04 JANVIER 2017 NEWS: Inner Mongolia - Dandong - Antandrus - Laodicea - Shephelah - Hôi An - Les Cars -
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CHINE – 
Inner Mongolia - An array of ancient cliff carvings depicting Arab horses have been found by Chinese and German archaeologists in a mountainous area of northern China's Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region, Xinhua News Agency reported. The cliff carvings, which depict Arab horses in armor and with leather seats, were spotted in the Yinshan mountains, according to Xinhua. Presumably, the drawings date back to 210 B.C., Xinhua said, also citing a number of frescos that were recently discovered in the Chinese province of Shanxi. The frescoes, which depict people at work, date back to China's Jin Dynasty, which existed between 1135 and 1234.
https://sputniknews.com/asia/201701031049225325-china-archaeologists-cliff-carvings/
CHINE – 
Dandong - An iconic Chinese warship and the 245 officers－soldiers and crewmen who have been keeping a silent underwater vigil for more than 120 years－have won their rightful place in history, thanks to three years of archaeological work. The ironclad cruiser Zhiyuan (originally spelled "Chih Yuan") is a household name for Chinese people, a witness to a nation's courage, pain and past glory. The wreck was first found in 2013, 50 kilometers from the port of Dandong, a city in Northeast China's Liaoning province, by port operators. Archaeological research began in early 2014. It was first referred to as Dandong No 1. Last week, however, the National Center of Underwater Cultural Heritage held a symposium in Beijing to announce the field investigation has been completed, confirming that the wreck was indeed one of China's most fabled vessels. More than 200 artifacts have been excavated from the shipwreck, including articles of daily use, construction materials and weapons. About 30 items were found in 2016, and they were definitive- including a ceramic plate inked with "Chih Yuan" and "Imperial Chinese Navy" in English. On Sept 17, 1894, the Battle of Yalu River－the largest naval engagement during the First Sino-Japanese War(1894-95)－broke out on the Yellow Sea near the estuary of the Yalu River. Zhiyuan was sunk in the battle. Admiral Deng Shichang and all but seven of the 252 aboard died after the ship was hit by shells.
http://www.china.org.cn/arts/2017-01/03/content_40028024.htm
TURQUIE – 
Antandrus - Project aiming to recreate the journey of Aeneas, who set sail for Italy from the ancient Greek city of Antandrus in the modern-day city of Edremit in Turkey's Balıkesir province. Ships will follow the ancient route that was followed by Aeneas, who is considered as the forefather of the founders of the Roman Empire. As excavations in the ancient city of Antandrus continue as a part of the project, archaeologists have discovered a recipe for a sauce in a Roman villa's garden which was prepared from the internal organs of certain fish, various plants, sea water and salt to provide iodine to the inhabitants of the city. The 3,000 year-old recipe for "garum sauce" has recently been remade after thousands of years. Erhan Şeker, one of the gourmet chefs who created the sauce, offered insights about the preparation of the sauce and its history. He said garum sauce, also known as "Lekomen Sauce," which is very salty and fishy, was used back in the ancient times and contains a lot of spices. Şeker informed that the sauce is still used in the Far East and many other countries around the world, saying: "We will also use fish and their internal organs in the sauce that we will make for the workshop. The preparation of this sauce shows regional differences. While small fish are used in some countries, some use big fish. We will prepare a sauce which is used in every meal that you can think of. We will prepare it with a lot of salt, fish that are dried under the sun, water and wine. To make garum sauce, we will place small fish and the internal organs of the big fish in earthenware and add salty water, rosemary, thyme, rue, sage, cilantro, pepper or pepper leaves and leave it under the sun for four to five months for fermentation."
http://www.dailysabah.com/arts-culture/2017/01/03/3000-year-old-recipe-resurrected-as-archaeologists-uncover-ancient-city-of-antandrus-in-turkey
TURQUIE – 
Laodicea - Archaeological excavations in the ancient city of Laodicea, located in the Eskihisar neighborhood in the western province of Denizli and added to the UNESCO World Heritage Temporary list in 2013, are continuing at a 10-meter-long sacred Agora on an area of 35,000 square meters. Excavations and restorations have been ongoing in the ancient city for 13 years and the team is focused on restoration works in the sacred agora and western theater this year. The northern sacred agora is the only one in the world. The revival of the 100-meter-long and 11-meter-high wall in the back, which is covered with paintings, is particularly important for world archaeology. The roof tiles here will also be restored to their original state. The agora is the largest sacred field in Anatolia due to the temple there, according to Şimşek, who said the sacred agora collapsed during an earthquake in 494 A.D. and was unearthed from seven-meter underground. “Work in the agora is very important. It covers an area of 35,000 square meters. There is 10.8-meter columned gallery here that we call the portico. We have revived huge columned galleries, and there were ruins of buildings that have collapsed in earthquakes since the 4th century,” he said. “We have found sculpture heads, jewelry, and ceramic pots and pans in these ruins. This year we made restorations of 34 columns in the southern and western portico of the agora and we plan to revive the structure of 2,000 years ago to its original state,” Şimşek added. “In the Hellenistic theater, which we call the western theater, we have initiated works at the stage structure. We plan to open this theater to the use of Denizli and our country in two years. The first floor of the stage structure survives entirely and the second floor survives partially. There are very beautiful reliefs in the theater and we know that the stage had been decorated with sculptures. Pieces of the sculptures have been found, and we know that the stage structure was used as a city wall in the 5th century when the city was narrowed,” he said.
http://www.hurriyetdailynews.com/sacred-agora-unearthed-in-laodicea.aspx?pageID=238&nID=108030&NewsCatID=375
ISRAEL – 
Shephelah cave - Hikers had a clos encounter with history last weekend, while exploring a water cistern in a Judean Shephelah cave, they came across the engraving of an ancient seven-branched menorah from the Second Temple period on its bedrock walls. The engraved image has a base with three feet, and depicts the menorah that stood in the Temple during the Second Temple period, the IAA said. Another engraving by the menorah included a cross, and what appears to resemble a key that is characteristic of antiquity, as well as other engravings, some of which have yet to be identified. Additionally, adjacent to the cistern is a columbarium with dozens of niches that were used to raise doves in antiquity, the IAA said, noting that during the Second Temple period doves were used as part of the sacrificial rites in the Temple.
