Maritime Archaeology Updates

Diving Deeper with the Maritime Archaeology Trust

Month: May 2016

Why is Bouldnor Cliff so special?

In 1999, whilst out diving, MAT discovered what we know as Bouldnor Cliff by the Isle of Wight. This used to be a highly populated area of land. Ever since the discovery there have been ongoing excavations and investigations to uncover the complex life of the people living on this piece of land during the mesolithic era, about 8000 years ago.

Bouldnor Cliff Excavation

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Bouldnor Cliff – Drowning, desertion and destruction – help save our lost culture

Bouldnor Cliff ExcavationBouldnor Cliff is an underwater Middle Stone Age site that dates to 6,000 BC. This was a time when the hunter gathering epoch was drawing to a close and when Great Britain was being separated from mainland Europe by sea level rise. The lowlands that lay between the two land masses covered around half a million square kilometres and would have been home to many family groups.  They had developed wide-ranging trade links, moving along coastlines and rivers. The land they occupied was rich in vegetation, animals and wildfowl but ultimately it was all to be lost under the sea. These people had to adapt to the loss of land around them as the outline of modern Europe was taking shape. Continue reading