Tracing the Stone Age in the freezing cold Baltic Sea

The investigations off Darss and Zingst are being carried out using the research catamaran Limanda, operated by the University of Rostock. The divers are connected to the boat via radio, allowing information about each dive site to be processed directly on board (Photo: Mahlstedt, NIhK).
A large piece of peat from a depth of 10m is being inspected more closely on board (Photo: Mahlstedt, NIhK)

As part of the ERC SyG SUBNORDICA project, a group of research divers from the NIhK and the University of Rostock are currently exploring the western Baltic Sea. Off the coasts of Darss and Zingst, the group, led by PI Dr. Svea Mahlstedt, is investigating the remnants of former landscapes at depths of 6 to 15 meters. These date back to the period after the last Ice Age, when the Baltic Sea's sea level was significantly lower. Although the location of these features – such as erosion edges, former river courses and forests – was already known from the investigations carried out as part of the SINCOS project, samples were taken from them during the current campaign in order to learn more about their formation and age. In particularly well-preserved areas, the divers are also searching for traces of Stone Age humans from the period between 7000 and 5000 BC.

Archaeological finds are best preserved underwater in areas where the seabed was already damp during the Stone Age. This fragmented antler tool, discovered by the divers in a former riverbed, is one such example (Photo: Mahlstedt, NIhK).