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The Drowning of Doggerland - Europe's Lost Prehistoric Land (6200 BCE)

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In the early Holocene epoch, a vast and fertile lowland connected what is now Britain to mainland Europe—a region now known as Doggerland. Stretching across the southern North Sea, this land was home to Mesolithic hunter-gatherers, rich wildlife, and river systems. However, around 6200 BCE, Doggerland met a catastrophic fate: it was swallowed by rising seas in what may have been one of prehistory's most dramatic environmental disasters.

The Causes: Rising Seas and a Catastrophic Tsunami

1. Post-Glacial Sea Level Rise - As the last Ice Age ended, melting glaciers caused global sea levels to rise steadily, gradually inundating low-lying regions.
   
2. The Storegga Slide (c. 6200 BCE) - A massive underwater landslide off Norway's coast triggered a devastating tsunami, with waves possibly reaching heights of 5-10 meters. This event, recorded in sediment layers, likely delivered the final blow to the already shrinking Doggerland.

The Aftermath

• The remaining islands of Doggerland were submerged, leaving only a shallow sea—today's Dogger Bank, a fishing ground and a submerged archaeological treasure trove.
  
• Survivors likely fled to higher ground in Britain and the European mainland, possibly shaping early Neolithic migrations.
  
• Modern dredging and sonar mapping have revealed tools, bones, and even footprints of Doggerland's inhabitants, offering glimpses of a lost world.

Legacy of a Lost Land

Doggerland's disappearance marked the end of a land bridge that once made Britain an extension of Europe. Its story is a haunting reminder of humanity's vulnerability to climate change—a prehistoric echo of modern concerns about rising seas and coastal erosion.

(Note: Exact dating of the Storegga Slide and Doggerland's final submergence varies slightly in studies, but 6200 BCE is a widely cited estimate.)

Would you like more details on Doggerland's archaeology or the Storegga Slide's geological evidence?