• About
  • Privacy Policy
  • Terms of Use
  • Donation
  • Contact
No Result
View All Result
Archaeology News
  • Home
  • News
    • Archaeology
    • Anthropology
    • Paleontology
  • Academics
    • Books
    • Conferences
    • Universities
  • Articles
  • VR Tours
  • Quiz & Game
  • Download
  • Encyclopedia
  • Forum
Archaeology News
No Result
View All Result
Home News Archaeology

Archaeologists unveil medieval ‘Atlantis’: Lost city of Rungholt found after 660 years

by Dario Radley
July 8, 2024

Archaeologists have uncovered the remains of the legendary medieval town of Rungholt, believed to have been engulfed by the sea during the Saint Marcellus’s flood in 1362. This event, known as an extratropical cyclone, triggered a powerful storm tide that devastated the coastal regions of the British Isles, the Netherlands, northern Germany, and Denmark, resulting in the deaths of approximately 25,000 people.

Archaeologists unveil medieval 'Atlantis': Lost city of Rungholt found after 660 years
Researchers believe they have identified the lost medieval town of Rungholt. (Photo: F. Schlütz, Kiel; J. Lemm, Berlin). Credit: Wilken et al., Sci Rep (2024)

Rungholt, a town in North Frisia, was thought to be lost to the sea, its existence shrouded in legend. According to tales, Rungholt was a prosperous town that succumbed to divine retribution for its inhabitants’ sinful ways. The most famous story involves a priest who prayed for the punishment of the townspeople after a group of drunken young men forced him to give the last sacrament to a pig. Shortly after, the town was supposedly swallowed by the sea.

In 2023, archaeologists from various institutions, including Kiel University, Johannes Gutenberg University Mainz, the Center for Baltic and Scandinavian Archaeology, and the State Archaeology Department Schleswig-Holstein, began unearthing traces of Rungholt in the North Frisian Wadden Sea. Using advanced geophysical methods such as magnetic gradiometry, electromagnetic induction, and marine seismic reflection profiles, the researchers have identified a two-kilometer-long chain of medieval terps (settlement mounds), along with the remains of a large church and extensive drainage systems.

Archaeologists unveil medieval 'Atlantis': Lost city of Rungholt found after 660 years
Using advanced geophysical methods such as magnetic gradiometry, electromagnetic induction, and marine seismic reflection profiles, the researchers have identified a two-kilometer-long chain of medieval settlement mounds. Credit: Wilken et al., Sci Rep (2024)

The team’s findings, published in the journal Scientific Reports, present a detailed reconstruction of Rungholt’s medieval landscape. This reconstruction features a network of drainage ditches, a sea dike, and 64 newly identified dwelling mounds. Notably, a prominent terp believed to be the site of the town’s main church revealed two magnetic anomalies indicating a rectangular feature and a semi-circular structure. By comparing their survey data to other known medieval churches still preserved in North Frisia, the researchers suggest that this structure is a Late Romanesque church with an integrated tower.

“The building must have been among North Frisia’s main churches and is most likely the one that provided a home and place of work for the clerical collegium,” the study authors noted. Ruth Blankenfeldt from the Center for Baltic and Scandinavian Archaeology stated, “The special feature of the find lies in the significance of the church as the center of a settlement structure, which in its size must be interpreted as a parish with superordinate function.”

RelatedStories

Rare medieval hair-styling tool unearthed at Eilean Donan Castle reveals personal grooming practices in Scotland

Rare medieval hair-styling tool unearthed at Eilean Donan Castle reveals personal grooming practices in Scotland

September 30, 2025
Archaeologists launch landmark study of Dzhetyasar culture settlements in Kazakhstan. Credit: Margulan Institute of Archaeology

Archaeologists launch landmark study of Dzhetyasar culture settlements in Kazakhstan

September 18, 2025
Archaeologists unveil medieval 'Atlantis': Lost city of Rungholt found after 660 years
Digital elevation model of the Breklum church (former medieval main church of the Nordergoesharde) together with the geophysical results from the Rungholt area. Credit: Wilken et al., Sci Rep (2024)

Bente Sven Majchczack of Kiel University expressed excitement to the team, noting that the discovery places the church among the large churches of North Frisia. These finds offer compelling evidence of the once-thriving town of Rungholt, whose very existence has been debated among historians. According to National Geographic, this discovery confirms that Rungholt existed and suggests it was one of the more important towns in Edomsharde, an administrative district in North Friesland that existed until 1634.

