The evolving landscape of the Olympic Park
Summary
At the end of the last Ice Age (approximately 12,000 years ago) the flood plain of the River Lea was formed by glacial melt waters surging through an unspoilt wilderness. However, only until early hunter-gatherers first arrived in the valley was there ever a truly natural landscape here. Ever since, people have modified their surroundings in ways designed to better meet their needs, at times with major and irreversible effects. Natural forces, too, have played their role, with the underlying geology and the soils, the extent of the river’s catchment, the changing climate and the rising sea level, all influencing how and where in this landscape people have lived and worked.