*But how could such highly developed settlements pop up so quickly, with no precursor populations to be found in the archaeological record? Rose believes that evidence of those preceding populations is missing because it’s under the Gulf.*
Not popped up. Buried under Noah’s Flood.
I often thought that we might still be just recovering frmo Noah’s flood
Look at the ‘badlands’ in the USA northwest.... some pretty stunning landscapes that look like undersea effects on a HUGE scale