The Adriatic Sea swallowed Stone Age land in rapid surges

The Adriatic Sea rapidly submerged former fertile habitats near Venice after the last ice age, with sea levels rising in sudden leaps rather than steadily, a study reported by ERR has found.

Researchers from Britain and Italy reconstructed the area’s ancient coastline using more than 600 sediment samples and data from kilometres of scanned seabed. They found that between 7,800 and 7,600 years ago, sea levels rose by as much as four metres in just two centuries.

The northern Adriatic’s exceptionally shallow seabed amplified the impact: even a modest rise in sea level could cover kilometres of land. Mesolithic hunter-gatherers had to adapt to the changing environment and may have moved their settlements farther inland.

As the coastline retreated, rising waters also created new lagoons and marshes around river mouths. These habitats offered abundant fish and waterfowl.

The sea continued to reshape the landscape after the first farmers arrived in the region. Further studies of marine sediments may reveal how communities coped with the rapid changes. The findings were published in the journal Quaternary Science Reviews.