Medieval Dunwich: Britain's Atlantis Revealed [View all]

[Judi Lynn]

Medieval Dunwich: Britain's Atlantis Revealed
By News Staff | May 10th 2013 11:00 AM

Using advanced underwater imaging techniques, one of the most detailed analysis ever of the archaeological remains of the lost medieval town of Dunwich - 'Britain's Atlantis' - have been revealed.

The project has provided the most accurate map to date of the town's streets, boundaries and major buildings, and revealed new ruins on the seabed.

Present day Dunwich is a village 14 miles south of Lowestoft in Suffolk, but it was once a thriving port, similar in size to London of the period. Extreme storms forced coastal erosion and flooding that almost completely wiped out this once prosperous town over the past seven centuries.

The decline began in 1286 when a huge storm swept much of the settlement into the sea and silted up the Dunwich River. This storm was followed by a succession of others that silted up the harbor and squeezed the economic life out of the town, leading to its eventual demise as a major international port in the 15th Century. It now lies collapsed and in ruins in a watery grave, three to 10 meters below the surface of the sea, just off the coastline.

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More:
http://www.science20.com/news_articles/medieval_dunwich_britains_atlantis_revealed-111684