Major events of human prehistory such as the post-glacial recolonisation 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.

• Cover Page
• Title Page
• Copyright
• Contents
• The Editors
• List of Contributors
• Preface
  • Editorial note on radiocarbon dates and water depth
  • References
• 1: Ertebølle Canoes and Paddles from the Submerged Habitation Site of Tybrind Vig, Denmark
  • Introduction
  • The decorated paddles from Tybrind Vig
  • Composition
  • Dating
  • Other Ertebølle paddles with ornamentation
  • Function
  • Dugout canoes
  • The Tybrind I canoe
  • Conclusions
  • References
• 2: The Excavation of a Mesolithic Double Burial from Tybrind Vig, Denmark
  • Pioneering underwater investigations in Denmark
  • Submerged burials
  • Conclusions
  • References
• 3: Mesolithic Hunter-Fishers in a Changing World: a case study of submerged sites on the Jäckelberg, Wismar Bay, northeastern Germany
  • Introduction
  • Marine archaeological geology
  • Archaeology
  • Archaeozoology
  • Conclusions
  • Acknowledgements
  • Notes
  • References
• 4: The Unappreciated Cultural Landscape: indications of submerged Mesolithic settlement along the Norwegian southern coast
  • Introduction
  • Post-glacial colonization and the geological conditions for recovering submerged Stone Age settlements in Norway
  • Examples of submerged Stone Age finds along the south Norwegian coast
  • Discussion
  • Conclusion
  • Acknowledgement
  • References
• 5: How Wet Can It Get? – approaches to submerged prehistoric sites and landscapes on the Dutch continental shelf
  • Introduction
  • A brief history of research
  • Potential and opportunities: from hypothetical ‘worlds’ to reality
  • Contextualizing Early Holocene barbed points
  • Pleistocene mammals and the North Sea Neanderthal
  • Approaches to heritage management
  • Conclusions
  • Acknowledgements
  • References
• 6: Seabed Prehistory: investigating palaeolandsurfaces with Palaeolithic remains from the southern North Sea
  • Introduction
  • Area 240
  • Methodology
  • Submerged features
  • Sampling for artefacts
  • Conclusions and future work
  • Acknowledgements
  • References
• 7: Experiencing Change on the Prehistoric Shores of Northsealand: an anthropological perspective on Early Holocene sea-level rise
  • Introduction
  • The effects of sea-level rise and vulnerability
  • Adaptive capacity and resilience
  • Conclusions
  • Note
  • Acknowledgements
  • References
• 8: Submerged Landscape Excavations in the Solent, Southern Britain: climate change and cultural development
  • Introduction
  • The submerged lands of the Solent
  • Geomorphological evolution and site formation processes
  • Archaeological evidence and interpretation
  • Assessing archaeological potential and drivers for change
  • Discussion
  • Conclusions
  • Acknowledgements
  • References
• 9: Submarine Neolithic Stone Rows near Carnac (Morbihan), France: preliminary results from acoustic and underwater survey
  • Introduction
  • The question
  • The exploration of the Kerbougnec site (Quiberon Bay)
  • Side-scan sonar surveys
  • Results from the acoustic surveys
  • Results from the diving surveys
  • Conclusion
  • Acknowledgments
  • References
• 10: The Middle Palaeolithic Underwater Site of La Mondrée, Normandy, France
  • Introduction
  • Location of the site and summary of previous research
  • General context of the occupation
  • Stratigraphy of the Palaeolithic occupation
  • Human occupation (the site sensu stricto )
  • Characterization of the lithic industry
  • Conclusion and perspectives
  • Acknowledgements
  • References
• 11: Investigating Submerged Archaeological Landscapes: a research strategy illustrated with case studies from Ireland and Newfoundland, Canada
  • Introduction
  • Archaeological and environmental background
  • Research strategy
  • Case studies
  • Conclusion and future work
  • Acknowledgements
  • References
• 12: Submerged Prehistory in the Americas
  • Introduction
  • Where are the sites and who's looking in the Americas?
