Research into the transformation of the northern Adriatic coastline over the past 10,000 years has revealed significant changes in sea levels that reshaped the landscape now occupied by Venice and its surrounding areas. A team led by Samuele Ongaro from the University of Southampton used a combination of seismic data and sediment cores collected from coastal basins in northern Italy, Slovenia, and northern Croatia to reconstruct the region’s ancient geography.

Their findings, published in Quaternary Science Reviews, indicate that much of the current Venice lagoon area was once dry land extending more than 30 miles from the modern coastline. The area around Trieste, currently a coastal city, was historically composed of hills overlooking swamps and lagoons rather than open water. This gradual inundation of land was driven by rising sea levels starting over 10,000 years ago.

The sea level increase did not occur steadily but fluctuated, with phases of rapid rise reaching up to 25 millimeters per year. These shifts had significant impacts on Mesolithic hunter-gatherer groups, who adapted their activities in hunting and fishing to align with the changing environment. The study identifies three distinct periods of markedly accelerated sea level rise, each followed by intervals of relative stability.

In the last 6,000 years, sea levels stabilized sufficiently to allow the development of permanent settlements and the emergence of agriculture in the region. This stabilization helped shape the landscape familiar today, with the lagoon system that characterizes Venice and its environs.

The research provides insight into how environmental changes influenced human adaptation and settlement patterns along the northern Adriatic coast, highlighting the dynamic interaction between rising seas and evolving human landscapes.