Quaternary Paleoenvironments examines the drowned landscapes exposed as extensive and attractive territory for prehistoric human settlement during the Ice Ages of the Pleistocene, when sea levels dropped to 120m-135m below their current levels. This volume provides an overview of the geological, geomorphological, climatic and sea-level history of the European continental shelf as a whole, as well as a series of detailed regional reviews for each of the major sea basins. The nature and variable attractions of the landscapes and resources available for human exploitation are examined, as are the conditions under which archaeological sites and landscape features are likely to have been preserved, destroyed or buried by sediment during sea-level rise. The authors also discuss the extent to which we can predict where to look for drowned landscapes with the greatest chance of success, with frequent reference to examples of preserved prehistoric sites in different submerged environments. Quaternary Paleoenvironments will be of interest to archaeologists, geologists, marine scientists, palaeoanthropologists, cultural heritage managers, geographers, and all those with an interest in the drowned landscapes of the continental shelf.

Quaternary Paleoenvironments examines the drowned landscapes exposed as extensive and attractive territory for prehistoric human settlement during the Ice Ages of the Pleistocene, when sea levels dropped to 120m-135m below their current levels. This volume provides an overview of the geological, geomorphological, climatic and sea-level history of the European continental shelf as a whole, as well as a series of detailed regional reviews for each of the major sea basins. The nature and variable attractions of the landscapes and resources available for human exploitation are examined, as are the conditions under which archaeological sites and landscape features are likely to have been preserved, destroyed or buried by sediment during sea-level rise. The authors also discuss the extent to which we can predict where to look for drowned landscapes with the greatest chance of success, with frequent reference to examples of preserved prehistoric sites in different submerged environments.Quaternary Paleoenvironments will be of interest to archaeologists, geologists, marine scientists, palaeoanthropologists, cultural heritage managers, geographers, and all those with an interest in the drowned landscapes of the continental shelf.

Contributors viiForeword xiPreface xvAcknowledgement xviiChapter 1: Introduction: Prehistoric Remains on the Continental Shelf - Why do Sites and Landscapes Survive Inundation? 1Nic Flemming, Jan Harff, Delminda Moura and Anthony BurgessChapter 2: Sea Level and Climate 11J. Harff, N. Flemming, A. Groh, B. Hünicke, G. Lericolais, M. Meschede, A. Rosentau, D. Sakellariou, S. Uscinowicz, W. Zhang, E. ZoritaChapter 3: Non-Cultural Processes of Site Formation, Preservation and Destruction 51Nic Flemming, Jan Harff and Delminda MouraChapter 4: Standard Core Variables for Continental Shelf Prehistoric Research and Their Availability 83Nic FlemmingChapter 5: The Baltic Sea Basin 103Alar Rosentau, Ole Bennike, Szymon U?cinowicz and Gra?yna Miotk-SzpiganowiczChapter 6: The Northwest Shelf 135Kieran WestleyChapter 7: The North Sea 147Kim M. Cohen, Kieran Westley, Gilles Erkens, Marc P. Hijma, and Henk J.T. WeertsChapter 8: Northern North Sea and Atlantic Northwest Approaches 187Sue Dawson, Richard Bates, Caroline Wickham-Jones and Alastair DawsonChapter 9: Paleolandscapes of the Celtic Sea and the Channel/La Manche 211R. Helen Farr, Garry Momber, Julie Satchell and Nic FlemmingChapter 10: Irish Sea and Atlantic Margin 241Kieran Westley and Robin EdwardsChapter 11: The Iberian Atlantic Margin 281Delminda Moura, Ana Gomes and João HortaChapter 12: The Western Mediterranean Sea 301Miquel Canals, Isabel Cacho, Laurent Carozza, José Luis Casamor, Galderic Lastras, and Anna SànchezChapter 12 - Western Mediterranean: Annex 1Submerged Karst Structures of the French Mediterranean Coast: An Assessment 333Yves BillaudChapter 13: The Central Mediterranean 341Fabrizio Antonioli, Francesco L. Chiocci, Marco Anzidei, Lucilla Capotondi, Daniele Casalbore, Donatella Magri and Sergio SilenziChapter 14: Physical Characteristics of the Continental Shelves of the East Mediterranean Basin, Submerged Settlements and Landscapes - Actual Finds and Potential Discoveries 377Ehud Galili, Yaacov Nir, Dina Vachtman and Yossi MartChapter 15: Late Pleistocene Environmental Factors of the Aegean Region (Aegean Sea Including the Hellenic Arc) and the Identification of Potential Areas for Seabed Prehistoric Sites and Landscapes 405D. Sakellariou, V. Lykousis, M. Geraga, G. Rousakis and T. SoukisianChapter 16: Geological and Geomorphological Factors and Marine Conditions of the Azov-Black Sea Basin and Coastal Characteristics as They Determine Prospecting for Seabed Prehistoric Sites on the Continental Shelf 431Valentina Yanko-Hombach, Evgeny Schnyukov, Anatoly Pasynkov, Valentin Sorokin, Pavel Kuprin, Nikolay Maslakov, Irena Motnenko and Olena SmyntynaChapter 17: Late Pleistocene Environmental Factors defining the Black Sea, and Submerged Landscapes on the Western Continental Shelf 479Gilles LericolaisChapter 18: Submerged Prehistoric Heritage Potential of the Romanian Black Sea Shelf 497Glicherie Caraivan, Valentina Voinea, Corneliu CerchiaGlossaryIndex