annicus: The Incredible Story of Human Life in Britain is published next week. “One day it just overflowed the top of the chalk ridge and started pouring over. Once the torrent started it would have ripped through the soft chalk and poured down towards the Atlantic.” […]
The discovery of the Channel flood may help to solve one of the enduring mysteries of British archeology — the apparent abandonment of the British Isles by humans for 120,000 years.
Researchers like Stringer have found that early humans first arrived in Britain at least 700,000 years ago. They were driven out by repeated glaciations but kept on returning whenever the land warmed up. However, between 180,000 and 60,000 years ago they vanished completely.
During that time Britain had periods of Mediterranean warmth when wildlife abounded. Early humans would have thrived — but there are no signs of them.
Nick Ashton, a senior curator at the British Museum, said that the flood and the resulting giant river valley could be the explanation.
“This giant river would have been a complete barrier to the Neanderthal peoples found in Europe at that time,” he said.
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