01-02 FEVRIER 2015 NEWS: Leyburn - Ter - Jayapura - Copenhague - Manalur -

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ROYAUME UNILeyburn 1 Leyburn - An archaeological dig on a Leyburn building site where human remains were discovered is now complete. In October workmen who are constructing an extra care facility for the elderly on behalf of Broadacres Housing Association in Harmby Road Leyburn uncovered two human skeletons. After calling in a team of experts, further work unearthed the stone foundations of a pre-conquest Christian church along with several artefacts, which may date back to the Bronze Age. The York-based firm On-Site Archaeology have worked alongside the builders carefully cataloguing the exciting discoveries. They have concluded that the two skeletons probably that of a young man and an older woman both found in a crouching condition were early Christian burials due to the east west alignment of the bodies. Subsequent work uncovered the outline of a building that predates the Norman Conquest as Projects Officer Graham Bruce explained. He said:” The site is probably a family chapel possibly dating back to Saxon or early Norman times, as it is a clean area with relatively little waste. There is probably a rubbish dump nearby. “Interestingly, the Doomsday Book mentions two manors in Leyburn and this may relate to the abandoned settlement.” The team of scientist’s work subsequently unearthed two other small structures, which predate the church. It is possible they are Bronze Age (2600-700BC) and Iron Age (700BC-100AD) dwellings. Finds relating to these periods include; animal bones, flint tools, and pottery shards. Evidence of medieval farming was also discovered above the church foundations. Archaeological work has now finished on the site, although the team are still examining the finds and may attempt to establish the age of the bodies using the latest Carbon 14 dating techniques.

http://www.darlingtonandstocktontimes.co.uk/news/11762573.Leyburn_dig_that_found_two_human_skeletons_is_complete/

INDE – Ter - In a bid to establish the missing cultural sequences after and during the Satvahana dynasty, which ruled the large part of Central India in second century B.C., the Directorate of Archaeology and Museums, Maharashtra will begin excavating the site near Ter in Osmanabad district. “We are excited to begin our work on such an important site. This was an important place on the trade route with the then Roman Empire. We hope that new discoveries await us in next two months, as we start working,” said Dr. Maya Patil, Deputy Director, Directorate of Archaeology and Museums. Though the site first discovered by British researchers in early 1900, an illiterate villager called Ramlingappa Lamture played a crucial role in preserving a number of terracotta figurines, pendants and several artefacts. Today, the village hosts a museum exclusively of objects collected by late Lamture, which is looked after by the next generation of his family. Prominent researchers like Dr. S.B. Deo worked in Ter till 1975 in excavating several important artefacts from the surrounding area. “Today’s Paithan (then Prathisthan) was the capital of Satvahana Empire. The trade route with Rome was established after the researchers in Italy found similar terracotta figurines that can be found in Ter,” said Dr. Patil.

http://www.thehindu.com/features/friday-review/history-and-culture/satvahana-site-to-be-reexcavated/article6842796.ece

PAPOUASIE - Jayapura - The Archaeology Office of Jayapura has in its research found prehistoric caves used to be inhabited by prehistoric people in the Karst hilly areas of Lake Sentani, Jayapura, Papua, a researcher said. "The caves discovered are the Rukhabulu Awabu, Ifeli-feli and Ceruk Reugable caves," researcher Hari Suroto of the Jayapura Archaeology Office, said here on Sunday. He said that their physical conditions and surroundings near a water source, where artifacts such as pottery, lake mollusc shells, marine mollusc shells and animal bones, indicated that the caves were used as human dwellings during the Neolithic age. "The findings of the marine mollusc shells in the Reugable site and Cave Rukhabulu Awabhu, illustrate that in the past the inhabitants of the two sites have been consuming marine mollusks," he said. This is very interesting because there is proof that the inhabitants of the caves had communications with the community members living in the coastal areas of the youtefa Bay. "This indicates that the prehistoric men have already had communications with each other as proven by the findings of the sea mollusc shells in the caves," he said. After all, the type of soil in the three caves are not suitable for producing potteries. Thus, it is concluded that the potteries found in the caves came from other places outside the cave areas."The black color found outside the potteries indicated that they were also used to cook," he said. 
http://www.antaranews.com/en/news/97610/prehistoric-caves-found-in-papua

DANEMARK450 13 Copenhague - Round Tower in central Copenhagen : Archaeologists from the Museum of Copenhagen are digging under the cobblestones and unearthing skeleton upon skeleton in what was once an old cemetery, reports Berlingske. So far, more than 100 skeletons have been found, and according to Jacob Mosekilde, one of the archaeologists, they are from before the 1800’s, though they haven’t been precisely dated yet. Most of the bones found belong to people between the ages of 30 and 40. The cemetery is part of the nearby Trinity Church, but is located in an area where poor people lived.

http://cphpost.dk/news/skeletons-found-near-round-tower.12480.html?

INDE - Manalur -  A headless sculpture of Buddha, dating back to 10th century AD, has been found at Manalur village in Thanjavur district.Buddhist scholar B Jambulingam and heritage enthusiast Mani Maaran conducted a search in the region which led to the excavation of a three-foot sculpture of Buddha in a sugarcane field in Manalur, six km from Ayyampet. The head and right hand of the sculpture were missing. "The iconographical features of the sculpture show similarity to those found in the region earlier, mostly belonging to 10th-11th century AD. The findings of Buddha sculptures in and around the area show the existence of a Buddhist temple here," said Jambulingam, superintendent of Tamil University, Thanjavur. Buddhism came to Tamil Nadu during the 3rd century BC and prevailed in the Chola country up to the 16th century AD. In Thanjavur, Buddha sculptures were found in various places and the prominent among them are those in Vayyacheri, Cholanmaligai, Kumbakonam, Madagaram, Manganallur, Pattiswaram, Perandakottai and Vikramam. "Of these, only the head of the Buddha were found in Vayyacheri and Perandakottai. A couple of decades ago, a friend told me about a Buddha head he found near a tank in Vayyacheri.

http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/india/10th-century-sculpture-of-Buddha-found-in-Thanjavur/articleshow/46082643.cms