A Hidden Land Between Continents
Long before the North Sea filled with water, a vast expanse of land stretched between Great Britain and mainland Europe. This area, now entirely submerged, is known as Doggerland.
During the Late Pleistocene and Early Holocene, it was a rich landscape of rivers, lakes, marshes, and forests, inhabited by animals and Mesolithic humans. Between 10,000 and 7,000 years ago, rising sea levels from melting glaciers gradually erased this region from view.
From Ice to Isolation
As ice sheets from the Last Glacial Maximum retreated around 12,000 BCE, sea levels rose and reshaped the geography of northern Europe. Britain, still connected to the continent, formed part of a massive tundra plain.
The Thames, Rhine, Meuse, and other rivers joined into a single watercourse flowing through what is now the English Channel. By 6500 BCE, the lowlands of Doggerland were inundated, eventually reducing to scattered islands. Around 5000 BCE, even the last high grounds, such as Dogger Bank, disappeared beneath the sea.
The Role of Tsunamis and Floods
One dramatic theory suggests that in 6200 BCE, a massive tsunami struck Doggerland. Triggered by the Storegga submarine landslide off Norway, the wave may have devastated remaining settlements. Some researchers estimate up to a quarter of Britain’s Mesolithic population died.
Whether this wave caused the final submersion or if gradual sea level rise was the main factor remains debated. Another hypothesis links the flooding to the release of glacial meltwater from Lake Agassiz in North America.
Unearthing a Submerged Past
Fishermen were the first to bring up evidence—bones, tusks, and tools—from the seabed. In 1931, a trawler dragged up a barbed antler point east of Norfolk. Later, seismic surveys and marine coring helped archaeologists map thousands of square kilometers of the ancient landscape.
Rivers like the Shotton once drained the Dogger hills, and areas such as the Outer Silver Pit formed central lakes. Researchers have recovered mammoth skulls, Neanderthal bone fragments, and flint tools. As of 2020, international teams continue to analyze DNA, sediment, and artefacts to reconstruct Doggerland’s ecology and human habitation.
The prehistoric world that once bridged Britain and Europe is now one of the most extensively studied drowned landscapes on Earth.
Long before the North Sea filled with water, a vast expanse of land stretched between Great Britain and mainland Europe.
This area, now entirely submerged, is known as Doggerland.
Between 10,000 and 7,000 years ago, it vanished beneath rising seas…🧵👇 pic.twitter.com/F1eG9XrkqJ
— Detective Tiger's Stories (@TigerDetective) June 17, 2025