05 - 06 JANVIER 2011
- 06 JANVIER -
- SYRIE –
Medinet a-Far - The national archaeological mission working at Medinet al-Far archaeological site, north of Raqqa City, uncovered parts of an mosque which dates back to the Umayyad age. Director of the archaeological mission Muhammad Sarhan al-Ahmad said the excavation works at the southwestern part of the site revealed some mosque walls made of bricks and coated with plaster. The floor was paved with square bricks and decorated with floral ornaments. A niche and a well to the south of the mosque were also discovered. The findings included a pottery, three Islamic coins, pottery lantern and glass fragments. Medinet al-Far is located at the left bank of al-Balikh River, to the north of Raqqa City. It covers an area of 94 hectares including 12 towers.
- SYRIE –
Palmyre - The national expedition working at one of the house burials in the northern defensive wall of Palmyra City has discovered a stone-made head of a man and a woman wearing the Palmyrene traditional costume. The expedition also unearthed funerary furniture including clay lanterns used for lightening the burial, in addition to a number of clay pieces of different sizes. Chairman of the Excavation Directorate at Palmyra Antiquities Department Omar Asa'ad said that the discoveries were found during the process of restoring the burial which dates back to the 2nd century AD. He pointed out that the burial consists of two stories and a cellar including a rectangular vestibule, on the two sides of which one can see 12 burial chambers, each one of them embraces 5 tombs. He stressed that the expedition will work on restoring the burial during the process of building the wall of the city in the next season.
- USA – 
San Francisco - By the time it boasts all its glory, the “Grand Central of the West” will actually sit on the site of an ancient village archeologists recently dusted off one relic at a time on their hands and knees. They found dozens of vestiges — dolls, a piece of a tent, tableware and “many, many liquor bottles” — that tell stories dating as far back as 1848 under a roughly 100-square-foot portion of a parking lot near First and Minna streets by the future Transbay Transit Center. Underneath the asphalt, archeologists rummaged through what used to be shopkeepers’ and entrepreneurs’ homes that once sat between two enormous sand dunes. “This working class came from all over. Eleven feet down, there was tableware manufactured in Philadelphia and coins not minted as money that also came from Philadelphia,” lead archeologist Heather Price said. “And from the ground surface all the way to 12 feet below, we found fancy serving platters ... and many, many liquor bottles.” Twelve feet down, Price said, they found pieces of a tent that roaming miners might have used on their way up to Gold Country-
http://www.sfexaminer.com/local/development/2011/01/remnants-boozy-village-found
- TURQUIE - 
Zeugma - Mosaics unearthed from the ancient city of Zeugma are to be exhibited at the Gaziantep Mosaic Museum, to hold the world’s second largest collection of its kind, following the Bardo Museum in Tunis. The mosaics will be on view for visitors about three months from no There are a total of 2,500 square meters of mosaic work to be displayed in this museum.
- ROYAUME-UNI - Bath - Preparatory work for an archaeological dig at Bath Abbey has begun, with pews being moved and the floor levelled. The study has to include some investigation under the floor and pavement around the historic church. The dig will be one of seven taking place between now and Easter, with other locations including the choir vestry, the shop and one outside, between Kingston Buildings and the abbey.
