Settlement Located on Seafloor Beneath Danish Waters

Archaeology Magazine ^ | August 28, 2025 | editors / unattributed

[SunkenCiv]

Toward the end of the last Ice Age around 8,500 years ago, melting glaciers caused sea levels to rise as much as 6.5 feet per century. This altered life in northern Europe, as hunter-gatherer communities were forced to move inland and rising waters submerged existing coastal settlements. Many of them would be lost forever. The Associated Press reports that Danish underwater archaeologists have located a Mesolithic coastal settlement about 25 feet below the surface of the Bay of Aarhus. Divers have excavated an area of around 430 square feet. The investigation has uncovered animal bones, stone tools, arrowheads, a seal tooth, and small pieces of worked wood that are providing archaeologists with a picture of what living on the coast was like thousands of years ago. “It’s like a time capsule,” said Moesgaard Museum researcher Peter Moe Astrup. “When sea level rose, everything was preserved in an oxygen-free environment…time just stops.” The team is hoping that further work will uncover harpoons, fishhooks, or traces of fishing structures that might convey information about little-known Mesolithic fishing techniques. To read about evidence of a lost Mesolithic world in the North Sea, go to "Letter from Doggerland: Mapping a Vanished Landscape."

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TOPICS: History; Science; Travel
KEYWORDS: baltic; bayofaarhus; denmark; doggerland; godsgravesglyphs; mesolithic

[SunkenCiv]

The other GGG topics added since the previous digest ping, alpha:

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  ---

• YouTube series: Restoring Knockderry Castle | 56.2K subscribers | 135 videos | @KnockderryCastle

[SunkenCiv]

Worked wood on the seafloor, Aarhus Bay, Denmark

Peter Astrup/Moesgaard Museum

[SunkenCiv]

Seal tooth

Poul Madsen/Moesgaard Museum

[SunkenCiv]

Doggerland / Storegga Slide keywords, sorted:

