Mankind’s history is full of mystery. It could be the beginning of a poorly-draft rime, yet it’s just the truth. Throughout the years, many events have taken place and only little by little, we’re discovering what happened. For some of them, things are pretty clear thanks to written accounts. For others, however, it’s much harder to (sometimes literally) uncover the truth. Whether it’s due to a general lack of documents or to destruction over time, the result remains the same: modern science is left without a single written clue when it comes to a big chunk of history and has to reconstruct events with just remnants and physics.
One of the biggest mysteries in history is, without a doubt, Atlantis. There are uncountable rumors of a hidden land, a city swallowed by the sea, yet actual proof is hard to obtain. Atlantis, however, isn’t the only city to have sunken into the water. British Yorkshire has its very own version of the mythic city and its remnants could soon reveal their story. That is, if they are actually discovered.
Ravenser Odd
Ravenser Odd, beginning of the fourteenth century. Located at the junction of the River Humber and the North Sea, the trading town fares well and is even bigger than the now-famous Hull, further upriver. But, in 1356, Ravenser Odd gets abandoned. The reason? Storms. Only a few years later, in 1362, the town gets entirely destroyed by a North Sea cyclone called the Grote Mandrenke. Destroyed and swallowed by the water, that is. Since then, the remains live a wet and uncovered life under the sea surface.
Understanding the past helps us prepare better in the future. Ravenser Odd is an incredibly evocative story of the impacts of coastal change on entire settlements. I think it is a fantastic way to start conversations with people on the impacts of climate change long into the future by using these stories from the past.
Daniel Parsons, professor in sedimentology at the University of Hull, told The Guardian
However, some are keen to uncover the remnants of this once-thriving city. Daniel Parsons, a professor in sedimentology at the University of Hull, decided to try and locate the remains through high-resolution sonar systems. A first attempt in 2021 failed but the professor wants to try again, at the beginning of April this year. To uncover the past and whatever’s still hidden underneath the water, sure, but that’s not the only reason for Parsons’ interest.
To be continued.
