9000 years ago, Britain was a peninsula of Europe, but as the earth warmed and the seas rose, at some point roughly 8500 years ago, the North sea connected to what is now the English Channel. It may have been a gradual process: solid lowlands becoming marshlands and the marshlands expanding and eventually being an uninhabitable breach.

However, there were still significant islands in the North Sea. Doggerland, as it is now sometimes called, was not submerged until perhaps 6000 years ago into the beginning of the Neolithic. This area is now the Dogger Banks, with depths between 15 metres and 40 metres, and has been the subject of a certain amount of archeological study. Stone tools corresponding to those used in Britain in the mesolithic era have been recovered from the area. It is considered to have been grasslands.

I find this interesting to contemplate. At some point the remaining inhabitants would have just had to make the decision that they couldn’t make a go of it any more.

they also trawl up mammoth tusks and bones.

dv said:

At some point the remaining inhabitants would have just had to make the decision that they couldn’t make a go of it any more.

I imagine it would have happened in more locations than that. Bass Strait for example. There would have been a few islands where the inhabitants were cut off and slowly observing a rising sea level.

party_pants said:

dv said:

At some point the remaining inhabitants would have just had to make the decision that they couldn’t make a go of it any more.

I imagine it would have happened in more locations than that. Bass Strait for example. There would have been a few islands where the inhabitants were cut off and slowly observing a rising sea level.

I doubt anyone would actually have observed it, More like great great great great great great grandad said that you could walk to that rock over there. Lying old bastard.

Sea level rise would have been imperceptible to any local inhabitants. There may have been stories and myths, but that’s about it.

I’m not convinced. The people of Tuvalu are aware of sea levels rising.

dv said:

I find this interesting to contemplate. At some point the remaining inhabitants would have just had to make the decision that they couldn’t make a go of it any more.

They no doubt spent many a night sadly contemplating their foolish actions of camp fires to provide heat ….. and CO2.

dv said:

9000 years ago, Britain was a peninsula of Europe, but as the earth warmed and the seas rose, at some point roughly 8500 years ago, the North sea connected to what is now the English Channel. It may have been a gradual process: solid lowlands becoming marshlands and the marshlands expanding and eventually being an uninhabitable breach.

However, there were still significant islands in the North Sea. Doggerland, as it is now sometimes called, was not submerged until perhaps 6000 years ago into the beginning of the Neolithic. This area is now the Dogger Banks, with depths between 15 metres and 40 metres, and has been the subject of a certain amount of archeological study. Stone tools corresponding to those used in Britain in the mesolithic era have been recovered from the area. It is considered to have been grasslands.

I find this interesting to contemplate. At some point the remaining inhabitants would have just had to make the decision that they couldn’t make a go of it any more.

I have often wondered about the apparent lack of interest and activity in undersea archaeology. The Mediterranean, Black Sea, Red Sea and Persian Gulf must be chock full of stuff.

The Rev Dodgson said:

I have often wondered about the apparent lack of interest and activity in undersea archaeology. The Mediterranean, Black Sea, Red Sea and Persian Gulf must be chock full of stuff.

Cost/Bang for buck.

Carmen_Sandiego said:

The Rev Dodgson said:

I have often wondered about the apparent lack of interest and activity in undersea archaeology. The Mediterranean, Black Sea, Red Sea and Persian Gulf must be chock full of stuff.

Cost/Bang for buck.

Sure, but there must be a lot of good stuff down there.

The Rev Dodgson said:

Carmen_Sandiego said:

The Rev Dodgson said:

I have often wondered about the apparent lack of interest and activity in undersea archaeology. The Mediterranean, Black Sea, Red Sea and Persian Gulf must be chock full of stuff.

Cost/Bang for buck.

Sure, but there must be a lot of good stuff down there.

Quite a lot of it going on. Mainly American & French. Saw some docos on the subject on TV recently.

atlantis

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Atlantis

In response, rev, that were.

>I have often wondered about the apparent lack of interest and activity in undersea archaeology. The Mediterranean, Black Sea, Red Sea and Persian Gulf must be chock full of stuff.

The Rev Dodgson said:

I have often wondered about the apparent lack of interest and activity in undersea archaeology. The Mediterranean, Black Sea, Red Sea and Persian Gulf must be chock full of stuff.

