03 AVRIL 2017 NEWS: Moscou - Na Hang - Varna - Glades - Loulan - Lincoln -

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RUSSIEMoscou 1 Moscou - More than 150 artifacts were discovered in Moscow during the observation of the preparatory work on the "My Street" program, aimed to improve public areas in the city.  The most significant discovery, a special secret room, was found in the Kitai-Gorod wall, the official Moscow Mayor's website reported. ​The room is embedded in the basement of the medieval wall, Moscow's chief archeologist Leonid Kondrashev said. Its vaulted walls created a special acoustic effect allowing one to hear everything that happens on the other side of the fortification. During sieges, the hidden chamber helped defenders of the city to eavesdrop on the enemy digging tunnels to the city wall. In peacetime, this facility could have been used to store supplies. Similar niches have been found in the remains of the wall during the underground construction and restoration works in the 1920s. The Kitai-Gorod wall with 12 towers was built in the early 16th century. The fortress wall, built to protect the city from the raids of Crimean Tatars, was more than 2,500 meters long. Only small elements of the wall have survived; the remains are recognized as a historical monument of Russian medieval fortification.

https://sputniknews.com/society/201703311052161729-secret-room-artifacts-moscow/

VIET NAM - Na Hang - An ancient cemetery, dated back to some 3,000 years ago, has been unearthed in the northern mountainous province of Tuyen Quang, with some of the most intriguing finds including human skeletal fragments stored in ceremic pottery, VietnamPlus reported. The cemetery, hidden inside a limestone cavern in Na Hang District, was suggested to belong to people living in the Iron Age (1,300BC - 600AD), based on the historic artifacts and cultural signs found inside, said Trinh Nang Chung, head of the team from Vietnam's Institute of Archaeology. Initial results showed the vestiges were mostly found near the entrance of Na Tham, a 150-square-meter cavern located at 460 meters (1,500 feet) above sea level, with low ceiling and not many stalactites inside. Archaeologists found a 0.4-meter-thick layer (strata) of soft and high humidity sediments formed by clayey soil, along with some historic artifacts, about 0.3 meter below the cavern surface. The team discovered dozens of archaeological relics, mainly pottery, few stone tools, human teeth and bone fragments, under a place sheathed with a stone slab above. Many pieces of pottery, which has an average mouth size of 25-30 cm, were found and most of them are decorated with twisted cord patterns. Archaeologists also found human teeth and bones inside a ceramic shard, along with a stone grinding table. Notably, there were ceramic potshards decorated with small circles pattern that is commonly seen on the pottery of Go Mun culture, which dates back to the late stage of Bronze Age and the early part of the Iron Age (1,000BC – 700BC). Chung said the discovery of the ancient cemetery was the first in Tuyen Quang Province. Ancient inhabitants were believed to bury the deceased at the cavern, inside ceremic pottery which they marked with slabs of stone on top. 

http://e.vnexpress.net/news/news/vietnamese-archaeologists-unearth-3-000-year-old-cemetery-hidden-in-a-cavern-3563777.html

BULGARIEArchaeology roman wall varna bulgaria 604x272 Varna - Part of the walls of a building estimated to date to the Roman era around the third century CE have been found during construction of a residential building in the centre of Bulgaria’s main Black Sea city of Varna. The walls were found in the area of the Odessos archaeological reserve, near the Roman Thermae baths site in Varna. The Roman Thermae were in use from the late second century to the late third century CE, at a time when the city was called Odessus, in the empire’s province of Moesia. The walls found during construction work are about three metres high. Archaeologist Igor Lazarenko told public broadcaster Bulgarian National Television that the building had rather massive proportions, but part of it remains beneath the street “and we will not have the opportunity to see it in perspective”. The archaeologists will conduct further studies of the Roman building.

http://sofiaglobe.com/2017/03/31/archaeology-roman-era-building-walls-found-in-construction-site-in-bulgarias-varna/

USA Img 20170125 1031542 pbsc m Glades - Palm Beach State College students are helping dig up ancient artifacts such as stone tools, ceramics and more at the Hutchinson site, a pre-Columbian, Native American archaeological site in Belle Glade that might prove to be 8,000 years old. We need a larger talent pool,” said Block. “There are at least half a dozen sites in the Glades that need research to continue developing our understanding of the ancient history of the region. By developing an understanding of how humans adapted to life in the watery world of the Glades over time, we might gain insight regarding long term climate and weather patterns. Archaeological research in the area might also inform present day efforts to develop models of sustainable living in a world that is growing ever warmer and wetter.”

http://www.ellatino.com/news/0317/033117-pbsc_archaeological.shtml

CHINEF44d307d91061a47fcfc0d Loulan - Ruins of city walls have been discovered in Northwest China's Lop Nor Desert, the site of the former capital of Loulan, a prosperous settlement built about 2,000 years ago to serve passing traders traveling the Silk Road. The Xinjiang Uygur autonomous region's Institute of Archaeology said excavations had unearthed a circular wall with a diameter of 300 meters. The base of the wall is 2.2 to 2.7 m wide, while the highest remaining part is 2.5m tall. Hu Xingjun, a research fellow at the institute, said red willow branches and reeds found among the ruins had been carbon dated, and the results suggested the structure dates back to the late period of the Eastern Han Dynasty (25-220). Archaeologists said the city was one of the capitals established by the Kingdom of Loulan, which was moved several times due to factors like water resources and war. It had disappeared completely by the Tang Dynasty (618-907). The mysterious city was first rediscovered in 1900 by Swedish adventurer Sven Hedin. The wall ruins that he found were square in shape. Hu said the circular ruins are about 57 kilometers from those found by Hedin. The new discovery might be one of the capitals of Loulan, while the earlier finding could be a newer location of the kingdom. Along with the wall ruins, archaeologists also discovered a number of items in seven adjacent tombs, including wooden plates, a copper mirror, a wooden comb and textiles.  Items ranging from Han Dynasty coins, utensils and fabrics in Greek and Roman styles have been unearthed from previous digs.
http://www.china.org.cn/arts/2017-03/31/content_40534279.htm

ROYAUME UNI15932016 large Lincoln - Stunned archaeologists have unearthed a rare vessel as the treasure trove of ancient artefacts discovered on Lincoln's eastern bypass dig continues. The dig team say they have been left shocked by the hidden history they have found, with one of the latest gems being a Bronze Age cremation vessel. The vessel is one of the highlights of the dig so far, which has also unveiled a Roman villa and an Anglo-Saxon burial ground with 300 skeletons. Evidence of our hunter gatherer fisher ancestors from 12,000 to 6,000 years ago has been discovered at the site in the form of thousands of flints including knives and scrapers. The Roman villa complete with underfloor heating has also been discovered along with Roman graves and three Bronze Age burial round barrows and the remains of a medieval monastic grange including a 12th century look-out tower.
http://www.lincolnshirelive.co.uk/super-rare-vessel-unearthed-on-lincoln-s-eastern-bypass-dig/story-30238193-detail/story.html