3D scans reveal the 'drowned' medieval town of Dunwich

Renia

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May 9, 2013, 6:46:55 PM5/9/13

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3D scans reveal the 'drowned' medieval town of Dunwich

Read more:
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/sciencetech/article-2322087/The-streets-Britains-Atlantis-seen-time-3D-scans-reveal-lost-medieval-town-Dunwich.html#ixzz2Sq2aB3UP
Follow us: @MailOnline on Twitter | DailyMail on Facebook

Paul J Gans

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May 9, 2013, 7:08:51 PM5/9/13

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No mystery about it. I've got a book on my shelves by Rowland
Parker titled "Men of Dunwich, the Story of a Vanished Town".

Parker pinpoints its exact location, discusses its history and
how it came to be submerged and so on. It seems that many of
the town records were saved and moved to safer locations.

Even Wiki knows about it, marine archaeology and all:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dunwich

Perhaps someone ought to tell the Daily Mail?

--
--- Paul J. Gans

Eric Stevens

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May 9, 2013, 7:27:29 PM5/9/13

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The fate of Dunwich is discussed in some detail by Basil Cracknell in
"Outrageous Waves - Global Warming & Coastal Change in Britain'
[Cromwell Press 2005]. On page 68 Dr Cracknell writes:

" ... the town has been almost completely wiped out by the sea over
the last seven centuries - a victim of sea erosion, compounded by
the gradual isostatic rise in the sea level as a result of the
tilting of the south east of England."
--

Regards,

Eric Stevens

Renia

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May 9, 2013, 7:29:51 PM5/9/13

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It's the second article the Mail has done on Dunwich within the past
year or so. The Mail isn't saying the village has been found. It's
reporting on acoustic imaging which verifies the layout of the streets
and the ruins of some of the buildings.

Paul J Gans

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May 9, 2013, 10:08:28 PM5/9/13

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Good. Of course since Dunwich isn't that far submerged, it
has been fairly well explored already.

But newspapers are always eager for a story.

Thanks for digging it up.

Eric Stevens

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May 10, 2013, 12:37:50 AM5/10/13

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The town was (I am guessing) 15' to 25' above high tide level. Erosion
in the form of a retreating cliff face took the ground from underneath
it. It didn't fall into the sea intact as though someone had pulled a
table cloth out from under a meal setting. The land crumbled and the
buildings fell piece by piece into the sea where their remains were
bowled up and down by the waves.

I am very sceptical about the claim that there are still discernable
remains of buildings and roads. It is more likely that all they have
found is turbulated rubble.
--

Regards,

Eric Stevens

Surreyman

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May 10, 2013, 4:09:46 AM5/10/13

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Yep, it's also been well covered on TV documentaries in the past.
But all thanks to Renia for updating.

Renia

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May 10, 2013, 4:31:07 AM5/10/13

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On 10/05/2013 05:37, Eric Stevens wrote:

>
> The town was (I am guessing) 15' to 25' above high tide level. Erosion
> in the form of a retreating cliff face took the ground from underneath
> it. It didn't fall into the sea intact as though someone had pulled a
> table cloth out from under a meal setting. The land crumbled and the
> buildings fell piece by piece into the sea where their remains were
> bowled up and down by the waves.
>
> I am very sceptical about the claim that there are still discernable
> remains of buildings and roads. It is more likely that all they have
> found is turbulated rubble.
>

Yes, that's much what the scans show. I don't know how far above sea
level the town was, but in the 11th century, the shoreline was much
further offshore than it is now and Dunwich was then one of the largest
cities in England. A succession of severe storms silted up a river and
moved its course, and eroded the city. More here:

http://www.dunwich.org.uk/

Eric Stevens

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May 10, 2013, 5:13:57 AM5/10/13

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Thank you for that. I was looking for the series of illustrations of
the church. It's clear that it dropped into the sea piece by piece and
there is no way that modern investigators could find the clearly
deliniated remains of the original building.
--

Regards,

Eric Stevens

Bill

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May 10, 2013, 6:39:16 AM5/10/13

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It's not the only one, and it's still going on. When I was a child
you could still see timbers from Ravenspur sticking out of the water.

