Lost world under the North Sea
Few archeological landscapes capture the imagination quite like Doggerland — the vast prehistoric landscape that once connected Britain to mainland Europe before being submerged beneath the North Sea thousands of years ago. Today, its archeology survives on the seabed and along the Dutch coast, where prehistoric finds regularly wash up on beaches or are recovered through fishing and dredging activities.
Over the past years, Doggerland has become one of the central themes within my museum and public engagement activities. My work focuses not only on the archeology itself, but also on the unique communities, collaborations, and challenges surrounding the research and preservation of North Sea heritage.
A major part of this work revolves around the relationship between professional archeologists and citizen scientists — particularly beachcombers, amateur collectors, and fossil hunters who play a crucial role in discovering and documenting finds from the submerged landscape. Rather than viewing these groups separately, my research explores how collaborations between professionals and the public can strengthen archeological research, heritage management, and public engagement.
In 2020–2021, during my time at the National Museum of Antiquities, I worked on projects combining Doggerland research with exhibitions, communication campaigns, and public outreach initiatives. This included the development of a prize-winning public book aimed at making the complex story of Doggerland accessible to wider audiences (which you can read and order here).
Since 2023, I have been involved as a partner in the Doggerland Heritage Community project, an interdisciplinary initiative investigating the social dimensions of North Sea Archeology and paleontology. Within this project, I conducted stakeholder research focusing on the activities of and collaborations between collectors, the general public, researchers, government agencies, and heritage organizations. Central questions include how we can create more inclusive, sustainable, and effective forms of heritage participation and how archeological knowledge can be shared more openly across different communities (the report you can read here).
But Doggerland is happily not letting me go yet. In the fall of 2026, our new FlintFinder project will officially launch. This initiative focuses on the recording, study, and public engagement surrounding prehistoric lithic finds from the North Sea region. Within FlintFinder, I am responsible for public communication, branding, stakeholder engagement, and audience outreach.
Across all of these projects, one theme remains central: archeology is not just about the past, but about people in the present. Doggerland offers a unique opportunity to rethink how Archeology is practiced, who gets to participate, and how we collectively care for submerged cultural heritage in the future.