03 AOÜT 2022 NEWS

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EGYPTE - Ministry1 741x486 Abu Ghorab - Excavations were conducted by a Polish and Italian archaeological mission at the temple of Pharoah Nyuserre Ini, the 6th ruler of the 5th Dynasty. In a context layer that pre-dates the temple, the team found evidence of a mud-brick building and quartz blocks, that according to officials from the Egyptian Ministry of Tourism and Antiquities, could be the remains of one of the four lost sun temples. Six sun temples are thought to have been built, but only two have been uncovered until now. Sun temples were built in dedication to the Ancient Egyptian deity, Ra, the god of the sun, order, kings and the sky, who is often portrayed as a falcon with a sun-disk inside a cobra. Archaeologists theorise as to the purpose of sun temples, since their design seems to have more than royal funerary purposes, instead likely being part of the cultic worship of kingship. According to a press release issued by the Egyptian Ministry of Tourism and Antiquities on the discovery: “The building is accessible through an entrance built in limestone rock, leading to an area with a paved floor and containing huge blocks of quartz.” Excavations also uncovered ceramic vessels, beer pots and red rimmed containers, which were likely used in temple rituals and ceremonies.

https://www.heritagedaily.com/2022/07/new-discovery-may-be-one-of-the-four-lost-ancient-egyptian-sun-temples/144236

ANGLETERRE – Three lions Wormleighton - An 800-year-old pendant featuring three golden lions has been unearthed by archaeologists working on the HS2 high-speed rail project. The priceless treasure, dating back to the 12th century, was found in Wormleighton, a village in Warwickshire about 50 miles southeast of Birmingham.  It features the iconic three golden lions on a field of red, mirroring the distinctive England football crest, and likely would have decorated a horse harness. The use of lions as a symbol of England dates back to the first Norman king, William the Conqueror, who reigned from 1066 until 1087. 

https://www.dailymail.co.uk/sciencetech/article-11062173/Three-lions-pendant-12th-Century-treasure-HS2-dig.html

ARABIE SAOUDITE – 2929696 67704160  Qusairat Aad - The preliminary results of archaeological excavations carried out this year at the Qusairat Aad site in Al-Aflaj governorate were revealed on Monday. The excavations carried out this season included three places in different areas to get as much information as possible and paint a picture that would enable a comprehensive plan for fieldwork in the coming seasons. An archaeological survey of the springs, canals and water facilities was carried out and documented to reflect their nature as one of the largest networks in the Arabian Peninsula. Archaeological probes were conducted in the vast areas around the water channels, revealing models of agricultural basins and surface water channels that represent a crop irrigation system. The most important archaeological discovery for the commission was in the residential area, which revealed a building with high fortifications. The building consists of residential units and public facilities. Inside these units, plaster and pottery ovens were found for daily uses such as storage, cooking and washing. The findings showed diversity in their material, functions and uses. They also indicated the contemporaneity of the site with the one in Al-Faw, Wadi Al-Dawasir governorate, in terms of construction methods, manufacturing materials, and the decoration and function of the pottery finds.

https://www.arabnews.com/node/1974031/saudi-arabia

INDE – Sculpture Gudsathoo  - A sculpture dating back to 9th century or being more than 1200 years old has been found during normal digging in a village Gudsathoo in Budgam Kashmir . This idol of Lord Vishnoo with three heads and four arms having lotus on upper right hand looks as fresh as anything depicting lot about the high levels of dexterity in art and sculpture of the time in Kashmir. 

https://www.dailyexcelsior.com/sculpture-of-early-9th-century-found-in-kashmir/

CANADA - Fort McMurray - New research may have answered a long-standing mystery by pinning a rough date on the earliest known humans in Canada's oilsands region. In a recently published paper, professor Robin Woywitka of Edmonton's MacEwan University says a combination of archeology and geology has revealed that people were living around Fort McMurray, Alta., at least 11,000 years ago and perhaps as long ago as 13,000 years ago. The findings put those early people right at the start of when that part of the world became livable. The first inhabitants would have moved there within a few centuries after the catastrophic flood that drained glacial Lake Agassiz, a vast inland sea that once covered almost all of what is now Manitoba and half of present-day Ontario. The date isn't too long after humans first came to North America, which most archeologists believe happened about 16,000 years ago. They would have found a landscape very far from the lush boreal forests and teeming wetlands that now cover much of northern Alberta.

https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/edmonton/fort-mcmurray-alberta-humans-oilsands-1.6537672

