With new research showing sea levels at their highest in 6,000 years, archaeologists are investigating the submerged ruins of early human settlements for hints to their destiny—and our own.

The emerging field of continental shelf prehistoric research, spurred by developments in remote sensing and ocean exploration technology, combines archaeology, geosciences, and oceanography to discover and analyze those communities now underwater. Much of the activity is centered in Europe, where some 2,500 sites have been located, most of them remaining unmapped or excavated, according to a new paper by the European Marine Board.

Europe was 40 percent larger 20,000 years ago and was the site of early human settlements. Clues to their social structure, technology, and, perhaps most important, response to sea level change, now all lie beneath the waves.