The discovery of high-quality imported objects, such as lead-glazed redware and stoneware, cast bronze cauldrons, hammered brass cauldrons, swords, and Hispano-Moresque faience, further illustrates Rungholt’s significance in transregional trade. These artifacts suggest that Rungholt was a prosperous town involved in extensive trade networks.

However, researchers are racing against time to study the site further. “The medieval settlement remains are already heavily eroded and often only detectable as negative imprints,” explained Hanna Hadler of the Institute of Geography at Mainz University. “So we urgently need to intensify research.”

Archaeologists unveil medieval 'Atlantis': Lost city of Rungholt found after 660 years
A map of of North Friesland from the 17th century which marks Rungholt. Public Domain

The datasets generated during this study are not publicly available due to cultural heritage reasons, aimed at protecting the site. Despite the challenges, the research team hopes to continue their survey and learn more about Rungholt before the sea, which initially sought to wipe Rungholt off the map in 1362, swallows the doomed town for good.

More information: Wilken, D., Hadler, H., Majchczack, B.S. et al. (2024). The discovery of the church of Rungholt, a landmark for the drowned medieval landscapes of the Wadden Sea World Heritage. Sci Rep 14, 15576. doi:10.1038/s41598-024-66245-0
Share8Tweet5Share1ShareSend

You May Also Like...

Scientists digitally reconstruct faces of Colombian mummies, removing death masks for the first time
Anthropology

Scientists digitally reconstruct faces of Colombian mummies, removing death masks for the first time

October 2, 2025
Early South American hunters primarily hunted giant megafauna, including sloths, new study reveals
Archaeology

Early South American hunters primarily hunted giant megafauna, including sloths, new study reveals

October 2, 2025
Well-preserved Roman shipwreck in Croatia reveals ancient trade and seafaring insights
Archaeology

Well-preserved Roman shipwreck in Croatia reveals ancient trade and seafaring insights

October 2, 2025
Study finds Levantine ivory came from Africa through Nubian trade, not Egypt
Archaeology

Study finds Levantine ivory came from Africa through Nubian trade, not Egypt

October 1, 2025
Ancient life-size rock art in Saudi Arabia reveals earliest human presence and desert oases
Archaeology

Ancient life-size rock art in Saudi Arabia reveals earliest human presence and desert oases

October 1, 2025
Earliest evidence of blue pigment in Europe unearthed at Paleolithic site in Germany
Archaeology

Earliest evidence of blue pigment in Europe unearthed at Paleolithic site in Germany

September 30, 2025

Follow us


Instagram
245K

Facebook
116K

Threads
44K

LinkedIn
13K

Twitter
6K

YouTube
1K
  • Trending
  • Comments
  • Latest
Shipwreck Salvage. Credit: rawpixel.com / Public Domain

2,000-year-old shipwreck discovered off Turkish coast with remarkably preserved stacked ceramics

July 2, 2025
Viking age DNA reveals 9,000-year-old HIV-resistant gene originating near the Black Sea

Viking age DNA reveals 9,000-year-old HIV-resistant gene originating near the Black Sea

May 18, 2025
Complete copy of the Canopus Decree unearthed in Egypt after 150 years

Complete copy of the Canopus Decree unearthed in Egypt after 150 years

September 13, 2025
Mystery of Armenia’s 6,000-year-old dragon stones solved

Mystery of Armenia’s 6,000-year-old dragon stones solved

September 23, 2025
Moses may be named in ancient Egyptian mine inscriptions, sparking debate over earliest biblical references

Moses may be named in ancient Egyptian mine inscriptions, sparking debate over earliest biblical references

