A recent discovery from deep in the Baltic Sea offers an extraordinary perspective on the skills and ingenuity of our ancestors. 21 meters below the surface, in the heart of Mecklenburg Bay, lies the Blinkerwall. Things? It is a stone structure that bears witness to an era in which man, in perfect harmony with his environment, was able to manipulate it with surprising mastery. What does this discovery mean and imply for our knowledge of the Paleolithic? Let's see together, calmly.
Construction and purpose of the Blinkerwall
The Blinkerwall study was led by Jacob Geersen, a marine geophysicist at the University of Kiel in Germany. I'll link the search here. The discovery occurred almost by chance, while using data from an echo sounder, which revealed the structure on the seabed. Geersen and his team then applied archaeological diving techniques, including unmanned submersibles and SCUBA diving, to further explore the structure. At that point, he confirms it: it was built by man and is not a natural phenomenon.
The Paleolithic megastructure is made up of over 1.500 granite stones. It stretches for nearly a kilometre, revealing intentional design and meticulous construction. Built between 11.700 and 9.900 years ago, this underwater structure appears to have played a crucial role as an aid in rhino hunting.
Through advanced modeling techniques, archaeologists have managed to reconstruct not only the megastructure itself, but also the ancient lake landscape that surrounded it, thus offering an unprecedented glimpse into a bygone era.
A transformed landscape
The period in which the Blinkerwall was built saw radical climate and geographic change. Global warming marked the end of the Pleistocene ice age and the beginning of the Holocene. Great Britain was a peninsula on the European continent, with a vast plain known as Doggerland which stretched from Norfolk to the Netherlands.
These changes had a significant impact on the distribution of wildlife. Large herds of reindeer, European bison and wild horses crossed now-submerged landscapes. Our ancestors' ability to anticipate and guide the movements of these creatures demonstrates an exceptional level of understanding of the natural environment and the fauna that populated it.
The discovery of the Blinkerwall sheds light on a previously little-considered aspect of Paleolithic life: the use of structures built to actively manipulate the environment in ways that facilitate hunting. The megastructure probably served to direct reindeer to specific areas, where hunters could take advantage of their vulnerability. This level of planning and coordination reveals a society that not only deeply understood animal behavior but was also capable of complex environmental interventions to secure the resources necessary for survival.
Paleolithic “rediscovered”: broader implications
The Blinkerwall expands our knowledge of Paleolithic hunting practices but also raises intriguing questions about the ability of these societies to modify their landscapes in ways that could be considered precursors to agricultural practices. Furthermore, the possibility that further research may reveal other archaeological sites of equivalent importance in Mecklenburg Bay paves the way for new discoveries that could further redefine our understanding of prehistoric cultures and their capabilities.
Once again the latest technologies are also projecting our archaeological knowledge into the future. The discovery of the Blinkerwall in the Baltic Sea, and other megastructures in Europe e elsewhere reminds us that the history of humanity is an ever-evolving narrative, full of chapters yet to be discovered.
