Submerged Prehistory

Major events of human prehistory such as the post-glacial recolonization of Northern Europe and the spread of agriculture through the Mediterranean took place on landscapes that are now, at least partially, underwater. Large parts of this submerged terrain are accessible to divers and can be investigated archaeologically. Prehistoric underwater research has emerged in recent decades as a distinct sub-discipline, developing approaches and methodologies that can be applied in coastal regions worldwide. As a result there is growing awareness of the potential for underwater archaeology to transform our ideas about the course of prehistory. This volume examines existing practice and new developments in the field of submerged prehistoric landscape research. The 25 peer-reviewed contributions from leading authors cover the results of recent research on three continents and the application of methodologies and techniques for site discovery, investigation and interpretation.

Table of Contents

1. Ertebølle Canoes and Paddles from the Submerged Habitation Site of Tybrind Vig, Denmark (Søren H. Andersen)
2. The Excavation of a Mesolithic Double Burial from Tybrind Vig, Denmark (Otto Uldum)
3. Mesolithic Hunter-Fishers in a Changing World: a case study of submerged sites on the Jäckelberg, Wismar Bay, northeastern Germany (Harald Lübke, Ulrich Schmölcke and Franz Tauber)
4. The Unappreciated Cultural Landscape: indications of submerged Mesolithic settlement along the Norwegian southern coast (Pål Nymoen and Birgitte Skar)
5. How Wet Can It Get? – approaches to submerged prehistoric sites and landscapes on the Dutch continental shelf (Hans Peeters)
6. Seabed Prehistory: investigating palaeolandsurfaces with Palaeolithic remains from the southern North Sea (Louise Tizzard, Paul A. Baggaley and Antony J. Firth)
7. Experiencing Change on the Prehistoric Shores of Northsealand: an anthropological perspective on Early Holocene sea-level rise (Jim Leary)
8. Submerged Landscape Excavations in the Solent, Southern Britain: climate change and cultural development (Garry Momber)
9. Submarine Neolithic Stone Rows near Carnac (Morbihan), France: preliminary results from acoustic and underwater survey (Serge Cassen, Agnès Baltzer, André Lorin, Jérôme Fournier and Dominique Sellier)
10. The Middle Palaeolithic Underwater Site of La Mondrée, Normandy, France (Dominique Cliquet, Sylvie Coutard, Martine Clet, Jean Allix, Bernadette Tessier, Frank Lelong, Agnès Baltzer, Yann Mear, Emmanuel Poizot, Patrick Auguste, Philippe Alix, Jean Olive and Joë Guesnon)
11. Investigating Submerged Archaeological Landscapes: a research strategy illustrated with case studies from Ireland and Newfoundland, Canada (Kieran Westley, Trevor Bell, Ruth Plets and Rory Quinn)
12. Submerged Prehistory in the Americas (Michael K. Faught and Amy E. Gusick)
13. Underwater Investigations in Northwest Russia: lacustrine archaeology of Neolithic pile dwellings (Andrey Mazurkevich and Ekaterina Dolbunova)
14. A Late Neolithic Fishing Fence in Lake Arendsee, Sachsen-Anhalt, Germany (Rosemarie Leineweber, Harald Lübke, Monika Hellmund, Hans-Jürgen Döhle and Stefanie Klooß)
15. A Palaeolithic Wooden Point from Ljubljansko Barje, Slovenia (Andrej Gaspari, Miran Eric and Boštjan Odar)
16. Investigating the Submerged Prehistory of the Eastern Adriatic: progress and prospects (Jonathan Benjamin, Luka Bekic, Darko Komšo, Ida Koncani Uhac and Clive Bonsall)
17. The Pavlopetri Underwater Archaeology Project: investigating an ancient submerged town (Jon C. Henderson, Chrysanthi Gallou, Nicholas C. Flemming and Elias Spondylis)
18. Submerged Sites and Drowned Topographies along the Anatolian Coasts: an overview (Mehmet Özdogan)
19. Palaeoecology of the Submerged Prehistoric Settlements in Sozopol Harbour, Bulgaria (Mariana Filipova-Marinova, Liviu Giosan, Hristina Angelova, Anton Preisinger, Danail Pavlov and Stoyan Vergiev)
20. Was the Black Sea Catastrophically Flooded during the Holocene? – geolo