ANCIENT structures submerged by rising tides thousands of years ago could bring a fresh tourism boom to Orkney, experts predicted last night.
Researchers who discovered the first underwater stone remains of their kind in the UK last year have been awarded additional funding to continue their search off the islands.
Teams from the universities of Aberdeen, Dundee, St Andrews and Lampeter uncovered structures including stone tables and walling, and what they believe is a graveyard near the island of Damsay.
The findings, some of which could date back thousands of years, are providing new insights into the UK’s archaeological history.
They are also helping further understanding of how people dealt with climate change in the past.
Now new funding from the Russell Trust and Historic Scotland will allow a fresh round of dives to begin next month.
Aberdeen University archaeologist Caroline Wickham-Jones, 53, one of the scientists leading the investigation, believes their work could bring new visitors to the islands.
“From the start of this project we have had the potential for recreational diving tourism, and how we can make the sites more accessible.
“Orkney is known for its rich archaeology but the remains which we see on land only tell us half the story.
“When people began to inhabit the island more than 10,000 years ago the sea would have been up to 130ft lower than it is now.
“This means that there is a vast potential for submerged archaeology to exist on the seabed around Orkney – and the findings we made last year only scratch the surface of what could be there.
“The new funding will allow us to undertake dives to discover new sites for investigation and further examine sites we have already identified.
“It will also allow us to continue to examine the rate of sea level change which Orkney has experienced since the Ice Age for clues as to what this can tell us about how people may have adapted to climate change in the past.”
A particular focus for the new investigation will be the seabed just offshore from the remains of St Mary’s Chapel, Damsay.
All that remains of the chapel is a mound which is currently being eroded by the sea.
Records suggest a much larger complex once existed around the building, however, which dates back to the 12th century and became a focus for pilgrimages.