7,000-Year-Old Sunken City

They may not have found Atlantis yet, but another sunken city has been found. Like Atlantis, this city also inspired a myth. An island that was partly submerged off the coast of the Ile de Sein of France gave the Brittany region its own local lore for thousands of years.

It was here that marine archaeologists spotted the remains of a 7,000-year-old wall about 30 feet below the surface. It belonged to a stone age civilization and is thought to have been one of two things; either a fence to collect fish or a dike built to protect against rising waves.

LIDAR data found eleven structures at the bottom of the ocean. Sea level data reflecting changes in the sea level and vertical land movement indicate they dated back to between 5,800 and 5,300 BCE. This was a time of transition from the hunter-gatherer lifestyle to permanent settlements. At that time, the shoreline was several miles out to sea.

This find predates the first Neolithic megaliths in Brittany by at least 500 years. But little archaeological work has been done in the deep areas of the Brittany coast because of difficulties in accessing such sites.

Shell middens near the short and megaliths further out give evidence of coastal human populations in the region, but the ocean has not given up many artifacts. Fragments of this wall weigh 3,300 metric tons, which might support the idea that it was built to prevent flooding when the sea level rose.

Whatever the purpose of this wall, it was designed to withstand storms and erosion. Standing stones within the structure are similar to others found in inland Brittany and parts of Stonehenge, the largest being nearly 10 feet high. This structure’s arrangement of monoliths, slabs, blocks, and boulders suggests a complex architecture, which has not been found in nearby fish fences. The community that built the megalith must have had technical skill and social organization.

There may also be a link to the City of Ys, which involves a Breton legend passed down through centuries by oral tradition. Ys is thought to have been submerged in the Bay of Douarnenez, which is just east of Ile de Sein. So this legendary city might have actually existed in prehistory.

 

https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/world/archaeologists-found-evidence-of-a-7-000-year-old-sunken-city/ar-AA1SBj2I?ocid=hpmsn&cvid=69446e95433043ca8ed260af6652d221&ei=28

Mysterious Monolith

On the Mediterranean island of Cyprus, archaeologists have unearthed a temple believed to be 4,000 years old, which features a mysterious monolith. The remains of the sacred space were identified at the archaeological site of Erimi.

The prehistoric settlement of Erimi is located in south-central Cyprus more than 300 feet above sea level, on a limestone terrace. Cyprus is located in the eastern Mediterranean Sea, and serves as a crossroads between Europe, Africa and Asia.

Around 2000-1600 BC, in what’s known as the Middle Bronze Age, a community settled on the Erimi hill. In this Bronze Age community, scientists discovered a room in which they found a monolith measuring more than 7 feet in height. The monolith is completely smooth and features a motif in the center.

The monolith, which had stood in the center of the room, had collapsed onto the floor and destroyed a large amphora placed at its feet. An amphora is a type of container with a pointed bottom. Its characteristic form dates back to prehistoric times.

Peculiarities of this room indicate it is a sacred space. It is believed that the activity that supported the community economically also involved its members ideologically and symbolically. This small sacred space in Erimi is the oldest example known on the island.

I wish the article had included a rendering of the motif on the monolith. It’s always exciting to get a glimpse of what was considered important and special to people from another age.

 

https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/world/archaeologists-discover-mysterious-monolith-in-4-000-year-old-temple/ar-BB1pKQPq?ocid=mailsignout&pc=U591&cvid=5a6a04505124448aa6c13993dfb41141&ei=50