Undergraduate Course: Submerged Worlds: Lost Lands and Sunken Cities (ARCA10111)
Course Outline
| School | School of History, Classics and Archaeology |
College | College of Arts, Humanities and Social Sciences |
| Credit level (Normal year taken) | SCQF Level 10 (Year 3 Undergraduate) |
Availability | Available to all students |
| SCQF Credits | 20 |
ECTS Credits | 10 |
| Summary | This course explores the archaeology of submerged worlds, from drowned prehistoric landscapes to sunken cities and harbours, revealing how changing seas have shaped human history. Through global case studies and cutting-edge research, students investigate how environmental change, sea-level rise, and catastrophic events created underwater archaeological sites and what these reveal about past societies. The course combines scientific, archaeological, and heritage perspectives to show why submerged cultural heritage is increasingly important in a rapidly changing world. |
| Course description |
This course investigates the archaeology of submerged landscapes and sunken settlements, and charts their contribution to understanding the human past. It will reveal how changing sea levels, tectonic change and coastal processes have submerged evidence of human activity from prehistory to the historic period. Through case studies such as Doggerland in the North Sea, submerged Mediterranean settlements, ancient harbours, and maritime battlefields, students explore how drowned landscapes are identified, investigated, and interpreted. The course considers the geological and environmental processes responsible for submergence, the distinctive preservation of material on underwater sites, and the ways in which marine survey, remote sensing, and digital recording technologies are transforming research in this field.
Students will develop skills in analysing archaeological and environmental evidence from submerged contexts, critically engaging with interdisciplinary scholarship, and constructing well-supported academic arguments. The course encourages independent research and site-based investigation, while also addressing broader themes including climate change, sea-level rise, heritage loss, and the ethical management of underwater cultural landscapes. By the end of the course, students will have a strong appreciation of how submerged landscapes and settlements contribute to our knowledge of past societies and why the study of them is increasingly relevant to understanding future challenges in the coastal zone.
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Entry Requirements (not applicable to Visiting Students)
| Pre-requisites |
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Co-requisites | |
| Prohibited Combinations | |
Other requirements | Pre-requisites: Archaeology 2A or Archaeology of Scotland and Archaeology 2B or Archaeology in Action, or Honours entry to degrees in Classics, or equivalent |
Information for Visiting Students
| Pre-requisites | Visiting students should have at least 3 Archaeology courses at Grade B or above (or be predicted to obtain this). We will only consider University/College level courses.
** as numbers are limited, visiting students should contact the Visiting Student Office directly for admission to this course ** |
Course Delivery Information
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| Academic year 2026/27, Available to all students (SV1)
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Quota: 0 |
| Course Start |
Semester 2 |
Timetable |
Timetable |
| Learning and Teaching activities (Further Info) |
Total Hours:
200
(
Lecture Hours 11,
Seminar/Tutorial Hours 11,
Programme Level Learning and Teaching Hours 4,
Directed Learning and Independent Learning Hours
174 )
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| Assessment (Further Info) |
Written Exam
0 %,
Coursework
100 %,
Practical Exam
0 %
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| Additional Information (Assessment) |
Coursework:
1,000 word Case study report (30%)
3,000 word Thematic essay (70%) |
| Feedback |
Students will receive feedback on their coursework, and will have the opportunity to discuss that feedback further with the Course Organiser during their published office hours for this course or by appointment. |
| No Exam Information |
Learning Outcomes
On completion of this course, the student will be able to:
- Demonstrate critical knowledge and understanding of submerged landscapes, underwater cultural heritage, and the processes that create and transform submerged archaeological sites.
- Analyse and evaluate archaeological and environmental evidence from submerged contexts using appropriate interdisciplinary approaches.
- Critically assess key debates and current research in submerged landscape and maritime archaeology, including issues of climate change, sea-level rise, and human adaptation.
- Demonstrate awareness of the ethical, legal, and professional frameworks governing underwater cultural heritage and its management.
- Communicate clear, well-structured, and evidence-based arguments in written and/or oral form, drawing on relevant scholarship and research methods.
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Reading List
Bailey, G.N., Flemming, N. 2008. Archaeology of the continental shelf: marine resources, submerged landscapes and underwater archaeology. Quaternary Science Reviews 27, 2153-65.
Benjamin, J., Bonsall, C., Pickard, C. and Fischer, A. (eds.) 2011: Submerged prehistory. Oxford: Oxbow Books.
Evans, A., Flatman, J. and Flemming, N. (Eds), Prehistoric Archaeology on the Continental Shelf: a global review. Springer: New York.
Gaffney, V., Thomson, K., and Fitch, S. (ed.) 2007. Mapping Doggerland: The Mesolithic Landscapes of the southern North Sea. Archaeopress: Oxford.
Gallou, C. and Henderson, J.C., 2012. Pavlopetri, an Early Bronze Age Early harbour town in south-east Laconia. Pharos 18(1): Journal of the Netherlands Institute in Athens. 79-104.
Flemming, Nicholas et al. 2014. Land Beneath the Waves: Submerged landscapes and sea level change. A joint geoscience-humanities strategy for European Continental Shelf Prehistoric Research.
Goddio, F., Masson-Berghoff, A. 2016. Sunken Cities: Egypt's Lost Worlds. London: Thames & Hudson.
King, G.C.P., Bailey, G.N. 2006. Tectonics and Human Evolution. Antiquity 80: 265-86.
Harff, J., Bailey, G., Lüth, F. (Eds) 2016. Geology and Archaeology: Submerged Landscapes of the Continental Shelf. Geological Society, London, Special Publications 411.
Momber, G., and Campbell, C. 2005. Stone Age Stove under the Solent. Int. J. Naut. Arch. 34,2 148-9.
Sturt, F., Flemming, N.C., Carabias, D., Jöns, H. and Adams, J. 2018. The next frontiers in research on submerged prehistoric sites and landscapes on the continental shelf. Proceedings of the Geologists' Association, 129 (5), 654-683.
Winder, I., King, G.C.P., Devès, M., Bailey, G.N. 2013. Complex topography and human evolution: the missing link. Antiquity 87: 333- 49.
Wickham-Jones, C. 2019; Landscape Beneath the Waves: The Archaeological Investigation of Underwater Landscapes. Oxford: Oxbow Books |
Additional Information
| Graduate Attributes and Skills |
On completion of this course, the student will be able to:
Demonstrate critical knowledge and understanding of submerged landscapes, underwater cultural heritage, and long-term human interaction with changing coastal and marine environments.
Apply critical analysis and evaluation to a range of archaeological and environmental data, drawing on interdisciplinary perspectives and current research.
Exercise autonomy and initiative in managing their own learning, forming evidence-based interpretations, and addressing complex or incomplete datasets.
Communicate effectively using appropriate academic conventions to present clear, coherent, and well-supported arguments in written and oral forms.
Use research and information skills effectively, including locating, assessing, and synthesising relevant scholarly sources.
Demonstrate awareness of ethical, legal, and professional responsibilities relating to underwater cultural heritage and its management.
Show understanding of archaeology's relevance to global challenges, including climate change, sustainability, and the protection of threatened coastal and underwater heritage.
Demonstrate familiarity with relevant technical and digital approaches, including marine survey, remote sensing, and digital recording methods used in contemporary archaeology
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| Keywords | Not entered |
Contacts
| Course organiser | Prof Jon Henderson
Tel:
Email: jon.henderson@ed.ac.uk |
Course secretary | |
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