New evidence from Bouldnor Cliff for technological innovation in the Mesolithic, population dispersal and use of drowned landscapes

Momber, Garry; Mason, Brandon; Gillespie, Jan; Heamagi, Christin; Satchell, Julie; Ferreira, Rebecca; Noble-Shelly, Jasmine

doi:10.1016/j.quaint.2020.11.048

Cited by 7 publications

(2 citation statements)

References 17 publications

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“…Around the southern North Sea basin on the continental mainland, clear similarities between the Late Mesolithic records of lowland Europe and southern Scandinavia/northern Germany suggest contact if not some degree of cultural continuity. The British Mesolithic shows some signs of divergence archaeologically, traditionally seen as lacking trapezoid microliths (although see Warren 2015), but it is unlikely that contact with communities across the water ceased entirely (e.g., Anderson-Whymark et al, 2015;Elliott 2015;Elliott et al, 2020;Momber et al, 2021). While it is not clear that there was not contact across extended distances over land and water between these regions when the Storegga tsunami hit, it does at least appear that different regional traditions had become established with regards to technology, raw material exploitation, landscape utilization and sites.…”

Section: Shared Event Yet Distinct Mesolithic Histories Of Vulnerability and Resiliencementioning

confidence: 99%

Evidence of the Storegga Tsunami 8200 BP? An Archaeological Review of Impact After a Large-Scale Marine Event in Mesolithic Northern Europe

2021

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Around 8,200 years ago, the Storegga tsunami hit the coasts of the Norwegian and North Seas. This event is well known from wide ranging geological and palaeobotanical work undertaken over the last 30 years. Outside of attempts at palaeodemographic models, however, exploration of the social impact of the wave on Mesolithic hunter-gatherer societies living on the coasts of west Norway, the north and east British Isles, and around the southern North Sea basin have been less common. It has been widely assumed that the tsunami was a disaster–but what constituted a disaster for the Mesolithic peoples who lived through this event? What can we learn about life after natural hazards by considering the archaeological material from regions with distinct Mesolithic histories? This paper presents a review of evidence of the Storegga tsunami at Mesolithic sites from western Norway, the Northeast UK, and elsewhere around the southern North Sea basin. We consider the ways in which the social impact of the Storegga tsunami has been studied up till now and suggest an alternative way forward.

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Section: Shared Event Yet Distinct Mesolithic Histories Of Vulnerability and Resiliencementioning

confidence: 99%

Evidence of the Storegga Tsunami 8200 BP? An Archaeological Review of Impact After a Large-Scale Marine Event in Mesolithic Northern Europe

2021

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“…Today it is 0.25m above CD. At the time of construction it Momber et al, 2011, Ke and Collins, 2002Momber et al, 2021Smith, 2015Momber et al, 2011;Momber and Peeters, 2017;Momber, 2021 would have been positioned around the mean tide level, being c.2.5m above CD, and covered by the sea for half the tidal cycle. It is not substantial enough to survive in open water so it would have been built in a sheltered intertidal creek where it was protected by the coastal mudflats and salt marsh (Figure 10).…”

Section: Marine Archaeological Sites As Indicators Of Changementioning

confidence: 99%

The value of historical and archaeological data in understanding patterns of long term coastal change

Momber,

Satchell,

Gillespie

et al. 2021

Journal of Delta Urbanism

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The historical evolution of the coastline has been determined by the fluctuating relationship between land and sea. This process can be assessed to provide valuable information on trends that contribute to our understanding of past and current coastal change scenarios. These changes were initially dominated by the marine transgression following the last Ice Age, but the pace of sea level rise slowed and an equilibrium became established. This natural balance remained relatively stable until it was influenced by humans. Where early archaeological material can be dated and contextualised within the landscape it provides evidence of the changing physical environment. Prehistoric structures act as datums that can be used to demonstrate how settlements were overwhelmed by rising sea level and they can indicate how populations reacted to the loss of land. In historical times, when sea levels were comparable to modern conditions, humans became more proactive along the coastline. Some of the alterations they made did not take into account weathering and as a consequence storm events could be destructive. These incidents were often recorded within historical, and artistic sources, that, along with the archaeological data, can be used to interpret the long-term impact of natural and human influences along the coast. Additionally, artistic representations can be used to make the story accessible to a wide range of people. This paper will assess the under-used archaeological, historical and palaeo-environmental information within the English Channel and southern North Sea coast as data sources to provide insights into the impact of human activities along the coastline from the early Holocene, into the Anthropocene and to the mid-twentieth century. This research is being conducted within the Sustainable and Resilient Coastal Cities project (SARCC) and it concludes that while some human interventions have been positive, many have been counterproductive.

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Archaeology of the Continental Shelf: Submerged Cultural Landscapes

Bynoe

Benjamín²,

Flemming³

2023

Encyclopedia of Earth Sciences Series

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New evidence from Bouldnor Cliff for technological innovation in the Mesolithic, population dispersal and use of drowned landscapes

Cited by 7 publications

References 17 publications

Evidence of the Storegga Tsunami 8200 BP? An Archaeological Review of Impact After a Large-Scale Marine Event in Mesolithic Northern Europe

Evidence of the Storegga Tsunami 8200 BP? An Archaeological Review of Impact After a Large-Scale Marine Event in Mesolithic Northern Europe

The value of historical and archaeological data in understanding patterns of long term coastal change

Archaeology of the Continental Shelf: Submerged Cultural Landscapes

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