FRENCH marine archaeologists have uncovered a colossal Stone Age wall off the coast of Brittany – and they believe it could be the real inspiration behind a legendary sunken city.
The structure, dating back around 5,000 BC, was discovered off the Île de Sein at the far western tip of France.
The discovery inspired a local myth similar to the famed story of Atlantis, according to the BBC.
At 120 metres long, it’s the biggest underwater construction ever found in the country.
Experts think it was either a vast fish trap or a protective dyke built by an early coastal community.
When it was first constructed, the wall would have sat on the shoreline between high and low tide.
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But today it lies nine metres underwater, as rising seas swallowed the land and shrank the island dramatically.
The wall is a hefty 20 metres wide and two metres high – a monster of a structure for early humans.
Divers found large granite monoliths poking out at regular intervals in two neat lines.
These giant stones were likely placed first, straight onto bedrock, before the wall was built around them with slabs and smaller rocks.
If the fish-trap theory is correct, the monoliths would once have supported a kind of wooden net to catch fish as the tide rolled out.
Weighing in at 3,300 tonnes, the project would have required a sizeable and organised community working together.
Archaeologist Yvan Pailler said: “It was built by a very structured society of hunter-gatherers, of a kind that became sedentary when resources permitted. That or it was made by one of the Neolithic populations that arrived here around 5,000 BC.”
The standing stones are similar to Brittany’s famous menhirs – but older.
Pailler believes Stone Age cultures may have passed down their stone-working skills across generations and waves of settlers.
The discovery began when geologist Yves Fouquet noticed a suspicious line on modern radar sea-floor maps.
“Just off Sein I saw this 120-metre line blocking off an undersea valley. It couldn’t be natural,” he told Le Monde.
Archaeologists first dived the site in summer 2022 but had to return in winter, after seaweed died back, to properly map the wall.
In the International Journal of Nautical Archaeology, researchers suggest sites like this may have sparked Breton legends of drowned cities.
One such tale – the lost city of Ys – was said to lie just a few kilometres away in the Bay of Douarnenez.
The paper argues: “It is likely that the abandonment of a territory developed by a highly structured society has become deeply rooted in people’s memories.”
“The submersion caused by the rapid rise in sea level, followed by the abandonment of fishing structures, protective works, and habitation sites, must have left a lasting impression.”
And it’s not the only ‘Atlantis’ making headlines.
A breathtaking real life Atlantis-style sunken city has also been found beneath Lake Issyk Kul in eastern Kyrgyzstan.
The vast lake — the eighth deepest on Earth – has been hiding a medieval settlement packed with treasures.
Beneath the water, researchers uncovered a necropolis, fired-brick buildings and remarkable ceramic artefacts.
During the Middle Ages, the lake served as a Silk Road stopping point for traders travelling between East and West.
Scientists discovered parts of the submerged city across four zones at depths of one to four metres.
The ruins lie in the Toru-Aygyr complex near the lake’s northwest point.
In one area, experts unearthed fired-brick structures – including one containing a millstone once used to grind grain.
There were also signs of a large public building, possibly a mosque or bathhouse.
One researcher said: “The site we are studying was a city or a major trading hub on a key section of the Silk Road.”
The Russian Geographical Society added: “All this confirms that an ancient city really once stood here.”
The settlement was destroyed in the 15th century by a major earthquake that plunged it underwater.
Locals are believed to have abandoned the area before the disaster struck.
Centuries later, nomadic groups resettled the shores, where small villages remain today.
In the second zone, a 13th–14th century Muslim cemetery was identified.
Bodies were buried facing north, with their heads turned towards Mecca.
Scientists found two skeletons – a man and a woman – and are still analysing the remains.
The third zone showed evidence of later expansion, including new buildings and earlier burial grounds.
In the fourth, researchers uncovered round and rectangular mudbrick structures layered with ancient soil.
Theories still swirl around whether Atlantis truly existed – but discoveries like this keep the debate alive.
And now Britain has its own contender.
Experts believe they have found Yorkshire’s Atlantis, 650 years after it was swallowed by the sea.
Stonework from the lost port town of Ravenser Odd has finally been pinpointed after decades of searching.
The town once sat at the mouth of the Humber estuary, bustling with ships, markets and warehouses.
Scientists long believed its ruins lay a mile offshore – but new sonar scans reveal they are far closer to the modern coast.
Rocks and stonework just metres beneath the surface are now being studied as potential harbour remains.
Historian Phil Mathison, who spent 25 years hunting for the lost town, said: “This would be an extraordinary discovery.”
“In its day, Ravenser Odd was a major seaport… and yet, within 50 years, it was gone. The sea had given, and the sea had taken away.”
“To actually find it, after such a long time, will be the completion of a life’s work. I’m blown away by it all.”
Professor Dan Parsons told The Sun: “This could be on a par with Pompeii. This is Yorkshire’s Atlantis.”
“It’s fascinating, exciting, exhilarating – the exact location of this medieval town hasn’t ever been pin-pointed.”
“We’re hoping we can find the foundations of the town, the harbour and the sea wall – its footprint.”
“If we’re successful, the next phase will see divers go down.”
Dr Steve Simmons added: “This would be a significant find.”
“We should know if we’ve found it by the end of the month.”
Founded in 1235, Ravenser Odd once thrived on Spurn Head — a spit of land jutting into the North Sea.
Shakespeare even mentioned it in Richard II and Henry VI.
But by 1346, two-thirds of it had already vanished to erosion and storms.
A catastrophic east coast flood in January 1362 swallowed the rest.
