Prehistoric flooding reshaped northern Adriatic coastlines
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Researchers from the University of Southampton in the United Kingdom and the National Institute of Oceanography and Applied Geophysics (OGS) in Italy reconstructed how rising sea levels between 9,000 and 4,000 B.C. dramatically altered the coasts of northern Italy, Slovenia, and northern Croatia.
The team analyzed sediment cores and geophysical data to reveal how the landscape changed over a 5,000-year period, with sea levels rising as quickly as 25 millimeters each year.
These rises created and then submerged wetlands, lagoons, and sandbanks, pushing the coastline kilometers inland. The study showed that present-day Venice Lagoon, along with towns like Grado and the city of Trieste in Italy, were once dry land located far from the sea. Around 8,400 B.C., rapid sea level rise formed tidal channels and lagoons, followed by a period of stability.
Later, between 6,600 and 6,000 B.C., the sea rose a total of eight meters, repeatedly creating and destroying lagoons and marshes. These changes significantly impacted the lives of Mesolithic hunter-gatherers and Neolithic farmers. The researchers believe understanding these submerged landscapes will offer insights into how prehistoric people adapted to environmental shifts, including changes in food sources and settlement patterns.
They hope future research will reveal how these adaptations influenced the development of farming in the region, as the constantly changing environment presented both opportunities and challenges for early communities.
