I love history, I love shows on discovering things and talking about old things. Expedition Unknown, Mysteries At The Museum, Histories Greatest Mysteries, and so many more
Archaeologists off the coast of Brittany, France, have discovered a 394-foot wall beneath the waves.
The threshold of solid stone, which could date back to 5,000 BCE, may just show what happens when humans try to build walls to block the ocean’s might.
The wall is believed to have been built for catching fish or protecting people from destructive seawater, according to the BBC.
At around 66 feet wide and seven feet high, the solid 3,600-ton mass of stone has lasted for about 7,000 years, per the researchers, who believe it to have been constructed in the context of a Stone Age community of hunter-gatherers.
While the wall would have been well-situated on the shoreline when in use, it is now 30 feet underwater.
If we look at the average of 6-8 inches of sea rise per century over the last 8,000 years we’re looking at 35-46 feet of sea rise. And the rising seas from the great pulsewater melt started filling the Med. Of course, here we go
With big risks posed by ever-rising seas, discoveries like this one help to demonstrate how coastal communities could one day disappear beneath ocean waters.
Those who built the wall may have put it up to try and mitigate a rising tide in their own time.
In its coverage, the BBC cited a paper published in the International Journal of Nautical Archaeology. “The submersion caused by the rapid rise in sea level, followed by the abandonment of fishing structures, protective works, and habitation sites,” according to the paper, “must have left a lasting impression.”
Driven by human activity — namely, the burning of polluting fuels — which is contributing to the overheating of the planet and the melting of glaciers, sea levels are now consistently reaching all-time highs. Their impacts are already being felt, particularly in vulnerable coastal and island communities.
What caused the big sea rise back then?
People can take steps now to lower their contributions to the pollution that is heating the planet and driving rising seas. And these can look like everything from avoiding fuels such as oil and coal to exploring plant-based diets.
Oh, piss off.
Anyhow, the wall is pretty cool. And, I suspect if the lost city of Atlantis is real it most likely was swallowed up by the same rising Med along with subsistence from earthquakes.
