R20 - Submerged Neolithic Sites Around the Mediterranean and Europe

Session Organisers: Hakan Öniz, Ehud Galili, Liora Kolska Horwitz

Category: Near East

Session Abstract: Myths about great floods are known from ancient cultures (e.g., Noah’s Ark, the Babylonian Epic of Gilgamesh, and Plato's Atlantis). In the nineteenth century, scientists realized that the equilibrium of water on earth involves cycles of ice ages (glacial periods) with associated fluctuations in sea level ranging from a drop of -120m during a glacial period and a high sea level of up to +10m during an interglacial period. Thus, there is potential in finding inundated settlements on the sea bottom. Until recently scholars had limited access to submerged prehistoric remains, but recent decades have seen a turning point in research possibilities. Both natural and human-induced erosion processes have facilitated the exposure of sites, enabling their discovery. Developments in technology have made it possible to develop a methodology for detecting, documenting and studying these submerged prehistoric sites. Hundreds of sites are known in the Black Sea, the Sea of Marmara, the North Sea, the Baltic Sea, and in the Mediterranean Sea ̶ where long term research has been undertaken. For example, on the submerged prehistoric sites of Işıldaktepealti (Dardanelle-Çanakkale) in Turkey and Atlit-Yam in Israel, while many others await discovery and study. The discipline of submerged prehistory has become an essential part of underwater archaeology. It can fill gaps in knowledge and add another dimension to the research of prehistory. This session aims at presenting and discussing the chronological and cultural settings of prehistoric sites, especially dating to the Neolithic period, discovered on the sea bottom, clarifying the relationship between coastal cultures and the sea and the contribution of marine resources to their subsistence, as well as their resilience and adaptation to the changing coastal environment.

Room: H

08/11/2024

Start Time - End Time	Authors	Title
14:45 - 15:05	Hakan Öniz	A View at Sunken Prehistoric Settlements off the Turkish Coast
15:05 - 15:25	Orkun Kaycı	Potential prehistoric island communities in Cilicia to the north of the Eastern Mediterranean
15:25 - 15:45	Katarina Jerbic	The Submerged Late Neolithic Pile-dwelling at Zambratija Bay, Croatia
15:45 - 16:05	Mirco Brunner, Adrian Anastasi, Kristi Anastasi, Andrej Maczkowski, Matthias Bolliger, Martin Hinz, Sönke Szidat, Ilir Gjipali, Albert Hafner	Lake Maliq revisited: Fresh Perspectives on Neolithic submerged Settlements at former Lake Maliq, Albania.

Coffee Break

Start Time - End Time	Authors	Title
16:30 - 16:50	Hinz Martin, Anastasi Adrian, Brunner Mirco, Anastasi Kristi, Yermorkhin Maxim, Gjipali Ilir, Hafner Albert	Discovering the wooden pillars of the Neolithic settlement: the waterlogged site Lin 3, Albania
16:50 - 17:10	Ehud Galili, Liora Kolska Horwitz	Exploring submerged settlements off the Mediterranean coast of Israel
17:10 - 17:30	Vered Eshed	Paleo-demography and health status of the population of Atlit-Yam, a Submerged Neolithic site off the Carmel coast, Israel.