Wessex Archaeology, Coastal & Marine and Geoservices have been busy on publishing substantial works on Submerged Prehistory in UK waters. Major publications on the Middle Palaeolithic artefacts and palaeogeography of Area 240 are in their final stages of completion. Recent syntheses of palaeolandscapes and sites, palaeoenvironmental assessments of peat from Dogger Bank and heritage management of submerged prehistory have underlined what is currently known about key regions of the southern North Sea and other waters around the English coasts linked to offshore development and various marine industries.
As we move into a new phase of palaeolandscapes research, we’re examining areas outside these core areas of the southern North Sea and east English Channel, to put the lessons learned and methodologies developed, to work in less well-understood regions of the UK. As part of the National Heritage Protection Plan (NHPP) in collaboration with the British Geological Survey (BGS) we are currently examining the potential for submerged prehistory and palaeolandscapes across a wide stretch of shallow waters off the coast of north-east England. This is a key region for investigating the palaeogeography during the Late Upper Palaeolithic and Mesolithic (between around 15,000–6,000 years ago) on the northern coasts of ‘Doggerland’. Look out for further blog posts over the next few months.