Doggerland, which is now submerged between the North Sea, is the name of an area of land which once connected Britain to the continent. A team of archaeologists and scientists have gathered to find out more information about the history of the landscape and possible inhabitants.
Dr Simon Fitch, a geoarchaeologist at the University of Bradford, said: “The area we are currently surveying, the Brown Bank, was submerged starting off around 10,000 years ago and that inundation continued for a few thousand years after that.
“We are studying this area as we want to understand how the sea submerged this area and the effects this had on the environment, on the plants, on the animals and as well as the hunter-gatherers that lives in this landscape.”
Dr Tine Missiaen, a geophysicist at the Flanders Marine Institute, said there is a “good chance” of human habitation on the area of land.
She added: “We certainly have found peat layers at the surfacing, and I think this is going to give us a good idea about whether there were humans living there.
“But the chances are quite big.
“If we can trace that shoreline and if we can trace the landscape, we can trace the humans – I am quite sure.”
There is an international team taking part in the expedition, including scientists from Ghent University in Belgium, the University of Bradford in the UK and the Flanders Marine Institute.
The study, funded by the European Research Council, includes mapping out the prehistoric area of land
Dr Fitch added: “I think there is a lot to learn. 10,000 years ago was the last great climate change sea level event that humans actually experienced.
“By studying how that impacted on people and how people moved and how people adapted. For example, they may adopt different lifestyles instead of moving. So, it may have become a more marine-based economy.
“That may be applicable to our lives. So it will be wise to have a look at it and understand it better.”
The area of land was thought to have connected Great Britain to Scandinavia and mainland Europe until sea levels rose following the end of the last Ice Age around 10,000 years ago.