VIET NAM - 
Hôi An - Une «Route de la céramique» au large des côtes du Vietnam? C'est l'hypothèse de nombreux historiens et archéologues après les découvertes ces dernières années d'épaves renfermant dans leurs soutes éventrées des milliers de céramiques chinoises. Musée de la civilisation Sa Huynh, ville de Hôi An, province de Quang Nam (Centre). Là sont exposés derrière des vitrines des centaines d'objets en céramique de différentes époques. Repêchés des navires naufragés le long des côtes de Quang Nam à Binh Thuân, ces antiquités sont censés de prouver l'existence d'une «Route de la céramique» en Mer Orientale. Une hypothèse défendue par nombre d'historiens et d'archéologues. Aux XVIe, XVIIe et XVIIIe siècles, Hôi An était une ville portuaire prospère où jonques chinoises et japonaises, caravelles de la Marine portugaise ou espagnole venaient mouiller, le temps de décharger ou de recharger les soutes. À quelques kilomètres de là, se trouve l'estuaire de Cua Dai du fleuve Thu Bôn. Selon certains chercheurs, cette «Route de la céramique» partirait du Japon ou de Chine, longerait les côtes chinoises puis vietnamiennes avec une halte à Hôi An, avant de filer vers d'autres pays d'Asie du Sud-Est, voire même vers le lointain sous-continent indien. Les traces de cette route maritime sont à rechercher sous l'océan. Rien qu'au large de la province de Binh Thuân, 5 épaves gisant à 40-60 m de profondeur ont été repérées. Huynh Công Duy, capitaine d'un bateau de pêche, a trouvé l'une d'elles au large de l'île de Phu Quy et récupéré une centaine de céramiques. La nouvelle s'est répandue comme une traînée de poudre et d'autres pêcheurs sont venus chercher leur part du trésor. Jusqu'à ce que les services compétents, informés, viennent mettre le holà. Des mesures de protection de l'épave ont été prises avant qu'une fouille permette de remonter à la surface plus de 800 objets. Reposant depuis des siècles au fond de l'océan, ces navires renferment beaucoup de secrets que les scientifiques cherchent à percer. Selon le Docteur Nguyên Dinh Chiên, expert en céramique, membre du Conseil d'expertise des antiquités du Vietnam, «les céramiques ramenés du navire retrouvé près de l'île de Phu Quy venaient de Chine, exactement de Zhangzhou (province de Fujian) et de Shandou (province de Guangdong), 2 localités réputées pour leurs céramiques. Elles datent du début du XVIIe siècle, c'est-à-dire de la dynastie des Ming (1573-1620). C'est la 4e découverte du genre dans le monde. Dans d'autres océans en effet, on a aussi trouvé 3 autres bateaux transportant des céramiques Zhangzhou-Shandou». Reste une énigme : pourquoi une telle concentration de navires naufragés dans ce coin de la Mer Orientale, plus exactement aux alentours des îles de Cù Lao Chàm ou au large de la province de Binh Thuân ?
http://fr.vietnamplus.vn/sur-les-traces-dune-route-de-la-ceramique-a-hoi-an/83695.vnp
FRANCE – 
Les Cars - C’est un site unique en Limousin et il n’a pas fini de révéler tous ses trésors. En contrebas des ruines du château des Cars, juste à côté des splendides écuries, des travaux viennent de permettre de découvrir l’emplacement d’un monumental bassin d’agrément. Aux Cars, les ruines élancées d'un château bâti au Moyen Age, puis remanié à la Renaissance, règnent encore sur la tranquille bourgade de 633 âmes. De l'autre côté de la route, en contrebas, un formidable corps de ferme agrémenté de fenêtres dentelées renferme des écuries uniques en leur genre, voûtées et tapissées en leur temps de fresques équestres dont subsistent quelques émouvants spécimens. Et c'est donc là, juste à côté, que l'entreprise de travaux chargée d'aménager une liaison piétonnière pour relier entre eux les différents éléments touristiques a dégagé, il y a un peu plus d'une semaine, de nouveaux vestiges. « Quand ils ont commencé à décaisser, ils sont tombés sur un mur. Le terrassement a révélé que sous ce mur du XIX e siècle, il y en avait un plus ancien, peut-être du Moyen Age. Le deuxième élément, c'est la découverte d'une partie d'un des bassins associés aux jardins d'agrément du château Renaissance », détaille Patrice Conte, ingénieur au service régional de l'archéologie de la DRAC Nouvelle-Aquitaine, en jetant un regard circulaire sur ce qui est redevenu aujourd'hui un pré verdoyant. Si un plan du début du XIX e siècle confirme la présence de deux constructions circulaires, ni leur emplacement ni leur proportion n'étaient exacts. Le diamètre intérieur du bassin découvert* avoisine les 8,70 mètres, pour un diamètre total de 13,60 mètres ! Quant au mur, il faisait plus de 2 mètres de haut. « On ne se rend pad compte de l'importance qu'avait le château des Cars, mais le comte François de Pérusse des Cars était un proche du roi, ces jardins témoignent de sa puissance », resitue Patrice Conte.