ISRAEL - Khirbet Tibnah - A dig in northern Samaria has begun at the site believed to be the burial place of Joshua. Working under the direction of Dr. Dvir Raviv, students from the Bar-Ilan University Department of Land of Israel Studies and Archaeology and volunteers from Israel and abroad have begun digging at Khirbet Tibnah, located on a hill in the southwest area of Samaria, east of Shoham near Halamish. The possible presence of Joshua's body at this site is supported by the fact that it is also referred to as Timnath-heres or Timnath-serah, a town mentioned in the Bible as having been given by the Israelites to the prophet and in which he is believed to have lived and been buried. Caleb – the other biblical spy who is said to have delivered a good report along with Joshua – is also believed to have lived here. The site, which was surveyed as early as the 18th century and is mentioned in a number of historical documents, contains remnants from the Roman and Ottoman periods that were discovered throughout the 19th century. In 2015, Raviv produced a detailed map of the site showing tombs, which he also sketched. He collected fragments of pottery and documented various remains that showed proof of past Jewish settlement in the area. Although these surface surveys have been carried out in the past, this present excavation is the first at Khirbet Tibnah. During preparations for the excavation last week, a Roman spearhead from the 2nd century was found that had a bent tip, meaning that it had hit something. In addition to the spearhead, pottery and 18 coins were also found. Four of the coins were well enough preserved to be identified. One is Roman and dates from 58-59 A.D. Another silver coin is from the Mamluk period (1260-1277) and shows the figure of a lion which is a symbol for the Mamluk Sultan Baibars.

https://www.newsmax.com/world/globaltalk/archaeology-dig-burial-place/2022/08/02/id/1081328/

INDE – Dc cover ao86u3n3qr4fb9a0kt9v95eav7 20220802100542 medi Nandigam - The AP Archaeology Department has hit upon a set of rock paintings dating back 10,000 years in Nandigam mandal of Srikakulam district. These were similar to those found in Kurnool and Madhya Pradesh in the past. East of the chain of hills, opposite the natural water tank, the team found the paintings in rock shelters. A closer look revealed the paintings were of animals and birds such as peacock, boar, rhinoceros, monkey, human, elephant, baby elephant and rabbit. The paintings were drawn there with red ochre. The peacock was beautifully painted. In front of the rock shelters, nodules and chunks of quartzite stone were found in small crevices and heaps in a rock bed. A blade core was also found.

https://www.deccanchronicle.com/nation/in-other-news/020822/10000-year-old-rock-paintings-found-near-vizag.html

USA – Harding - A group paleontologists and archaeologists, discovered human remains in Harding County. The Historical Society's Archeology Division noted the location where the human remains were discovered in Harding County has been inhabited by humans for at least 12,000 years. There were no funerary objects or items recovered from the site to date, so it's hard to pinpoint a time period for the ancestral remains. A stone flake was found in proximity of the human remains. Experts at the Historical Society explained the fragment of stone is chipped off during the production of a formal tool, like an arrowhead, scraper or knife.

https://eu.argusleader.com/story/news/2022/08/01/stone-flake-tribal-human-remains-reported-harding-county-sd/10129318002/

INDE – Gold ornament Vembakottai  - After terracotta and ivory pendants, a gold ornament was found during the archaeological excavation being carried out in Vembakottai near here on Tuesday. The first phase of the excavation began along Vaippar river in Vembakottai in March. Since then, the State Department of Archaeology has made over 1,000 findings, including glass, terracotta and ivory articles. On Monday, a small gold ornament, believed to an ear-ring, was found. The ornament weighed 1 gm and was 1.1 cm in length.

https://www.thehindu.com/news/cities/Madurai/gold-ornament-found-at-vembakottai-excavation-site/article65717553.ece

MEXIQUE – 126171690 foto4 126172028 gettyimages 143050923 Toniná - Some Maya rulers may have been incinerated and their ashes mixed with rubber to make the balls used in the game of pelota, an archaeologist says.Burnt human remains uncovered at the ruins of a Maya city have led to a new theory about the death rites of the ancient civilisation. Archaeologist Juan Yadeun Angulo came up with the hypothesis after finding urns containing human ashes, rubber and roots at a Maya temple in Mexico. Pelota is among the oldest team sports. Mr Yadeun, an archaeologist with Mexico's National Institute of Anthropology and History (INAH), has been studying a recently uncovered crypt underneath the Sun Temple at the Toniná archaeological site in southern Mexico. Inside the underground crypt and its antechamber, archaeologists found 400 urns containing the mixture of human ashes, coal, rubber and plant roots. Mr Yadeun believes the crypt was used to burn the bodies of the dead in a religious ritual. The ashes were then added to other organic material to make the heavy balls used in pelota. According to Mr Yadeun, stone carvings at key locations inside the ballcourt offer clues that back up his theory. He says the stone carvings suggest that three rulers, all of whom died between 722AD and 776AD, were taken to the "cave of the dead" for their "transmutation". The archaeologist thinks that the Maya wanted the bodies of their rules to "be converted into a life force, something to stimulate their people" and therefore worked their ashes into the rubber used to make balls for the game. A carved stone disc found at a different site in Chiapas suggests the size of the pelota ball in the 6th Century and how players propelled it with their hips.

https://www.bbc.com/news/world-latin-america-62391543