Yes / Around 8150 BP, the Storegga tsunami struck North-west Europe. The size of this wave has led many to assume that it had a devastating impact upon contemporaneous Mesolithic communities, including the final inundation of Doggerland, the now submerged Mesolithic North Sea landscape. Here, the authors present the first evidence of the tsunami from the southern North Sea, and suggest that traditional notions of a catastrophically destructive event may need rethinking. In providing a more nuanced interpretation by incorporating the role of local topographic variation within the study of the Storegga event, we are better placed to understand the impact of such dramatic occurrences and their larger significance in settlement studies. / The study was supported by European Research Council funding through the European Union's Horizon 2020 research and innovation programme (project 670518 LOST FRONTIERS, https://erc.europa.eu/ https://lostfrontiers.teamapp.com/) and the Estonian Research Council grant (https://www.etag.ee; project PUTJD829).

This thesis examines the role of archaeology and its contribution to emergency relief work in areas struck by a disastrous event. At a time in our contemporary society where we may be extra vulnerable against disasters, archaeology can help us both prevent and reduce the risks of disasters. In areas where a disaster has struck it can instead help the survivors of the affected community to recover and to rebuild their society by using traditional archaeological methods and knowledge. Despite this, archaeology is not used to its full potential at disaster scenes.  Incorporating evidence from articles, personal correspondences and a survey, this thesis demonstrates that archaeology should be more involved in the initial phase of emergency rescue work due to the usefulness of archaeological excavation methods. Archaeology also shows great potential in regards to preventative measures and general research around disaster management.  This thesis argues for an increased involvement of archaeology and archaeologists in the initial phase of emergency relief in areas affected by a disastrous event. It also argues for more open discussions regarding the emotional difficulties that may arise from working at a disaster scene, allowing the workers to freely share their experiences with one another even in an academic setting.