Book review of Submerged Prehistory

Underwater archaeology of the Stone Age is a relatively young field and still not widespread. However, more and more new research and the application of the latest technology brings very interesting results. The results of this research are presented in the book Submerged Prehistory, published in 2011.

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The book covers the whole of Europe, however, the articles concerning the Baltic and North Sea are predominant. We could not miss texts about the most famous underwater site from the Stone Age, namely Tybrind Vig. Then we find material on Mesolithic finds from the German coast.

There is a predominance of papers on the Mesolithic and Neolithic but there are also articles on submerged finds from the Middle Palaeolithic! However, research is not only concerned with archaeological finds themselves, but also with submerged archaeological landscapes.

The second part of the publication deals with the Mediterranean Sea and the Black Sea. The paper concludes with observations and remarks about the future of this type of research in Europe. I believe that the study of underwater Stone Age sites is the future of underwater archaeology. Only recently have archaeologists realised how much cognitive potential there is underwater. Therefore publications such as these are very much needed, especially when they are of such a high standard as this one.

The articles are written by specialists in their fields. The language, although specialist, is understandable and accessible, therefore the audience is definitely larger. I definitely recommend to underwater archaeologists, archaeologists dealing with the Stone Age, but also to all those who, exploring the depths of the sea, want to see something more than just wrecks.

Precise data:

Title: Submerged Prehistory

Editors: Benjamin J., Bonsal C., Pickard C., Fischer A.

Publisher: Oxbow Books

Pages: 352

Cover: hardback

ISBN: 978-1842174180

Source: podwodna.net