Secret History
Archaeologists have been researching an area under the North Sea, known as Doggerland, which was home to one of the largest prehistoric settlements in Europe.
But with expansion of wind farms in the North Sea, the race is on to work with developers to piece together information about Doggerland in advance of development.
PhD student Ben Urmston will look for anomalies in magnetic fields by analysing magnetometry data, which could indicate the presence of archaeological features without excavation.
He said: "Small changes in the magnetic field can indicate changes in the landscape, such as peat-forming areas and sediments, or where erosion has occurred, for example in river channels.
"As the area we are studying used to be above sea level, there's a small chance this analysis could even reveal evidence for hunter-gatherer activity. That would be the pinnacle.
"We might also discover the presence of middens, which are rubbish dumps that consist of animal bone, mollusc shells and other biological material, that can tell us a lot about how people lived."
Doggerland
Doggerland was amongst the most resource-rich and ecologically dynamic areas during the later Palaeolithic and Mesolithic periods (c.20,000 - 4,000 BC), lost to the sea by global warming at the end of the last ice age.
No in situ remains have been found and the only artefacts from the 185,000km2 site were recovered largely by chance, meaning our knowledge of the inhabitants and their lifestyles is extremely limited.
Ben added: "If we detect features that could indicate a midden, for example, we can then target that area and take a sample of the seabed. We can send the organic matter for carbon dating, which can usually tell within a decade or two when that was laid down.
"We are hoping the data we have been given will match up with areas already studied by the Lost Frontiers team at the University, to add to knowledge built over the last 20 years. It's feeding into an active area of interest and research."
The University of Bradford's School of Archaeological and Forensic Sciences, which was awarded the prestigious Queen's Anniversary Prize in November 2021, is well known as a global hub of digital heritage and marine palaeolandscape research.
Its Submerged Landscape Research Group has previously explored Doggerland through a combination of seismic mapping, the study of sediments and current knowledge of prehistoric behaviour.
Scholarship
Magnetometry has previously been used by terrestrial archaeologists but has not been used extensively to examine submerged landscapes.
It is a first for the University, made possible through a donation of £50,000 from The David and Claudia Harding Foundation to fund The Harding PhD Scholar in Marine Palaeolandscapes.
The Foundation's Executive Director James Holmes said, "We are excited to be able to support research into one of the more intriguing chapters of European history and anticipate that a systematic, data-driven approach to marine archaeology will unveil many mysteries in the coming years."
The University has provided match funding to create the fully funded PhD studentship.
Magnetic fields data sets have been generously provided by engineering consultancy firm Royal Haskoning, which has been surveying the North Sea as part of an environmental impact assessment.
Professor Vince Gaffney, academic lead for the project, said: "Exploring the submerged landscapes beneath the North Sea represents one of the last great challenges to archaeology. Achieving this is becoming even more urgent with the rapid development of the North Sea for renewable energy.
"Bradford's Submerged Landscape Research Group is at the forefront of such studies but this generous gift from Sir David Harding will assist significantly in this massive undertaking."
Ben, who has an MA in Archaeological Geophysics from the University of Bradford and has 20 years' experience working as a geophysicist, said: "This funding will allow the archaeological assessment of high resolution magnetometer data collected as part of the construction process of current and future offshore renewable energy assets, providing an exciting and unique opportunity to contribute to both cultural heritage protection and environmental sustainability outcomes.
"I would like to express my sincere thanks to the Trustees of the David and Claudia Harding Foundation for their generosity in making this research possible."
How is magnetic data collected?
Magnetic data is collected by companies looking to extract oil, gas and minerals from the seabed, and increasingly by offshore wind farming companies, to understand the landscape ahead of construction.
Exploration mainly looks for shipwrecks and unexploded wartime weapons and bombs.
Magnetometers are instruments which look similar to torpedoes, which are dragged through the water by cables attached to survey vessels to survey the magnetic fields on the seabed.
Race against time
Prehistoric archaeology within submerged coastal landscapes is facing considerable risk.
