Evidence of the Storegga Tsunami 8200 BP? An Archaeological Review of Impact After a Large-Scale Marine Event in Mesolithic Northern Europe
Around 8,200 years ago, the Storegga tsunami hit the coasts of the Norwegian and North Seas. This event is well known from wide ranging geological and palaeobotanical work undertaken over the last 30 years. Outside of attempts at palaeodemographic models, however, exploration of the social impact of...
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| Format: | Article |
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Frontiers Media S.A.
2021-12-01
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| Series: | Frontiers in Earth Science |
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| Online Access: | https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/feart.2021.767460/full |
| _version_ | 1818744201288876032 |
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| author | Astrid J. Nyland James Walker Graeme Warren |
| author_facet | Astrid J. Nyland James Walker Graeme Warren |
| author_sort | Astrid J. Nyland |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Around 8,200 years ago, the Storegga tsunami hit the coasts of the Norwegian and North Seas. This event is well known from wide ranging geological and palaeobotanical work undertaken over the last 30 years. Outside of attempts at palaeodemographic models, however, exploration of the social impact of the wave on Mesolithic hunter-gatherer societies living on the coasts of west Norway, the north and east British Isles, and around the southern North Sea basin have been less common. It has been widely assumed that the tsunami was a disaster–but what constituted a disaster for the Mesolithic peoples who lived through this event? What can we learn about life after natural hazards by considering the archaeological material from regions with distinct Mesolithic histories? This paper presents a review of evidence of the Storegga tsunami at Mesolithic sites from western Norway, the Northeast UK, and elsewhere around the southern North Sea basin. We consider the ways in which the social impact of the Storegga tsunami has been studied up till now and suggest an alternative way forward. |
| first_indexed | 2024-12-18T02:40:32Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-8ef0b6353d8e4b299b7248a26fbf5d3f |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 2296-6463 |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-12-18T02:40:32Z |
| publishDate | 2021-12-01 |
| publisher | Frontiers Media S.A. |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Frontiers in Earth Science |
| spelling | doaj.art-8ef0b6353d8e4b299b7248a26fbf5d3f2022-12-21T21:23:42ZengFrontiers Media S.A.Frontiers in Earth Science2296-64632021-12-01910.3389/feart.2021.767460767460Evidence of the Storegga Tsunami 8200 BP? An Archaeological Review of Impact After a Large-Scale Marine Event in Mesolithic Northern EuropeAstrid J. Nyland0James Walker1Graeme Warren2Museum of Archaeology, Department of Cultural Heritage Management, University of Stavanger, Stavanger, NorwayMuseum of Archaeology, Department of Cultural Heritage Management, University of Stavanger, Stavanger, NorwayUCD School of Archaeology, University College Dublin, Dublin, IrelandAround 8,200 years ago, the Storegga tsunami hit the coasts of the Norwegian and North Seas. This event is well known from wide ranging geological and palaeobotanical work undertaken over the last 30 years. Outside of attempts at palaeodemographic models, however, exploration of the social impact of the wave on Mesolithic hunter-gatherer societies living on the coasts of west Norway, the north and east British Isles, and around the southern North Sea basin have been less common. It has been widely assumed that the tsunami was a disaster–but what constituted a disaster for the Mesolithic peoples who lived through this event? What can we learn about life after natural hazards by considering the archaeological material from regions with distinct Mesolithic histories? This paper presents a review of evidence of the Storegga tsunami at Mesolithic sites from western Norway, the Northeast UK, and elsewhere around the southern North Sea basin. We consider the ways in which the social impact of the Storegga tsunami has been studied up till now and suggest an alternative way forward.https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/feart.2021.767460/fullStoregga tsunamimesolithicNorwayScotlandDoggerlanddisaster |
| spellingShingle | Astrid J. Nyland James Walker Graeme Warren Evidence of the Storegga Tsunami 8200 BP? An Archaeological Review of Impact After a Large-Scale Marine Event in Mesolithic Northern Europe Frontiers in Earth Science Storegga tsunami mesolithic Norway Scotland Doggerland disaster |
| title | Evidence of the Storegga Tsunami 8200 BP? An Archaeological Review of Impact After a Large-Scale Marine Event in Mesolithic Northern Europe |
| title_full | Evidence of the Storegga Tsunami 8200 BP? An Archaeological Review of Impact After a Large-Scale Marine Event in Mesolithic Northern Europe |
| title_fullStr | Evidence of the Storegga Tsunami 8200 BP? An Archaeological Review of Impact After a Large-Scale Marine Event in Mesolithic Northern Europe |
| title_full_unstemmed | Evidence of the Storegga Tsunami 8200 BP? An Archaeological Review of Impact After a Large-Scale Marine Event in Mesolithic Northern Europe |
| title_short | Evidence of the Storegga Tsunami 8200 BP? An Archaeological Review of Impact After a Large-Scale Marine Event in Mesolithic Northern Europe |
| title_sort | evidence of the storegga tsunami 8200 bp an archaeological review of impact after a large scale marine event in mesolithic northern europe |
| topic | Storegga tsunami mesolithic Norway Scotland Doggerland disaster |
| url | https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/feart.2021.767460/full |
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