• Megalithic "Blinkerwall" Found in the Baltic Sea [12/06/2024]
• The Ridgeway Mystery: You NEVER knew! [13:28] [10/18/2024]
• Magnetic Fields Could Provide the Key to Studying Submerged Civilisations [03/13/2023]
• Superhighway of ancient human and animal footprints in England provides an 'amazing snapshot of the past' [10/23/2022]
• New Imaging Reveals Hidden Ice Age Landscapes Buried Deep in The North Sea [09/10/2021]
• Breakthrough in Studying Ancient DNA From Doggerland That Separates The UK From Europe [07/24/2020]
• Landslide in northern Norway 3rd of June 2020 (Impressive) [06/03/2020]
• Scientists Find Possible Traces of 'Lost' Stone Age Settlement Beneath the North Sea [05/29/2019]
• Life was good for Stone Age Norwegians along Oslo Fjord [06/04/2018]
• Mysterious Graves Discovered at Ancient European Cemetery [02/16/2016]
• Hazelnut shells found at Skye Mesolithic site [10/25/2015]
• Mesolithic site on Skye to be investigated [09/04/2015]
• Doggerland: Secrets of ancient land submerged to be revealed [09/02/2015]
• Britain Imported Wheat 2,000 Years Before Growing It [02/26/2015]
• Ancient underwater forest discovered off Norfolk coast [01/31/2015]
• 'How Britain's Atlantis' and its tribes were wiped out by a TSUNAMI triggered by a landslide [05/02/2014]
• The real flood: Submerged prehistory [04/12/2014]
• Snails Reveal Ancient Human Migration from France to Ireland [06/23/2013]
• Biblical-Type Floods Are Real, and They're Absolutely Enormous [09/04/2012]
• 'Britain's Atlantis' found at bottom of North sea [07/06/2012]
• The Netherlands: Archaeologists Find Habitation Sites in Port of Rotterdam [11/17/2011]
• Mesolithic 'rest stop' found at new Sainsbury's site [07/23/2011]
• A Lost World? Atlantis-Like Landscape Discovered [07/12/2011]
• 'Incredibly exciting' rare pre-Ice Age handaxe discovered on Orkney [06/11/2011]
• The moment Britain became an island [02/14/2011]
• Stone Age remains are Britain's earliest house [08/10/2010]
• Neanderthal man was living in Britain 40,000 years earlier than thought [06/01/2010]
• Neanderthal may not be the oldest Dutchman [ 370,000 years B.P. ] [03/30/2010]
• How discovery off the Norfolk coast holds the key to Norway's past [03/19/2010]
• How a prehistoric 'super river' turned Britain into an island nation [12/02/2009]
• 9,000-year-old house reveals Stone Age lifestyle [08/11/2009]
• When Did Humans Return After Last Ice Age? (UK) [07/27/2009]
• Sea gives up Neanderthal fossil [ dredged up from the North Sea ] [06/15/2009]
• Scotland's most ancient home found -- at 14,000 years old [04/10/2009]
• Last Ice Age happened in less than year say scientists [08/02/2008]
• Exploration of underwater forest [Loch Tay] [07/16/2008]
• Archaeology: The lost world -- Death in the Mesolithic [07/11/2008]
• Paleolithic Handaxes From The North Sea (Neanderthals) [03/10/2008]
• Undersea slide set off giant flow [11/22/2007]
• Stone Age Site Surfaces After 8,000 Years [08/06/2007]
• (For all you NOVA buffs) Megaflood 'made Island Britain' [sharp illustrations] [07/19/2007]
• Giant flood separates Britain from Europe [07/18/2007]
• Megaflood Created Great Divide Between Britain and France [07/18/2007]
• Lost World Warning From (Under) North Sea [04/23/2007]
• Mapping an Underwater World [ Neolithic riverscapes ] [02/01/2007]
• Dating A Massive Undersea Slide (8,100 Year Ago) [01/05/2007]
• ARCHAEOLOGY: Stone Age World Beneath the Baltic Sea [12/09/2006]
• Biblical-style flood tore Britain from France [09/26/2006]
• Biblical-style flood tore Britain from France : Scientists Claim UK/France Land Mass Once joined. [09/25/2006]
• Flood Made Britain An Island 'In 24 Hours' [09/24/2006]
• (English) Channel's Key Role In Pre-History [09/16/2006]
• Stone Age Elephant Found at Ancient U.K. Hunt Site [07/10/2006]
• Tools Unlock Secrets Of Early Man [12/14/2005]
• Prehistoric Knives Suggest Humans Competed [02/02/2005]
• The Mysterious End Of Essex Man (UK) [01/23/2005]
• Archaeologists Excited By 500,000-Year-Old Axe Find In Quarry [12/17/2004]
• Stone Age Elephant Remains Found (England, Slain By Humans) [06/21/2004]
• Northern sea baffles archaeologists [03/24/2004]
• Scientists Discover Lost World (8,000 Years Old) [02/15/2004]
• Stone Age Sites Found Under North Sea (8,000BC) [12/09/2003]
• Migrants Poured Into Britain After Ice Age [10/26/2003]
• UK's Oldest Cemetery Identified [09/26/2003]
• Earliest British Cemetery Dated (10,000+ Years) [09/23/2003]
• Stone Age Settlements Found Underwater In Britain [09/11/2003]
• Giant Wave Hit Ancient Scotland [09/07/2001]

[SunkenCiv]

Weekly digest topics links above.

[Getready]

It was the internal combustion harpoon launchers that caused sea level rise...

[Feckless]

8,500 years ago, huh?
Not many internal combustion engines, air conditioners, or hair spray around then. I wonder what their idiots protested against?

[nuke_road_warrior]

Obviously, it was Trump's and the racist MAGA’s fault.

[ComputerGuy]

Buy piece of land and it soon becomes lakefront property. Big profit!

[Adder]

Live at the beach, they said...It’ll be fun, they said...

[Does so]

“...around 8,500 years ago, melting glaciers caused sea levels to rise as much as 6.5 feet per century...”

.
Back then, there was a lot more glacier ice to melt.

[redfreedom]

So around 8500 years ago the glaciers started to melt which caused the oceans to rise. Isn’t that about the time man discovered fire and started glowbull warming? /s/

[DeplorableTrumpSupporter]

Wait, are you telling me that the sea level changed all the time? My gosh, I thought Al Gore and Greta Thunberg said it is our cars. Someone is lying...😀

[going hot]

Wow, a seal tooth, found on the seabed! How could that be!

[gleeaikin]

Thank you for two interesting lists of informative links about early European civilization other topics. Finding of preserved wooden objects is especially useful as these are almost all destroyed at above water archaeology sites.

[SunkenCiv]

My pleasure, and thanks for your reply!

[SunkenCiv]

Seal?

Kiss From A Rose (ACAPELLA) - Seal | 4:25
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