MMT is participating in ground-breaking archaeological discoveries in Hanöbukten, Sweden. The project called Landscapes Lost, is led by researchers from the MARIS (the Maritime Archaeological Research Institute) at Södertörn University.
The project consists of both extensive surveying and more local examonations on recently found sites. The scope is the submerged landscapes of the southern Baltic, which is around 10000 years old.
In collaboration with MMT and media company Deep Sea Productions (DSP), the scientists have begun to investigate the different areas in Hanöbukten where it is expected to find remains from the Stone Age.
Since the last ice age, there have been two occasions (around 11000 years ago and about 9,000 years ago) that sea-levels dropped significantly down to appr. 20 m respectively 5 m below present sea levels. At Haväng, in Eastern Scania, some 9000 year old fish traps, and waste from settlements have been uncovered. At the same site 10500 year old pine trees are preserved where they once grew.
The start-up project is now investigating the likelihood of uncovering similar archaeological sites in the southern Baltic. Technological advancements in this type of investigation have made possible very detailed reconstructions and modeling of the flooded areas. MMT is providing advanced sonar and other hydro acoustic equipment for the purposes of this investigation.
[mappress] Subsea World News Staff , June 12, 2012; Image: MMT