06/09/2015

Doggerland:SecretsofancientlandsubmergedbeneathNorthSeatoberevealedYahooNewsUK

ByusingYahooyouagreethatYahooandpartnersmayuseCookiesforpersonalisationandotherpurposes

Doggerland:Secretsofancientlandsubmergedbeneath
NorthSeatoberevealed
ByHannahOsborne|InternationalBusinessTimesWed,Sep2,2015

Scientistsaresettorevealthesecrets
ofDoggerland,anancientlandscape
thatwaswipedoutbyatsunami
about8,200yearsago,thenfully
submergedbyrisingsealevels
followingtheendofthelastIceAge.
Archaeologists,biologistsand
computerscientistswilldigitally
reconstructtheprehistoriccountry
followinga2.5m(1.8m,$2.7m)
advancedresearchgrantfromthe
EuropeanResearchCouncil.
Scientistsexpecttolearnhowit
developedover5,000years,revealing
cluesastohowpeoplelivingthere
movedfromhuntergatherer
lifestylesintofarming.
VinceGaffney,anniversarychairin
landscapearchaeologyatthe
UniversityofBradford,said:"The
onlypopulatedlandsonEarththat
havenotyetbeenexploredinanydeptharethosewhichhavebeenlostunderneaththesea.Althougharchaeologistshave
knownforalongtimethatancientclimaticchangeandsealevelrisemustmeanthatDoggerlandholdsuniqueand
importantinformationaboutearlyhumanlifeinEurope,untilnowwehavelackedthetoolstoinvestigatethisarea
properly."
Scientistswilluseuptodatetechnologytoreconstructthelandscape,producinga3Dmapshowingrivers,lakes,hillsand
coastlines.Surveyshipswillalsorecovercoresedimentsamplesfromselectedareasandextractmillionsoffragmentsof
ancientDNAtoshowtheplantsandanimalsthatlivedalongEurope'slostland.
RobinAllaby,fromtheUniversityofWarwick,saidtheconstantenvironmenttheseafloorprovidesmeansancientDNAis
preservedexceptionallywell,meaningteamscanreconstructpalaeoenvironmentsmuchfurtherbackthanispossibleon
land.
Theyexpecttofindadetailedviewofthesocietyandenvironmentatatimewhencatastrophicclimatechangeaffectedlife.
"ThisprojectisexcitingnotonlybecauseofwhatitwillrevealaboutDoggerland,butbecauseitgivesusawholenewwayof
approachingthemassiveareasoflandthatwerepopulatedbyhumansbutwhichnowliebeneaththesea,"Gaffneysaid.
"Thisprojectwilldeveloptechnologiesandmethodologiesthatarchaeologistsaroundtheworldcanusetoexploresimilar
landscapesincludingthosearoundtheAmericasandinsoutheastAsia."
https://uk.news.yahoo.com/doggerlandsecretsancientlandsubmerged085248710.html#UHxbUnS

1/2

06/09/2015

Doggerland:SecretsofancientlandsubmergedbeneathNorthSeatoberevealedYahooNewsUK

MartinBates,geoarchaeologistfromtheUniversityofWalesTrinityStDavid,
said:"ForthefirsttimeintheNorthSea,wewillbeabletocarryoutatargeted
andpurposiveinvestigationofaseriesofsitesontheseabed.Previously
archaeologistshavehadtorelyonsamplesfromlocationsselectedbecauseof
impactontheseabed.Inthisprojectwehavethechancetopickoursample
locationsandthisshouldallowusanunprecedentedlookathowthislandscape
changedbeforeandduringtransgression."
SimonFitch,anindependentresearcher,added:"Thisprojectoffersthe
potentialtoexploreanextensiveEuropeansubmergedlandscapeinaformer
heartlandoftheMesolithicperiod.Therevolutionarydatagatheredwillprovide
newinsightsintothelifeandterritoriesofpeopleduringthistimeand
revolutioniseourarchaeologicalunderstandingofthisperiod."
LordoftheRingsforest
andacatastrophic
tsunami
InJanuary,amateurdiver
DawnWatsondiscovereda
prehistoricforestdatingback
10,000yearsoffthecoastof
Norfolkinwhatwouldhave
beenpartofDoggerland,
whichonceconnectedtheUK
totherestofEurope.Theoak
treesarebelievedtohave
formedpartofamassiveforest
thatstretchedforhundredsof
miles.
Watson'spartnerRobSpraytoldtheEasternDailyPress:"AtonetimeitwouldhavebeenafullblownTolkien
styleforest,stretchingforhundredsofmiles.Itwouldhavegrownandgrownandinthosedaystherewouldhave
beennoonetofellit,sotheforestwouldhavebeenmassive.
"ItwouldhavelookedlikeascenefromTheHobbitorTheLordoftheRings,whichissomethingwedon'tgetin
thiscountryanymore.Geologistsareveryexcitedaboutit.Itwasareallymiraculousfind."
Lastyear,scientistsfromtheImperialCollegeLondonreconstructedanancientsubsealandslideandfoundthe
hugetsunamiitcreatedwouldhaveinundatedDoggerlandwithhugewavessimilartothoseseeninthe2011
Japanearthquakeandtsunami.PublishedinthejournalOceanModelling,theauthorssaidthetsunamiwould
havewipedoutanyinhabitantslivingintheareawhichsatjustfivemetresabovesealevel.
StudyauthorJonHillsaid:"[Doggerland]wouldhavebeencompletelyinundatedbyafivemetrewave...it
wouldhavebeendevastated...anyhumanslivingtherewouldhavesufferedacatastrophicevent."
RelatedArticles
Ancient'LordoftheRingsstyle'forestdiscoveredunderseaoffNorfolkcoast
HugeTsunamiWipedoutBritain8,200YearsAgoCreating'NorthSeaAtlantis'
Doggerland:SecretsofancientlandsubmergedbeneathNorthSeatoberevealed

https://uk.news.yahoo.com/doggerlandsecretsancientlandsubmerged085248710.html#UHxbUnS

2/2