw puzzle, where you assemble a picture from interlocking pieces, likely developed later in the 19th century.

So, while we can't say for sure which is the oldest, John Spilsbury's dissected maps from the 1760s are widely considered the first jigsaw puzzles.