There is an unprecedented expansion of offshore wind power to combat climate change, spearheaded by the UK's commitment to net-zero emissions by 2050.
Offshore developments may eventually result in parts of the seascape becoming increasingly inaccessible. By working with developers, such as Royal Haskoning, scientists are able to use the opportunity to explore the seabed for prehistoric activity.
The University of Bradford is determined to respond positively to the development of clean energy while urgently addressing the risk to global marine palaeolandscapes.
The David and Claudia Harding Foundation
David Harding founded global investment management and data science company, Winton, in 1997. He and his wife Claudia are trustees of The David and Claudia Harding Foundation.
They have donated millions of pounds to scientific research in the UK and internationally, and are particularly interested in supporting PhD students.
Reader Comments
In reality humanity, is much more than the technologically driven ideology, than computer programmers, input in algorithms, to come up with how humanity, thinks and behaves.
Not so bright folks (now where did that come from). Certainly not from a Brave New World
Doggerland was amongst the most resource-rich and ecologically dynamic areas during the later Palaeolithic and Mesolithic periods (c.20,000 - 4,000 BC), lost to the sea by global warming at the end of the last ice age.They have next to know artifacts, can we believe they were pull oil and natural gas resources out of the earth? Then ends with a jab at Global warming. There you go, see how long global warming has been going on, hehehe, we're still here. Global warming, my ....
As Joan so keenly pointed out, lidar would easily show any recognizable features. Just like in guatemala, mexico, the jungles of thailand where vast cities were found beneath the jungle. Or the continent of Antarctica, below miles of ice, that exactly matches cartographers maps found in istanbul (was constantinople now its istanbul not constantinople cause constantinople got the works an thats nobodys buisness but the turks)
Again sorry
But why magnetic fields?
Seems fishy
Laser will not penetrate the water. Magnetic waves, here: ever so slight disturbances in the magnetic field will pass through the water.
This is also why they need to be there before the windfarms, because their metal and maybe the electromagnetic influence from the powergenerators will distort the magnetic field.
Lidar is applicable for ice but not water.
Thanks for setting me straight
This however is the Lid that will unearth more than a can of worms.
Academia is now on the backfoot and will be desperate to put closure on anything that exposes false narratives in their eyes.
Wow...this archeologically, magnetically and scientifically proves without a shadow of doubt, evidence of people that are still optimistic about the future of humanity.......
And it aint ferric induced back-scatter I can tell you that.
Humanity faces yet another magnetic movement that could equal that which went before and result in a cataclysmic event.
With 90,000 people in the UK dying in poverty (9 people every hour) ....
You can see the "value" they put on us when Universities only have to "ask" for funding something that's results are never garuanteed.
If you cannot see that your prosperity is worth less than a science then you might as well be looking "backwards" like these scientists....
At least people can come into the science area and see it for what it is....👏
With 90,000 people in the UK dying in poverty (9 people every hour) ....
You can see the "value" they put on us when Universities only have to "ask" for funding something that's results are never garuanteed.
If you cannot see that your prosperity is worth less than a science then you might as well be looking "backwards" like these scientists....
So, suggests, most of world history as we know it, is buried under the oceans, under silt and debris above the earth landscape, due to the devastating flooding from the melting of the ice caps.
it's a live Q & A presentation, but be alert to the questions presented and the answers.
[Link]
One wonders, how they were constructed and created. With the question, dangling in the air. "What Happened"
But the strange, or not with all this recent technology, Lidar, the geological mapping of the worlds oceans, in the quest for resources, has unearthed, a much more conundrum...what cities and civilizations lie beneath the oceans, that lived and existed before the great ice sheets developed, miles in length and space, that existed A devastating event 12600 years ago, that changed the world of the people living at that time forever,
They were thrown back into a stone age existence. Karma, I don't really think that, just lessons from the past, or even life lessons, if you can't get it right the first time, try, try again, until you learn and and cam make it work.