http://www.thisisbath.co.uk/environment/Dig-begins-floor-abbey/article-3068450-detail/article.html
- ROYAUME-UNI - Epsom - Human bones have been found on the site of a former car showrooml. Workmen unearthed the remains alongside a piece of Roman pottery while digging on the site of Cheam Motors in Cheam Road. They were found about 2m below the surface, and a skull was reported to have disintegrated when lifted from the ground. Police were informed and the bones taken to an archaeologist at Surrey County Council, with an expert also inspecting the site. Following examination, they were declared “of archaeological interest” and Surrey Policeclosed its investigation. Archaeologists carried out initial test digs because Ewell is rich in Roman and Saxon remains. know the Romans had a settlement in Epsom where they had a garrison and dwellings. The skull could be medieval, but as it was found with Roman pottery -
http://www.epsomguardian.co.uk/news/8774591.Bones_found_by_workmen/
- 05 JANVIER
- UKRAINE - Balaklava - A team of Polish archeologists supervised by Radoslaw Karasiewicz-Szczypiorski from the Archeology Institute at the
- MAROC - 
le ministère de la Culture est chargé de la réalisation du projet du MNAST de Rabat, dont la mission majeure et durable réside dans la pérennisation des témoignages et des vestiges de l'héritage prestigieux du Maroc à travers la texture riche et diversifiée de son patrimoine géologique et archéologique. Ce Musée présentera, donc, des aperçus didactiques sur les formations géologiques de la Terre du Maroc, sur son paléo-environnement ainsi que sur les civilisations marocaines depuis l'apparition de l'Homme jusqu'à la fin du XIXe siècle à travers des collections d'objets géologiques et archéologiques provenant de sites naturels et de sites historiques - Un second projet ayant constitué un point fort de la Direction du Patrimoine culturel, en l'année 2010, est celui du premier atelier international: « Art rupestre africain, défis de vol et de vandalisme », qui s'est tenu dans la ville de Smara. A travers cet atelier international, le département du Patrimoine et ses partenaires ont mené des débats instructifs visant l'élaboration de visions et de plans d'action fixant comme but majeur la lutte contre les menaces et défis de vandalisme, de trafic illicite, d'actes de malveillance, de destruction et toute dissuasion visant le patrimoine rupestre à travers le monde. Les débats ont, ainsi, abouti à l'adoption de la «Déclaration de Es Smara concernant la sauvegarde de l'art rupestre africain contre le vol et le vandalisme»
http://www.lematin.ma/Actualite/Journal/Article.asp?idr=115&id=144565
- ROYAUME-UNI - 
Stoke-on-Trent - Recent archaeological finds in Burslem in Stoke-on-Trent are being exhibited in the town - Historians digging through an old car park discovered the old Swan Bank Pottery; and have traced the site's story back through 400 years. Among the finds are not just pottery wares but also domestic items including pipes and tools. The pieces are being shown at the Burslem School of Art, less than 100m (328 ft) from where they were created. Among the discoveries were black Rockingham Ware teapots, and, from earlier ages, saltglazed stoneware, creamware from the 18th Century and deposits of mottled ware and flamboyant slipware from the 17th Century. Glimpses of potters' everyday lives were found in the shape of marbles, clay pipes, buttons and tools. Archaeologists were also able to find traces of the original 16th Century farm.
http://news.bbc.co.uk/local/stoke/hi/people_and_places/history/newsid_9341000/9341409.stm
- PAKISTAN - 
Swat - The ancient seat of Gandhara civilization in Swat that was vandalized by religious extremists is crumbling due to the neglect of the authorities- Lying in the lap of calm and serene Jambil Valley on one side and the Marghazar stream on the other, Batkara Stupa is one of the most important and oldest Buddhist seats of learning in Swat Valley.According to the Archaeology and Museums Department of Pakistan, it was the Buddhist monastery of Ta-Lo, visited by Chinese Buddhist pilgrims during the 5th and 7th centuries. It lies at the eastern end of the ancient capital known as ‘Udyana’ (garden) in the Hindu scriptures of Chich-Li (present day Mingora). The main stupa stands in the middle, around it, crowded stupas, veharas and columns, on the northern side stands a great building and further to the north and west the inhabited area. The stupa underwent five reconstructions, each new one encasing the last from the 3rd century till the 10th century. The other monuments around have been accordingly co-related to the five building periods.During the reign of Ashoka, Buddhism thrived in the Swat valley and spread to Central Asia and China from the 1st century BC to 4th century AD. Buddhism left its mark in the form of stupas, monasteries, art, coins, pottery and other artifacts.Site in-charge and archaeologist Sanaullah gave a glimpse into the site’s history, “There was an earth-mound here where farmers used to thresh their crops. When locals found some coins while digging, an Italian mission led by archaeologist Domenico Faccenna managed to excavate this site in 1956, that continued till 1962, and after clarifying the various steps of the construction, the mission established that the stupa was monumentalised by the addition of Hellenistic architectural decorations during the 2nd century BC, suggesting a direct involvement of the Indo-Greek rulers of north-western India in the development of Greco-Buddhist architecture.”
http://tribune.com.pk/story/99751/heritage-forgotten-gandhara-civilization-site-fading-away/