Archaeologists have found the remains of a church in a sunken medieval city in Germany, and in the process, mapped out the lost city of Rungholt for the first time—a place said to be destroyed through divine intervention because of the moral depravity of its population.
Known as the “Atlantis of the North,” Rungholt, located off the coast of northern Germany in the North Frisian region, is said to have been a thriving city. The latest research has found remains of the medieval city in the Wadden Sea. According to a May 24 press release by Johannes Gutenberg University Mainz in Germany, Rungholt was drowned in a storm surge in 1362.Working with researchers from other universities, the archaeological team found “a previously unknown two-kilometer long chain of medieval terps” near Sudfall, a small island in the Wadden Sea.
Terps are artificial settlement mounds. One of the terps they found has structures that can “undoubtedly be interpreted” as foundations of a church with a size of 40 meters to 15 meters.
“The find thus joins the ranks of the large churches of North Frisia,” said Bente Sven Majchczack, an archaeologist in the ROOTS Cluster of Excellence at Kiel University.
Moral Degradation
According to local legends reported by Insider, Rungholt inhabitants were said to have led immoral lives, primarily a lifestyle of excess, drunkenness and impiety. Around the time of Christmas in 1362, a gang of drunk youngsters is said to have attempted to force a priest to administer last rites to a pig.The priest is believed to have gone to church and prayed to punish the young men. After he left the town the next day, a great storm hit Rungholt and wiped it from existence.
There have been many people in the creative arts who have taken up the myth of Rungholt through ballads and visual media.
The existence of Rungholt was confirmed scientifically in 1938. Rungholt means “low wood” and researchers claim the area was flooded mainly because the city dikes were too low, according to the government of Schleswig-Holstein, a northwestern state in Germany.
Other Structures
In addition to the large main church, the settlement also has two sites of smaller churches, a sea dike with a tidal gate harbor, and systematic drainage systems.According to Dennis Wilken, a geophysicist at Kiel University, settlements in the region that remain under mudflats are investigated through techniques like electromagnetic induction and magnetic gradiometry.
Based on this data, the team is able to determine information about settlement structures and landscape development.
Sunken Cities
Like Rungholt, there are several coastal cities across the world that have been swallowed by the seas over time, according to ExplorersWeb.In India, the mythical city of Dwaraka, believed to be the early residence of Hindu deity Krishna, is said to have sunk into the waters thousands of years ago. Since the mid-20th century, archaeologists have been searching for the fabled city.
In the 1980s, researchers finally discovered some potential ruins off the coast of the state of Gujarat, excavating walls, pillars, streets, and pottery.
The city is said to have gone down into the seas due to tsunami or earthquake.
Israel is home to the world’s oldest submerged site at Atlit Yam. The 9,000-year-old Neolithic village was discovered in the ‘80s, with scientists finding 65 human remains in graves. In addition, remnants of animal bones, plants, tools, and houses were also found.
In the 1990s and 2000s, archaeologists discovered a city dating back to 12th century B.C. in Egypt. Named Thonis-Heracleion, the city, which used to be a port, lies 5 meters below sea level.
Excavators discovered temples to Egyptian gods, complex waterways, amulets, and several tools.
