From ~44,000 BCE to ~39,000 BCE, SCP-7820 was home to a civilization of Homo neanderthalensis maritimus.

by Kothardarastrix

Item#: 7820

Containment Class: safe

Secondary Class: none

Disruption Class: dark

Risk Class: notice

Special Containment Procedures: SCP-7820's remote and inaccessible location makes active containment measures unnecessary.

Example of maritimus scrimshaw.

Artifacts recovered from SCP-7820 are to be gradually warmed, depressurized, and dried over a period of at least 36 hours to prevent damage to the porous material. They are otherwise to be handled and cared for as appropriate for artifacts of their age and composition.

Description: SCP-7820 is a seamount in the Arctic Ocean, 38 kilometers from the geographic North Pole. The peak of the seamount is 100 meters below the surface, but erosion on its upper portion indicates that it was above sea level until around 10,000 years ago.

From ~44,000 BCE to ~39,000 BCE, SCP-7820 was home to a civilization of Homo neanderthalensis maritimus.

Addendum 1: The Polar People

Homo neanderthalensis maritimus is a subspecies distinguished from typical Neanderthals by their larger hands and feet, smaller molars, and larger canine teeth. Artistic depictions on associated artifacts show maritimus as heavyset and covered in fur.

All known maritimus remains originate from SCP-7820. It is not clear how this population came to dwell thousands of kilometers from the known range of baseline Neanderthals. The presence of Arctic adaptations on even the earliest specimens has led parapaleontologists to conclude that the maritimus population diverged from Homo neanderthalensis well before its habitation of SCP-7820. The time and place of this divergence is hotly debated, but the most popular theory in parapaleontological circles supposes that the ancestors of maritimus were Neanderthals who migrated onto Atlantic sea ice from coastal Europe during a period of glaciation.

Addendum 2: Meteorite Staff

The most overtly anomalous object found in SCP-7820 is an ornate staff fashioned from a narwhal tusk. Writing is engraved along the staff's entire length, following the spiral pattern of the tusk. An iron meteorite roughly 17 cm in diameter is affixed to one end. The iron is strongly magnetized and displays no signs of corrosion despite its long immersion. When pointed towards magnetic north, the meteorite emits a green and pink glow that resembles an aurora. This light, spotted by an ROV on an unrelated science expedition, is what led to the initial discovery of SCP-7820.

Addendum 3: Other Artifacts

In addition to the meteorite staff, hundreds of bone and ivory artifacts have been retrieved from SCP-7820. The function of an artifact almost always correlates to its animal of origin; weapons and hunting implements are typically made from large predators such as polar bears, orcas, and Greenland sharks, tools predominantly originate from seals, and artwork is usually crafted from ivory or, in the case of larger pieces, whale bones. Maritimus would have also required metal tools (likely comprised of meteoric iron) to carve bone and ivory with such precision, but no such implements would have survived 10,000 years of seawater immersion.

Many artifacts - and nearly all maritimus remains - bear detailed artistic depictions. Notable examples of such are summarized below, in rough order of age. When radiocarbon dating was insufficient, chronology was estimated by the relative complexity of the object and artistic depictions thereupon.

Object
Artistic Depictions
Notes

broken-off tip of woolly mammoth tusk
A meteor marked with an unknown symbol falls toward a rocky island surrounded by sea ice, presumably SCP-7820. A partial humanoid figure is visible at the very edge of the broken portion; it is likely that the rest of the tusk was also carved.
It is not clear how this object traveled hundreds of kilometers from the woolly mammoth's habitat. The best-supported theory states that the object was transported to SCP-7820 by its initial settlers.

maritimus pelvis
maritimus dancing, some playing instruments or wielding weapons, some naked and others wearing ornate clothing and headdresses
Parturition pits on the pubic bones indicate that this individual birthed at least one child.

wind instrument made from the rib of a seal
seals playing and hunting
When played, the instrument produces sounds similar to the vocalizations of bearded seals. This function is thought to be at least partially anomalous, since the acoustic properties of the rib should not be sufficient to create such noises.

beluga whale skull
a large (approx. 30 m) tree grows on an island (presumably SCP-7820), surrounded by a village of shelters resembling igloos and yurts
The same symbol that first appeared on the meteor is repeated here, above the tree.

maritimus femur
maritimus sitting astride a large tree branch, picking spherical fruit and pruning dead twigs
The bone has a fully healed oblique fracture.

walrus ivory statue 28 cm tall
a maritimus with a long, braided beard, wearing armor and a heavy cloak decorated with images of sea creatures
Possible depiction of SCP-6597.

maritimus mandible
maritimus playing with seal pups
Two of the remaining teeth have been drilled into as some form of dental surgery.

beluga whale skull
an immense tree (assuming the same scale as before, ~150 m) grows atop SCP-7820, surrounded by a small city of large hemispherical buildings
The same symbol is repeated here, on the tree's trunk.

cross-section of narwhal tusk
one side depicts the night sky, as it is thought to have appeared ~40,000 years ago. The hollow center of the tusk has been incorporated into the design and apparently represents the star Vega, which was the pole star at that time. The other side seems to be a crude map of the Arctic, where the hole represents the geographic north pole.
On the map side, the approximate location of SCP-7820 is marked with the same symbol that appears on representations of the tree.

5 small walrus ivory carvings
Three pieces are 28 mm statuettes of maritimus: one wearing a bear skin and brandishing a spiked bone club, one dressed in a heavy cloak and wielding a two-handed spear, and one wearing ornate ceremonial garb, holding what appears to be the meteorite staff or a similar object. The fourth piece is a stylized skeleton carrying a walking stick (see above). The fifth is a dodecahedron with a different symbol engraved on each side.
These objects were found in very close proximity; it is possible that they were all game pieces.

skull of infant maritimus
complex fractal pattern resembling a snowflake
Bones show signs of malnutrition.

beluga whale skull
Another depiction of the city and the massive tree. The tree is now an estimated 300 meters tall, but it is leafless and has several broken branches. The city, which occupies SCP-7820's entire surface, consists of tall, cylindrical towers, many of which have wholly or partially collapsed.
The usual symbol is still present on the tree, but it is now inverted.

narwhal scapula
a cloaked maritimus carrying a staff points at a comet in the night sky
The comet bears the same symbol that the living tree did.

10-meter great horned whale tusk
A carving of the aurora borealis follows the spiral of the tusk from one end to the other. Thousands of maritimus walk atop the aurora like a bridge. On the flat end at the base of the tusk, a geographically accurate image of Earth as seen from above the approximate location of SCP-7820 is carved. The tip has been removed from the other end of the tusk, creating a flat surface on which an image of the comet is carved.
The maritimus procession is led by four figures with staves. A fifth such figure is standing at the bottom of the aurora bridge, watching the others depart but not following.

complete skeleton of an elderly maritimus
none
These are the only undecorated maritimus bones to be recovered. They were found directly adjacent to the meteorite staff.