Researchers have found proof that Dunwich, England—otherwise known as “Britain’s Atlantis”—sank thanks to a series of storms that came with the advent of the Little Ice Age. (Not to be confused with the newly-discovered Late Antique Little Ice Age that helped bring about the downfall of the eastern Roman Empire.)
According to historical records, the port city of Dunwich—which was the 10th largest town in 11th century England, nearly comparable in size to 14th century London—was pummeled by multiple storms in the 13th and 14th centuries.
“[They were] like the south coast storms of 2013-14, at least once a year for decades,” Professor David Sear, of the University of Southampton, told BBC.
A map of the sunken city. Credit: Dunwich UK
Eventually, these storms ruined Dunwich’s harbor to the point that locals gave up trying to use it—and then swallowed the majority of the town under the sea, leaving it roughly 11 to 33 feet (3 to 10 meters) below the surface. It is now the world’s largest medieval underwater site.
Archaeologists have spent the last three years exploring Dunwich underwater, thanks to a $1.3 million (£900,000) grant from the Heritage Lottery Fund, and already have made some marvelous discoveries using advanced underwater imaging techniques—including the watery remains of eight churches, what is thought to be a tollhouse, and an encircling defensive earthwork which appears to date back to the Iron Age (roughly between 800 BCE to 100 CE).
Explaining the disappearance
But, despite these discoveries, it was not certain whether historical documents accurately explained why and how the city was lost to the sea—until now.
The documents showed that two storms in particular—one in 1286, the other in 1326—played a major role in the city’s decline and its eventual disappearance into the sea. These two storms were especially damaging to Dunwich’s harbor, silting up Dunwhich River.
Pollen analysis showed that by 1338, “people gave up on Dunwich,” according to Sear.
But now, after gathering sediment from the nearby cliffs, Sear said that they “independently confirmed the sequences of storms recorded in the historical record”—showing that these storms truly turned Dunwich into Atlantis.
“It is a sobering example of the relentless force of nature on our island coastline,” said Sear. “It starkly demonstrates how rapidly the coast can change, even when protected by its inhabitants.
“Global climate change has made coastal erosion a topical issue in the 21st Century, but Dunwich demonstrates that it has happened before. The severe storms of the 13th and 14th Centuries coincided with a period of climate change, turning the warmer medieval climatic optimum into what we call the Little Ice Age.
“Our coastlines have always been changing, and communities have struggled to live with this change. Dunwich reminds us that it is not only the big storms and their frequency – coming one after another, that drives erosion and flooding, but also the social and economic decisions communities make at the coast. In the end, with the harbour silting up, the town partly destroyed, and falling market incomes, many people simply gave up on Dunwich.”
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Image credit: University of Southhampton
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