The North Sea, a vast expanse of water stretching between France and Norway, has served as a vital highway and hunting ground for millennia. From the ancient Viking sea kings who raided continental Europe to the ambitious merchants of the Hanseatic League, this region has been a hub of commerce and exploration. In the 1800s, the North Sea became the domain of a lucrative whaling industry, leaving behind countless sea giants and their discarded remains. Throughout these long centuries, fishermen have made their living atop the waves, while researchers have uncovered evidence of a lost world that sank beneath the sea some 8,000 years ago.