A technology capable of revealing ancient civilizations under the sea

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In an effort to better understand the history of Doggerland, a region that once connected continental Europe with Great Britain and is now submerged in the North Sea, a team from the University of Bradford has developed innovative technology based on magnetometry. This technology uses small variations in magnetic fields to detect changes in the landscape and discover evidence of the presence of ancient civilizations without the need for excavation.

The use of magnetometry in Doggerland exploration

With the rise of wind turbines in the North Sea, it has become increasingly important to collect information about Doggerland in advance of its development. To do this, PhD student Ben Urmston will analyze the magnetic data to look for anomalies in the magnetic field that may indicate the presence of archaeological features.

As the area we are studying used to be above sea level, there is a small chance that this analysis may even reveal evidence of hunter-gatherer activity.

According to Urmston, magnetic technology can reveal evidence of hunter-gatherer activities or the presence of garbage heaps, which contain animal remains, mollusc shells and other biological materials that can provide insight into the way of life of the people who they inhabited the region.

Magnetometry has previously been used by terrestrial archaeologists, but has not been used extensively to examine submerged landscapes.

Doggerland was among the most resource-rich and ecologically dynamic areas during the late Paleolithic and Mesolithic periods (c. 20,000 – 4,000 BCE), lost to the sea to global warming at the end of the last ice age.

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No remains have been found in situ and the only artifacts from the 185,000 km2 site were largely recovered by chance, meaning our knowledge of the inhabitants and their lifestyles is extremely limited.

data collection

The magnetic technology used by the University of Bradford is also used by companies involved in the extraction of oil, gas and minerals, as well as by offshore wind turbine companies. Magnetic data is used to better understand the terrain prior to construction.

The ability to detect subtle changes in the landscape through magnetometry may provide new insights into the past and shed light on mysterious civilizations left submerged.

Image is for illustrative purposes only, created with Midjourney