Doggerland

Above:  I am totally mesmerised by the idea that the North Sea was once solid land ("Doggerland") and a mesolithic society stretched from Britain to Denmark, complete with villages, stone circles, and all the other attributes of the middle Stone Age.

















Above:  whenever I go over to the North Sea coast I look out for fossils that might emerge from the eroding shore.

Above:  I found this book a bit too technical.  Hardly any thought is given to protecting the archaeological remains that must lie on the seabed.  Would we allow dredging and gravel removal from Flag Fen?

Above:  this book was more accessible. 

Above:  recently I went to Kings Lynn Museum to look at the remains of Sea Henge, a wooden circle that was found on the Norfolk coast (although originally constructed on the tidal marshes, the site was subsequently covered with sand which preserved the circle).  I know Sea Henge is Bronze Age, not mesolithic, but it gives you an indication of the fabulous remains that must exist on the seabed of Doggerland.  I asked at the British Museum if they had any artifacts from the North Sea and they just looked at me blankly.

Above:  in the centre of Sea Henge was a massive upturned oak tree.  The museum didn't present the Sea Henge artifacts very well, and some of the museum staff were off-hand.  The captions to the items were sometimes bizarre - you got the impression that they had dumbed everything down for visiting school parties instead of concentrating on the academic aspects of the display. 

Above:  the History Channel showed a programme on Doggerland called Stone Age Atlantis, which is an excellent introduction to the subject - you can see it again on YouTube.

Above:  so when you are next on the North Sea coast, instead of straight-away plunging into the freezing cold water (although I know what a refreshing experience that can be) spend a few minutes considering what archaeological treasures lie at your feet, and how our mesolithic ancestors walked this land before us.