Altmarkkreis Salzweld

Altmarkkreis Salzweld , otherwise Lake Arendsee in Saxony-Anholt, has been the subject of underwater archaeological investigation for several years – see https://phys.org/news/2026-09-wood-beneath-german-lake-reveal.html … new finds dating back to the early Holocene, the Mesolithic period. Due to a geological peculiarity traces of early settlement have survived in a well preserved condition. It involves an underlying salt dome. The remains are 66 feet below the surface of the lake – covered by just a thin layer of sediments. Besides animal bones and stone tools divers were able to retrieve pieces of worked wood. It is thought to reflect former buildings from the Mesolithic era which have surprised archaeologists and the people that write history books. It seems to mirror the discovery of wooden buildings, described as a boatyard, in Mesolithic Britain. On the bottom of the Solent. In this case, even felling marks have been found as well as split boards over 4 feet in length – and a post measuring 5 feet long. At the moment it is dated 3000 years prior to the arrival of farmers – who were also skilled in carpentry. It is dated around 8500 to 8,000BC. If the location was dry land, as we might expect, that implies a considerably lower water table. That is actually in keeping with known sea level fluctuations, and therefore the water table, elsewhere.