  • Two bays with underwater prehistoric sites: Apalachee and Ballena
  • Conclusions
  • References
• 13: Underwater Investigations in Northwest Russia: lacustrine archaeology of Neolithic pile dwellings
  • History of investigation
  • Methods of underwater excavation
  • Climatic conditions
  • Peculiarities of pile dwellings: location and economy
  • Material culture of the pile dwellings
  • Discussion and conclusions
  • Acknowledgements
  • References
• 14: A Late Neolithic Fishing Fence in Lake Arendsee, Sachsen-Anhalt, Germany
  • Topography and lake history
  • History of underwater site discovery
  • Methodology
  • Results and interpretation
  • Conclusion
  • Acknowledgements
  • References
• 15: A Palaeolithic Wooden Point from Ljubljansko Barje, Slovenia
  • Introduction
  • Circumstances of discovery of the wooden point
  • Description of the find
  • Other Palaeolithic finds in the area
  • Conclusion
  • Acknowledgements
  • References
• 16: Investigating the Submerged Prehistory of the Eastern Adriatic: progress and prospects
  • Introduction
  • Previous finds
  • Research in prospect
  • Conclusions
  • Acknowledgements
  • References
• 17: The Pavlopetri Underwater Archaeology Project: investigating an ancient submerged town
  • Introduction
  • Project background
  • 2009 survey season
  • The submergence of Pavlopetri
  • Future work
  • Acknowledgments
  • References
• 18: Submerged Sites and Drowned Topographies along the Anatolian Coasts: an overview
  • The distinctive coastal zones of Turkey
  • The Mediterranean coastal strip
  • The Aegean coastal strip
  • The Sea of Marmara
  • The Black Sea
  • Concluding remarks
  • References
• 19: Palaeoecology of Submerged Prehistoric Settlements in Sozopol Harbour, Bulgaria
  • Introduction
  • The study area
  • Material and methods
  • Results
  • Conclusions
  • Acknowledgments
  • References
• 20: Was the Black Sea Catastrophically Flooded during the Holocene? – geological evidence and archaeological impacts
  • Introduction
  • Previous underwater archaeological studies
  • Methods
  • Results
  • Discussion
  • Conclusions
  • Acknowledgments
  • References
• 21: Underwater Investigations at the Early Sites of Aspros and Nissi Beach on Cyprus
  • Introduction
  • The underwater reconnaissance work at Aspros
  • Evolution of the research
  • Conclusion
  • References
• 22: Submerged Neolithic Settlements off the Carmel Coast, Israel: cultural and environmental insights
  • Introduction
  • The water wells of Atlit-Yam
  • The PN water wells
  • Dating the water wells
  • Sustainable freshwater supply: a pre-condition for permanent coastal settlement
  • Coastal wells and sea-level changes
  • The emergence of a Mediterranean fishing village
  • Early tuberculosis
  • Separating the dead from the living
  • Conclusions
  • Acknowledgments
  • References
• 23: Research Infrastructure for Systematic Study of the Prehistoric Archaeology of the European Submerged Continental Shelf
  • Introduction
  • Objectives
  • Components of the European research infrastructure
  • Conclusions
  • References
• 24: Stone Age on the Continental Shelf: an eroding resource
  • Introduction
  • Stone Age finds from the western Baltic
  • The erosion problem
  • Coping with erosion
  • Conclusions
  • Acknowledgements
  • References
• 25: Continental Shelf Archaeology: where next?
  • Introduction
  • Background
  • What are we missing?
  • Where next?
  • The Farasan Islands
  • Gibraltar
  • Discussion
  • Conclusion
  • Acknowledgements
  • References
• 26: Epilogue
  • Terra incognita
  • Uneven distribution of submarine finds
  • Getting started in new areas
  • Need for training
  • Developing underwater heritage management
  • Conclusion
  • References