July 31, 2025
Moses may be named in ancient Egyptian mine inscriptions, sparking debate over earliest biblical references

Moses may be named in ancient Egyptian mine inscriptions, sparking debate over earliest biblical references

$1 million prize offered to decipher 5,300-year-old Indus Valley script

$1 million prize offered to decipher 5,300-year-old Indus Valley script

3D analysis reveals Shroud of Turin image likely came from sculpture, not Jesus’ body

3D analysis reveals Shroud of Turin image likely came from sculpture, not Jesus’ body

Oldest ever genetic data from a human relative found in 2-million-year-old fossilized teeth

Oldest ever genetic data from a human relative found in 2-million-year-old fossilized teeth

Exceptionally large Roman shoes discovered at Magna fort near Hadrian’s Wall

Exceptionally large Roman shoes discovered at Magna fort near Hadrian’s Wall

Scientists digitally reconstruct faces of Colombian mummies, removing death masks for the first time

Scientists digitally reconstruct faces of Colombian mummies, removing death masks for the first time

October 2, 2025
Early South American hunters primarily hunted giant megafauna, including sloths, new study reveals

Early South American hunters primarily hunted giant megafauna, including sloths, new study reveals

October 2, 2025
Well-preserved Roman shipwreck in Croatia reveals ancient trade and seafaring insights

Well-preserved Roman shipwreck in Croatia reveals ancient trade and seafaring insights

October 2, 2025
Study finds Levantine ivory came from Africa through Nubian trade, not Egypt

Study finds Levantine ivory came from Africa through Nubian trade, not Egypt

October 1, 2025
Ancient life-size rock art in Saudi Arabia reveals earliest human presence and desert oases

Ancient life-size rock art in Saudi Arabia reveals earliest human presence and desert oases

October 1, 2025

Archaeology News online magazine

Archaeology News is an international online magazine that covers all aspects of archaeology.











Categories

  • Academics
    • Books
    • Conferences
    • Universities
  • Articles
  • Download
  • Game
  • News
    • Anthropology
    • Archaeology
    • Paleontology
  • Quiz
  • Tours

Subscribe to our newsletter

© 2024 - Archaeology News Online Magazine. All Rights Reserved.

  • About
  • Privacy Policy
  • Terms of Use
  • Donation
  • Contact

Welcome Back!

Login to your account below

Forgotten Password? Sign Up

Create New Account!

Fill the forms below to register

All fields are required. Log In

Retrieve your password

Please enter your username or email address to reset your password.

Log In

Add New Playlist

Manage Consent
To provide the best experiences, we use technologies like cookies to store and/or access device information. Consenting to these technologies will allow us to process data such as browsing behavior or unique IDs on this site. Not consenting or withdrawing consent, may adversely affect certain features and functions.
Functional Always active
The technical storage or access is strictly necessary for the legitimate purpose of enabling the use of a specific service explicitly requested by the subscriber or user, or for the sole purpose of carrying out the transmission of a communication over an electronic communications network.
Preferences
The technical storage or access is necessary for the legitimate purpose of storing preferences that are not requested by the subscriber or user.
Statistics
The technical storage or access that is used exclusively for statistical purposes. The technical storage or access that is used exclusively for anonymous statistical purposes. Without a subpoena, voluntary compliance on the part of your Internet Service Provider, or additional records from a third party, information stored or retrieved for this purpose alone cannot usually be used to identify you.
Marketing
The technical storage or access is required to create user profiles to send advertising, or to track the user on a website or across several websites for similar marketing purposes.
Manage options Manage services Manage {vendor_count} vendors Read more about these purposes
View preferences
{title} {title} {title}
  • Home
  • News
    • Archaeology
    • Anthropology
    • Paleontology
  • Academics
    • Books
    • Conferences
    • Universities
  • Articles
  • VR Tours
  • Quiz & Game
  • Download
  • Encyclopedia
  • Forum

About  .  Contact  .  Donation

© 2024 - Archaeology News Online Magazine. All Rights Reserved