In 1931, an object slightly larger than 21 centimeters, made of horn, was caught in the net of a trawler fishing boat in the North Sea. In the examinations made, it was understood that this object was a man-made harpoon from about 14,000 years ago. In the following years, various tools continued to be extracted from the North Sea.
So much so that Jan Glimmerveen, an amateur Dutch archaeologist, has collected about 100 Mesolithic artifacts dating back 10,000-8,100 years, which he took from fishermen trawling at sea in the last ten years. The photograph below shows tools with various spikes and spiny structures that were excavated from the seafloor and most likely used for hunting.
These tools belong to a piece of land that connected the United Kingdom to the European mainland until 20,000 years ago and was inhabited by generations of European hunter-gatherers with its fertile soil. Known as "Doggerland", this now submerged piece of land takes its name from Dogger Bank, a shallow area in the North Sea.
The territory of Doggerland, seen in the map below, shrank due to rising sea levels at the end of the Ice Age and was completely submerged after a massive tsunami. This massive tsunami in the North Sea is thought to have been caused by a submarine landslide off the Norwegian coast known as the Storegga Drift in 6150 BC.
Before sinking, Doggerland connected Britain to mainland Europe.Doggerland may contain the archaeological remains of the first Neolithic farmers who settled in Britain thousands of years ago. For this reason, it attracts the attention of scientists. One study reported a frontal bone fragment of a human skull found on the Dutch coast of the North Sea. The fragment, which has been compared to other Neanderthal skulls previously found, is thought to belong to an adult male.
Also, a lesion was detected on the skull, most likely caused by an epidermoid cyst. This case is an important finding as it is the first example of neoplasm seen in Neanderthal remains, for which few pathological conditions have been recorded to date.
In another study, researchers at the Groningen radiocarbon laboratory analyzed human bones collected over the years from the North Sea. The carbon and nitrogen isotope ratios in bones indicate that Neanderthals consumed more freshwater and terrestrial food sources than marine-derived food. However, it is thought that they are starting to consume less terrestrial food resources due to climate change and rising waters. This can be interpreted as Neanderthals adapting to changes rather than leaving their settlements.
The story of these lands, which have been under water for a long time, has started to make sense especially in today's conditions. The endangerment of settlements due to reasons such as global warming and rising sea levels is a serious warning to prevent an end like Doggerland in settlements close to the sea.