The Archaeology of Europe’s Drowned Landscapes: Introduction and Overview

Bailey, Geoff; Galanidou, Nena; Peeters, Hans; Jöns, Hauke; Mennenga, Moritz

doi:10.1007/978-3-030-37367-2_1

Cited by 26 publications

(28 citation statements)

References 27 publications

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“…The findings presented in this article highlight that this gap in Australian legislation must be addressed. Experience elsewhere shows that in the wake of such legislation, collaborative arrangements with offshore industries can flourish to mutual benefit, bringing substantial resources and industrial technology to bear on underwater archaeological and palaeoenvironmental investigations [74][75][76][77].…”

Section: Plos Onementioning

confidence: 99%

“…New investigations are now under way in many parts of the world to explore the role of the coastal zone in population dispersal, to reconstruct these submerged landscapes and their palaeocoastlines and palaeoenvironments, and to test their archaeological potential [1,[14][15][16][17][18][19][20][21][22][23][24][25][26][27][28][29]. However, systematic recovery and investigation of underwater archaeological sites, which is crucial to the evaluation of new hypotheses, is inhibited by powerful and ongoing constraints.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Aboriginal artefacts on the continental shelf reveal ancient drowned cultural landscapes in northwest Australia

et al. 2020

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This article reports Australia's first confirmed ancient underwater archaeological sites from the continental shelf, located off the Murujuga coastline in northwestern Australia. Details on two underwater sites are reported: Cape Bruguieres, comprising > 260 recorded lithic artefacts at depths down to −2.4 m below sea level, and Flying Foam Passage where the find spot is associated with a submerged freshwater spring at −14 m. The sites were discovered through a purposeful research strategy designed to identify underwater targets, using an iterative process incorporating a variety of aerial and underwater remote sensing techniques and diver investigation within a predictive framework to map the submerged landscape within a depth range of 0-20 m. The condition and context of the lithic artefacts are analysed in order to unravel their depositional and taphonomic history and to corroborate their in situ position on a pre-inundation land surface, taking account of known geomorphological and climatic processes including cyclone activity that could have caused displacement and transportation from adjacent coasts. Geomorphological data and radiometric dates establish the chronological limits of the sites and demonstrate that they cannot be later than 7000 cal BP and 8500 cal BP respectively, based on the dates when they were finally submerged by sea-level rise. Comparison of underwater and onshore lithic assemblages shows differences that are consistent with this chronological interpretation. This article sets a foundation for the research strategies and technologies needed to identify archaeological targets at greater depth on the Australian continental shelf and elsewhere, building on the results presented. Emphasis is also placed on the need for legislation to better protect and manage underwater cultural heritage on the 2 million square kilometres of

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Section: Plos Onementioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Aboriginal artefacts on the continental shelf reveal ancient drowned cultural landscapes in northwest Australia

et al. 2020

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“…These high-frequency systems can detect archaeological objects that are visible above the seafloor surface, but they are unable to detect completely buried objects due to their very limited ability to penetrate seafloor sediments e.g., [1]. This is unfortunate, as a large proportion, possibly even most, of the submerged cultural heritage, for example shipwrecks and Stone Age sites, lies completely buried within these sediments [2][3][4]. Seismic 3D sub-bottom systems that can penetrate seafloor sediments have been developed, but these are rarely used, as they are relatively expensive, complicated to operate, and the resulting data are difficult to interpret [5][6][7][8].…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Synthetic 3D Recording of a Shipwreck Embedded in Seafloor Sediments: Distinguishing Internal Details

2021

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3D recording of shipwrecks completely buried in seafloor sediments has great potential as an important aspect of maritime archaeological surveys and management. Buried shipwrecks have been recorded directly with seismic 3D Chirp sub-bottom profilers on an experimental basis. This method is, however, expensive, time-consuming and complicated. This article outlines the application of a faster, cheaper, and less complicated method of synthetic 3D recording, which is also less sensitive to weather conditions. It involves the acquisition of a larger number of seismic 2D high-resolution sub-bottom profiles in a dense grid that does not need to be regular. The method is based on the results of survey work conducted in the Akko Harbour area, on the Carmel coast of Israel, which shows that the shape of the hull of a shipwreck can be precisely determined, and that the sedimentary units bounding it can be outlined and interpreted. Based on an interpretation of the shape of the hull, the depth of the structure was measured, and a 3D image of the shipwreck was subsequently generated. Samples of the sub-seafloor were obtained across the area, and the sample located within the area of the mapped shipwreck was found to contain wood fragments and a piece of rope. This article demonstrates that 2D surveying is a viable and cost-effective alternative to 3D surveying that is able to produce good results.

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“…In the southern Baltic Sea basin there are numerous submerged coastal landscapes containing organic archeological findings, vegetation remains, and rooted tree stumps from the early and mid-Holocene (Bailey et al, 2020; Rosentau et al, 2017). The relatively low salinity in the Baltic Sea means that the shipworm ( Teredo navalis ) is uncommon, which allows for exceptional preservation conditions for wooden remains (Björdal et al, 2012).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Early Holocene bark-stripping damages as an indicator of large herbivores: Evidence from a submerged Mesolithic landscape in the Haväng area, southern Baltic basin

et al. 2021

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A unique assemblage consisting of 113 pine samples collected from a submerged Mesolithic landscape in the Haväng area, southern Sweden, was examined to assess the presence of large herbivores, as well as changes in wild-game population density and composition. Bark-stripping damages on prehistoric trees is an extremely underutilized source of information about past game-population dynamics, yet our analyzes of wood samples – dated to around 10 500 cal. yr. BP – shows that such material can be successfully used to study the presence and activities of large herbivores, most likely ungulates. To evaluate our results, comparisons have been made with subfossil peatland trees that grew around 6000 years ago, as well as trees from two present day clearcut logging sites in southern Sweden. Furthermore, studies in a wild-game reserve were performed to recognize and understand different types of damages on trees caused by ungulates. Bark-stripping indicate the presence of ungulates, and the rate of damage is commonly associated with the density of the wild game. Bark-stripping was most frequently observed in the submerged wood material from the early Holocene, where damages were detected in 15% of the trees. In comparisons, 11% of the mid-Holocene trees show bark-stripping damages, whereas marks could be detected in the range between 0% and 6% of the trees from the two present-day clearcut logging sites. Our results show that tree-ring analyzes of prehistoric wood can generate information about wild-game dynamics of the past, and thereby being a valuable complement to more commonly used paleoecological and zooarcheological records.

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The Archaeology of Europe’s Drowned Landscapes: Introduction and Overview

Cited by 26 publications

References 27 publications

Aboriginal artefacts on the continental shelf reveal ancient drowned cultural landscapes in northwest Australia

Aboriginal artefacts on the continental shelf reveal ancient drowned cultural landscapes in northwest Australia

Synthetic 3D Recording of a Shipwreck Embedded in Seafloor Sediments: Distinguishing Internal Details

Early Holocene bark-stripping damages as an indicator of large herbivores: Evidence from a submerged Mesolithic landscape in the Haväng area, southern Baltic basin

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