Major events of human prehistory such as the post-glacial recolonization of Northern Europe and the spread of agriculture through the Mediterranean took place on landscapes that are now, at least partially, underwater. Large parts of this submerged terrain are accessible to divers and can be investigated archaeologically. Prehistoric underwater research has emerged in recent decades as a distinct sub-discipline, developing approaches and methodologies that can be applied in coastal regions worldwide. As a result there is growing awareness of the potential for underwater archaeology to transform our ideas about the course of prehistory. This volume examines existing practice and new developments in the field of submerged prehistoric landscape research. The 25 peer-reviewed contributions from leading authors cover the results of recent research on three continents and the application of methodologies and techniques for site discovery, investigation and interpretation.

This book presents an overview of the exciting new developments in underwater research in North America, ranging from new approaches for discovering submerged sites to an assessment of how these findings challenge the understanding of the North American past. Archaeological sites preserved on the world’s continental shelves are relevant to a wide range of major research questions and their importance increases with the heightened awareness of climate change and rising modern sea levels. Once thought lost forever, these sites survive underwater, preserved from the ravages of modern farming and development. To investigate the submerged landscapes, archaeologists use many of the same technologies developed for discovery of shipwrecks but, couple them with anthropological and environmental models to identify and study the way of life of people residing in these ancient lands. In this book, leading figures associated with submerged site exploration share an emphasis on the conduct and results of underwater research. It will be a fascinating read for advanced students of Archaeology, History and Environmental Studies. This volume was originally published as a special issue of The Journal of Island and Coastal Archaeology.

A scientific synthesis of 50 years of archaeological and palaeolandscape research on the prehistory of the Flevoland Polders, the Netherlands.

This open access volume provides for the first time a comprehensive description and scientific evaluation of underwater archaeological finds referring to human occupation of the continental shelf around the coastlines of Europe and the Mediterranean when sea levels were lower than present. These are the largest body of underwater finds worldwide, amounting to over 2500 find spots, ranging from individual stone tools to underwater villages with unique conditions of preservation. The material reviewed here ranges in date from the Lower Palaeolithic period to the Bronze Age and covers 20 countries bordering all the major marine basins from the Atlantic coasts of Ireland and Norway to the Black Sea, and from the western Baltic to the eastern Mediterranean. The finds from each country are presented in their archaeological context, with information on the history of discovery, conditions of preservation and visibility, their relationship to regional changes in sea-level and coastal geomorphology, and the institutional arrangements for their investigation and protection. Editorial introductions summarise the findings from each of the major marine basins. There is also a final section with extensive discussion of the historical background and the legal and regulatory frameworks that inform the management of the underwater cultural heritage and collaboration between offshore industries, archaeologists and government agencies. The volume is based on the work of COST Action TD0902 SPLASHCOS, a multi-disciplinary and multi-national research network supported by the EU-funded COST organisation (European Cooperation in Science and Technology). The primary readership is research and professional archaeologists, marine and Quaternary scientists, cultural-heritage managers, commercial and governmental organisations, policy makers, and all those with an interest in the sea floor of the continental shelf and the human impact of changes in climate, sea-level and coastal geomorphology.

Archaeological investigation of Early Middle Palaeolithic flint tools, including hand axes, and faunal remains in the North Sea. This volume also examines submerged and buried landscapes. The methods used to recover artifacts and other remains and to explore these buried landscapes are also described. The results are placed into the context of the British and European Early Middle Palaeolithic.

This book focuses on issues of method and interpretation in studies of submerged landscapes, concentrating on illustrations and case studies from around Europe with additional examples from other parts of the world. Such landscapes were once exposed as dry land during the low sea levels that prevailed during the glacial periods that occupied most of the past million years and provided extensive new territories for human exploitation. Their study today involves underwater investigation, using techniques and strategies which are clearly set out in these chapters. The underwater landscape provides a rich source of information about the archaeology of human settlement and long-term changes in environment, climate and sea-level. This book highlights how such information can be revealed and interpreted. The examples presented here and the focus on techniques make this book of worldwide relevance. Chapters describe examples of underwater archaeological investigation as well as collaboration with offshore industries and legal, management and training issues relating to underwater cultural heritage. Such studies point to the significance of this drowned landscape, and readers are invited to consider its human impact in terms of past settlement and population dispersal through palaeolandscape reconstruction and interpretation in relation to broader themes in human prehistory. This volume is based on work from COST Action SPLASHCOS, a four-year multi-disciplinary and multi-national research program supported by COST (European Cooperation in Science and Technology) and has something to benefit all those with an interest in the sea floor of the continental shelf and the archaeological and social impact of sea-level change, including archaeologists, marine scientists, geographers, cultural-heritage managers, commercial and governmental organisations, policy makers and interested members of the public.

This heavily illustrated book is written by top archaeologists who study Florida's sunken heritage in unique underwater sites. Learn from them the secrets at the bottom of springs and rivers, discover drowned prehistoric waterfront neighborhoods, paddle into the past on ancient canoes, swim across wrecked Spanish galleons and slave ships, record the contents of a Civil War troop transport, and study waterlogged artifacts in the laboratory. Submerged History takes readers on professionally guided tours along the broad spectrum of Florida's hidden, watery past to illustrate what these fascinating sites can reveal about the people who came before us.