Huge undersea wall dating from 5000 BC found in France
2 days ago
- #submerged-structures
- #archaeology
- #prehistory
- French marine archaeologists discovered a 120-meter undersea wall off Brittany, dating back to around 5,000 BC.
- The wall, the largest underwater construction found in France, may have been a fish-trap or a dyke to protect against rising sea levels.
- Built on the shoreline of Ile de Sein, the wall is now submerged under nine meters of water due to rising sea levels.
- The structure is 20 meters wide and two meters high on average, with large granite standing stones protruding in parallel lines.
- The wall's construction suggests it was built by a highly structured society, possibly hunter-gatherers or Neolithic populations.
- The monoliths used in the wall predate the famous menhirs of Brittany and may indicate knowledge transfer between Mesolithic and Neolithic cultures.
- The wall was discovered using advanced radar technology and explored by archaeologists in 2022.
- Researchers speculate that such submerged sites may have inspired local legends of sunken cities, like the myth of Ys.
- The study suggests the abandonment of these structures due to rising sea levels left a lasting cultural memory.