‘Atlantis’ found? Doggerland artifacts on display at London museum

Mike Krumboltz, The Sideshow, 07/04/12

Whether Atlantis was real may never be known. But scientists from several European universities have recovered artifacts from a kind of "European Atlantis" at the bottom of the North Sea. Now, those artifacts from the sunken landmass known as Doggerland are going on display at the Royal Society Summer Science Exhibition in London.

According to CBS News, divers found fossilized evidence of large mammals, including mammoths; harpoons; fish prongs; and possible burial sites. Scientists, including Dr. Richard Bates of St. Andrews University, have recreated Doggerland in 3D with the help of geophysical surveys. Visitors to the Royal Society Exhibition will be able to explore this lost land up close.

Doggerland was a purported landmass that stretched between Scotland, Denmark, and the Chanel Islands. It was slowly enveloped by water following the end of the last Ice Age. The Royal Society's official site points out that the challenges faced by the residents of Doggerland aren't so different from those facing humanity today—climate change and environmental factors, chief among them.

As quoted in The Scotsman, Dr. Bates explains, "It has been described as a Stone Age Atlantis—a starry-eyed image of a drowned lost kingdom. But it was certainly a land that would have been heavily populated and it has been lost. It is a lost world that was probably completely covered by the sea between 8,000 and 10,000 years ago when island Britain was formed."

BBC News reports that scientists believe Doggerland was home to thousands of people before disappearing. Experts believe there were hills and valleys, lakes and rivers.

Not surprisingly, folks have been spreading news of the discovery on Twitter. Many folks are giving credit to the Scottish researchers for their discovery. "Amazing" and "fascinating" are common reactions to the news. And in Yahoo! Search, lookups for "real atlantis" are beginning to bubble to the surface.

http://news.yahoo.com/blogs/sideshow/atlantis-found-doggerland-artifacts-display-london-museum-221345530.html