Surreyman

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May 10, 2013, 11:19:50 AM5/10/13

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Archaeologically, of course, the entire Doggerland area between this coast and the Netherlands was inhabited. Many finds are dredged up, and positive archaeology now takes place, I believe.

robert...@gmail.com

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Jun 10, 2013, 10:54:19 PM6/10/13

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Hardly Atlantis, but you can see the church quite clearly. Legend has it that the submerged bells can be heard ringing sometimes....

Erilar

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Jun 11, 2013, 3:17:15 PM6/11/13

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<robert...@gmail.com> wrote:
> Hardly Atlantis, but you can see the church quite clearly. Legend has it
> that the submerged bells can be heard ringing sometimes....

It's hardly the only one.

--
Erilar, biblioholic medievalist with iPad

Thrinaxodon

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Jun 11, 2013, 6:20:39 PM6/11/13

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On May 9, 7:08 pm, Paul J Gans <gan...@panix.com> wrote:
> Renia <re...@otenet.gr> wrote:
> >3D scans reveal the 'drowned' medieval town of Dunwich
> >Read more:

> >http://www.dailymail.co.uk/sciencetech/article-2322087/The-streets-Br...

> >Follow us: @MailOnline on Twitter | DailyMail on Facebook
>
> No mystery about it. I've got a book on my shelves by Rowland
> Parker titled "Men of Dunwich, the Story of a Vanished Town".

I have the exact same books...

> Parker pinpoints its exact location, discusses its history and
> how it came to be submerged and so on. It seems that many of
> the town records were saved and moved to safer locations.
>
> Even Wiki knows about it, marine archaeology and all:
>
> http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dunwich

Wiki has any list of fauna there?

> Perhaps someone ought to tell the Daily Mail?
>
> --
> --- Paul J. Gans

I wouldn`t. The editors are already screwed in the head.

--
Thrinaxodon

Thrinaxodon

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Jun 11, 2013, 6:23:03 PM6/11/13

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On May 9, 6:46 pm, Renia <re...@otenet.gr> wrote:
> 3D scans reveal the 'drowned' medieval town of Dunwich
>

> Follow us: @MailOnline on Twitter | DailyMail on Facebook

There's an entire database on the village:

http://www.dunwichmuseum.org.uk/research/index.php

--
Thrinaxodon

Paul J Gans

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Jun 11, 2013, 9:07:00 PM6/11/13

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Thrinaxodon <biol...@gmail.com> wrote:

>On May 9, 7:08?pm, Paul J Gans <gan...@panix.com> wrote:
>> Renia <re...@otenet.gr> wrote:
>> >3D scans reveal the 'drowned' medieval town of Dunwich
>> >Read more:
>> >http://www.dailymail.co.uk/sciencetech/article-2322087/The-streets-Br...
>> >Follow us: @MailOnline on Twitter | DailyMail on Facebook
>>

>> No mystery about it. ?I've got a book on my shelves by Rowland

>> Parker titled "Men of Dunwich, the Story of a Vanished Town".

>I have the exact same books...

Probably because we bought them at the same conference?

>> Parker pinpoints its exact location, discusses its history and

>> how it came to be submerged and so on. ?It seems that many of

>> the town records were saved and moved to safer locations.
>>
>> Even Wiki knows about it, marine archaeology and all:
>>

>> ? ?http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dunwich

>Wiki has any list of fauna there?

>> Perhaps someone ought to tell the Daily Mail?
>>
>> --

>> ? ?--- Paul J. Gans

>I wouldn`t. The editors are already screwed in the head.

Now now. Don't start up here too.

John Briggs

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Jun 15, 2013, 12:06:07 PM6/15/13

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It wasn't a village.
--
John Briggs