A lot of it is down to funding I guess. I’ve seen a few programs by the Ballard fellow, the one who rediscovered the Titanic, about archaeological dives in the Black Sea and the Med. The Black Sea is interesting in that it has a deep player of oxygen poor water which preserves timber in some cases, they found a shipwreck with mast still intact. In the Med there are thousands of shipwrecks with tell-tale mounds of amphora, but the timbers have not been preserved.

party_pants said:

The Rev Dodgson said:

I have often wondered about the apparent lack of interest and activity in undersea archaeology. The Mediterranean, Black Sea, Red Sea and Persian Gulf must be chock full of stuff.

A lot of it is down to funding I guess. I’ve seen a few programs by the Ballard fellow, the one who rediscovered the Titanic, about archaeological dives in the Black Sea and the Med. The Black Sea is interesting in that it has a deep player of oxygen poor water which preserves timber in some cases, they found a shipwreck with mast still intact. In the Med there are thousands of shipwrecks with tell-tale mounds of amphora, but the timbers have not been preserved.

Mary Rose & the Vasa ship are fairly well preserved.

Tamb said:

party_pants said:

The Rev Dodgson said:

I have often wondered about the apparent lack of interest and activity in undersea archaeology. The Mediterranean, Black Sea, Red Sea and Persian Gulf must be chock full of stuff.

A lot of it is down to funding I guess. I’ve seen a few programs by the Ballard fellow, the one who rediscovered the Titanic, about archaeological dives in the Black Sea and the Med. The Black Sea is interesting in that it has a deep player of oxygen poor water which preserves timber in some cases, they found a shipwreck with mast still intact. In the Med there are thousands of shipwrecks with tell-tale mounds of amphora, but the timbers have not been preserved.

Mary Rose & the Vasa ship are fairly well preserved.

Different kettle of fish. The Black Sea ships were ancient Roman or Greek and thus a good 1000 years older than Mary Rose or Vasa.

party_pants said:

Tamb said:

party_pants said:

A lot of it is down to funding I guess. I’ve seen a few programs by the Ballard fellow, the one who rediscovered the Titanic, about archaeological dives in the Black Sea and the Med. The Black Sea is interesting in that it has a deep player of oxygen poor water which preserves timber in some cases, they found a shipwreck with mast still intact. In the Med there are thousands of shipwrecks with tell-tale mounds of amphora, but the timbers have not been preserved.

Mary Rose & the Vasa ship are fairly well preserved.

Different kettle of fish. The Black Sea ships were ancient Roman or Greek and thus a good 1000 years older than Mary Rose or Vasa.

Very true.
I was quite impressed with the Mary Rose’s dog’s skeleton though.

Tamb said:

party_pants said:

Tamb said:

Mary Rose & the Vasa ship are fairly well preserved.

Different kettle of fish. The Black Sea ships were ancient Roman or Greek and thus a good 1000 years older than Mary Rose or Vasa.

Very true.
I was quite impressed with the Mary Rose’s dog’s skeleton though.

transition said:

atlantis

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Atlantis

Indeed,

or perhaps more likely:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Black_Sea_deluge_hypothesis

(which seems to have occurred at just the right sort of time and place to be the origin of the Noah myth)

By a strange coincidence, this Doggerland is now in the news.

Prehistoric North Sea ‘Atlantis’ hit by 5m tsunami

A prehistoric “Atlantis” in the North Sea may have been abandoned after being hit by a 5m tsunami 8,200 years ago.

The wave was generated by a catastrophic subsea landslide off the coast of Norway.

Analysis suggests the tsunami over-ran Doggerland, a low-lying landmass that has since vanished beneath the waves.

“It was abandoned by Mesolithic tribes about 8,000 years ago, which is when the Storegga slide happened,” said Dr Jon Hill from Imperial College London.

The wave could have wiped out the last people to occupy this island

—-

Well, my copy of Europe’s Lost Word: the Rediscovery of Doggerland has arrived.

#livingthedream

Will you be submitting a book report in a timely manner?

I’ll pass on some brief comments for my fans.

>Europe’s Lost Word

Europe’s lost letter, more like.

I’ll look for a copy myself (although it doesn’t seem to be available from Fishpond or the Book Depository).

Ha, the foreword is by Tony Robinson, who apparently did a Time Team ep on the topic.

One of my old lecturers, Chris Loader, gets a mention on the thanks page.