Doggerland

Lore & Background

Doggerland was a large area of land in Northern Europe, now submerged beneath the southern North Sea. This region was repeatedly exposed at various times during the Pleistocene epoch due to the lowering of sea levels during glacial periods. However, the term 'Doggerland' is typically used for this region during the Late Pleistocene and Early Holocene. During the early Holocene following the glacial retreat at the end of the Last Glacial Period, the exposed land area of Doggerland stretched across the region between what is now the east coast of Great Britain, northern France, Belgium, the Netherlands, north-western Germany, and the Danish peninsula of Jutland. The impact of the tsunami generated by the Storegga underwater landslide c. 8,200 years ago on Doggerland is controversial. The flooded land is known as the Dogger Littoral.

Reader's Guide

Doggerland was a large area of land in Northern Europe, now submerged beneath the southern North Sea. It was repeatedly exposed during the Pleistocene epoch due to lower sea levels during glacial periods, but the term typically refers to the region during the Late Pleistocene and Early Holocene. After the last glacial retreat, the exposed land stretched between what is now the east coast of Great Britain, northern France, Belgium, the Netherlands, north-western Germany, and the Danish peninsula of Jutland. Between 10,000 and 7,000 years ago, rising sea levels inundated Doggerland, first breaking it into low-lying islands and then submerging it completely. The impact of the Storegga underwater landslide tsunami 8,200 years ago on Doggerland remains controversial. The flooded area is known as the Dogger Littoral. The name comes from the Dogger Bank, a highland region that submerged later than the rest, itself named after 17th-century Dutch fishing boats called doggers. Archaeological interest began in the early 20th century and intensified in 1931 when a fishing trawler east of the Wash brought up a barbed antler point dated to when the area was tundra. Subsequent trawling has recovered remains of mammoths, lions, and other animals, along with a few prehistoric tools and weapons. Most evidence of human habitation dates to the Mesolithic period. During the early Holocene, Doggerland’s topography was shaped by climate, ice sheet dynamics, and sea level change. Around 12,000 BCE, the area was low-lying tundra. The Dogger Bank formed from glaciolacustrine sediments and was shaped into a thrust moraine by glacial-tectonic action. The watershed between the North Sea and English Channel once extended east from East Anglia to the Hook of Holland. Rivers including the Seine, Thames, Meuse, Scheldt, and Rhine joined and flowed west through the English Channel. By about 10,000 BCE, the north-facing coast had lagoons, saltmarshes, mudflats, beaches, and inland streams, rivers, marshes, and lakes. It may have been Europe’s most prosperous hunting, fowling, and fishing ground in the Mesolithic. A 3D seismic survey identified the Shotton River, which drained the southeastern Dogger Bank area into the Outer Silver Pit lake. As ice melted, sea levels rose and land tilted isostatically, submerging Doggerland and cutting off Britain from the European mainland by around 6500 BCE.

Did You Know?

• Doggerland was named after the Dogger Bank, which was named after 17th-century Dutch fishing boats called doggers.
• The Storegga underwater landslide c. 8,200 years ago may have generated a tsunami that affected Doggerland, but its impact is controversial.