Book Review
VINCENT GAFFNEY, SIMON FITCH & DAVID SMITH. Europe's lost world: the rediscovery of Doggerland (CBA Research Report 160). xii+202 pages, 119 b&w & colour illustrations, 3 tables. 2009. York: Council for British Archaeology: 978-1-902771-75-5 paperback £15.
Review by Chris Turney
Climate Change and Sustainable Futures, School of Geography, University of Exeter, UK
(Email: C.Turney@exeter.ac.uk)
Tales of flooded land abound along the coastal fringes of Europe. Myths and legends invariably recount in graphic detail a prosperous land that was drowned by a catastrophic rise in sea level, often overnight, flooding hill, glen and any poor unsuspecting souls who lived there. Inevitably, the tales hinge on a land lost to the world, all trace of which has been washed away by the rising tide. Although these tales are often fanciful, Europe's lost world: the rediscovery of Doggerland, holds out the prospect that some may be grounded in at least a small nugget of truth.
The context for this tale is some 20 000 years at the height of the last Ice Age. At this time, global temperatures plummeted by around 6°C, driving a massive expansion of the world's ice sheets. Greenland and Antarctica were considerably larger than today, while new ice sheets developed and grew over much of North America, Scandinavia, northern Russia and Britain. The practical upshot was that some 130m of sea level temporarily disappeared from the oceans. Vast tracts of continental shelf were exposed and the North Sea was no exception. Flanked by ice and largely frozen, a huge swathe of land connecting continental Europe to Britain was formed. Yet, as conditions warmed and the ice retreated, this lowland area did not immediately flood. Instead, an area larger than today's United Kingdom became home to hunters and gatherers who followed migrating herds and fished coastal waters. Unfortunately, the continued warming consigned this land to an inevitable fate and by 8000 years ago it had largely disappeared.
By the 1800s of our era, however, fishermen working in the southern North Sea reported finding plant remains and animal bones — many of species now extinct — in their nets while geologists had become aware of submerged forests exposed at low tide along large swathes of coast. Working out of the University of Exeter in the 1990s, pioneering work by Bryony Coles led her to call this drowned land 'Doggerland' after the submarine bank of the southern North Sea. A new country had been found.
Europe's lost world: the rediscovery of Doggerland lovingly describes the latest understanding of this lost landscape. Authored by researchers based at the University of Birmingham, Vince Gaffney, Simon Fitch and David Smith, the book explores this ancient land lost for millennia. Using seismic data generated by the gas and oil industry, the team mapped tens of thousands of km² of the sea floor. As the superbly coloured maps and figures make clear, Doggerland wasn't a bleak featureless landscape. Instead, a vista that was hidden for over 8000 years has been revealed: a huge plain made up of hills, rivers, coastlines, sand banks and salt marshes. An unexplored country just below the waves, but a world away from what we know. It's an awe-inspiring thought that an ancient landscape has been preserved, largely unscathed from modern human activity, right in the heart of Europe. The vision of this research project is extraordinary; I found myself amazed at the level of detail and amount of work that must have been involved. Tragically, one of the project directors, Dr Kenneth Thomson, passed away just before the completion of the project. Europe's lost world is fittingly dedicated to his memory.
The book captures the excitement of scientific and archaeological exploration and explains it all in an admirably accessible manner. It is very well written and beautifully presented, managing to successfully negotiate the competing demands of lay readers, students and academics. It is also fully referenced and yet the authors have skilfully integrated the references into the text without breaking the flow. An impressive blend of the history of discovery, the science behind the formation — and ultimate demise — of Doggerland, and the fabulous detailed work mapping this once fertile land makes Europe's lost world a tremendously desirable book. I can't recommend it highly enough to anyone interested in the process of archaeological science and learning more of Doggerland.
Importantly, in spite of the millennia that have passed, Doggerland also has a lesson for the future. As sea levels continue to rise — with latest estimates suggesting the tide may be a metre higher than today by the end of this century — Europe's lost world is a timely reminder of what can happen when the tide continues its inexorable climb.
