09 - 10 AOÛT 2010
- 10 AOÛT :
- ITALIE : Pompeii - Since the uncovering of Pompeii in 1599, archeologists believed that these ancient Romans died by being suffocated by the ashes and gases spewing for two days from the mouth of Vesuvius. Their theory rested on the account of a contemporary witness, Pliny the Younger, who saw the eruption from across the Gulf of Naples, claiming that his uncle in Pompeii had taken his last breath under a cloud of ash. After years of analyzing nearly 100 skeletal casts, testing bone tissue and creating numerous simulations of the Vesuvius eruption, Mastrolorenzo concluded that the people of Pompeii were instantly killed by a pyroclastic cloud, a gusty surge carrying the volcano’s lethal temperatures. His findings were recently published in the science journal, PLoS One. Mastrolorenzo and his team of scientists exposed human and animal bones to high temperatures to see how their color and micro-structure would change. Bones in the lab began looking like bones in Pompeii once reaching temperatures of between 480 and 570 degrees Fahrenheit.
- ISLANDE : Kolkuos - A good overview had been achieved of the harbor area which used to serve as a trading post and harbor for the bishopric Holar. Six camps have been excavated which are believed to be from the 12th century. Archaeologists have unearthed many interesting objects, including a fairly intact needle box with a needle inside, four other needles, a sharpener, hotplate and whale bones that had been altered. Also, the remains of a paved road have been found.
http://www.icelandreview.com/icelandreview/daily_news/?cat_id=16567&ew_0_a_id=366262
- U.S.A. : 
Lowell - In August 1822, some 30 Irish laborers walked north from Charlestown on the promise of steady work. They settled in what would become Lowell and became central to the city’s creation, digging canals along the Merrimack River to power textile mills and the rise of a cloth-making capital. They lived in a shanty town and, as more of their countrymen joined them, built a wooden church beside their homes and named it St. Patrick. There, a rebuilt version of the 1831 church remains, its grounds all but untouched over the nearly two centuries since the settlement’s founding. Now, archeologists are poised to excavate the church lawn in search of clues to the early Irish settlement and how its inhabitants lived day to day in their new country.
- ROYAUME-UNI : 
Hartlington - A circle of stones in the Yorkshire Dales first discovered in 1896 have been uncovered again. Archaeologists have been trying to establish fresh theories as to what the stones were. Initially it had been thought they might have formed the floor of a corn drying kiln. The fresh investigation has revealed that the stones might have formed part of an oven but not what kind. A circle of stones on the site was definitely either a hearth or the base of an oven because the stones had been subjected to temperatures high enough to split most of them in two. A flue ran under the hearth and under the floor of the building, distributing hot air from there to the rest of the structure. The team is now currently toying with the idea that it might have been a communal bread oven. Hartlington was part of the ancient parish of Burnsall and it is known that there was such an oven within the parish, but nobody knows where it was. The structure is also very near to the site of the medieval manor house and lords of the manor controlled bread baking in the community as they saw it as a source of income for themselves, so the oven's location fits.
http://news.bbc.co.uk/local/york/hi/people_and_places/history/newsid_8901000/8901203.stm
- SYRIE : 
Mesyaf - The Syrian national archaeological expedition at Mesyaf Citadel in Hama has discovered a number of Islamic coins and pottery candles dating back to the Ayyubid era. Supervisor of the expedition Haitham Hassan said excavation works in the site included the grand hall of the citadel along with the water building bloc, pointing out that excavations in the third tower have uncovered a wide range of Islamic coins and pottery pieces. He added that architectural analyses and studies of the building blocs proved that construction stages date back to the period starting from the 11th century to the Ottoman period. Excavation works at the citadel have unearthed so far 350 coins, including a coin for an Ottoman sultan.
- VIET-NAM : La province de Vinh Phuc (Nord) procède à un investissement dans les infrastructures de la zone archéologique de Dông Dâu-Biên Son. Couvrant une superficie de 85.000 m2, la station archéologique de Dông Dâu-Biên Son sur la zone relevant du hameau de Dông Hai du bourg de Yên Lac, district du même nom, a été découverte en février 1962. Depuis 6 fouilles sur une superficie de 758 m2 ont été effectuées dans cette station archéologique qui est la plus protégée du Nord. Plusieurs types de reliques, des milliers d'objets en céramique datés de différentes cultures ont été mises à jour ainsi que des outils de production, des armes, des ornements en pierre, en os, et en cuivre, des statues d'animaux modelées en terre cuite… Ces découvertes ont amené à considérer le monticule de Dông Dâu comme la station archéologique la plus importante de l'âge du fer du Vietnam. Ainsi 4 couches ont été identifiées appartenant aux cultures Phùng Nguyên, Dông Dâu et Go Mun. Selon les chercheurs, les reliques de la station du monticule Dông Dâu sont typiques du développement de 4 étapes culturelles continues de l'époque des rois Hùng. Surtout, lors la 6e fouille réalisée en 1999, cette zone a révélé des habitations et des tombeaux. Dans la couche culturelle Phùng Nguyên, les archéologues ont découvert pour la première fois une fosse contenant un squelette humain en assez bon état de conservation.
http://lecourrier.vnagency.com.vn/default.asp?page=newsdetail&newsid=64836
- SUISSE : 
Vallon - C’est dans la Broye qu’a été mise au jour la plus belle statuette connue d’Icare, l’homme qui, dans la mythologie grecque, s’est brûlé les ailes en approchant du soleil. La figurine ailée d’une dizaine de centimètres a été découverte près du Musée romain de Vallon, lors de la campagne de fouille de l’an dernier. Après des mois d’un délicat travail de protection pour stabiliser le bronze, la statuette va enfin être dévoilée au public, cet automne. Cet Icare est tout à fait exceptionnel, car il est entièrement moulé et les détails sont très fins. La seule autre statuette d’Icare connue est exposée à Londres, mais celle du British Museum n’est pas aussi belle, et ses ailes ont été ajoutées après coup. D’après les archéologues, la figurine daterait du IIe ou du IIIe siècle de notre ère. Importée ou fabriquée sur place, elle servait sans doute d’élément de décoration ou de prestige.Dans l’Antiquité, on le représentait sur les stèles ou les sarcophages de jeunes gens morts trop vite. Mais il pouvait aussi avoir une dimension moralisatrice. Icare a ignoré son père, qui avait tenté de le mettre en garde contre le danger d’approcher le soleil. C’est pourquoi il symbolise la désobéissance et ses conséquences. Trouvée au milieu de matériaux de démolition, la statuette a sans doute été jetée sans ménagement par son propriétaire de l’époque, peut-être parce qu’elle était brisée (il lui manque une jambe).
http://www.24heures.ch/vaud-regions/actu/broye-romaine-icare-revait-vol-solaire-2010-08-09
- CANADA : Restigouche - De récentes recherches archéologiques dans la rivière Restigouche ont permis de découvrir une embarcation acadienne qui aurait sombré lors du dernier affrontement naval entre la France et l'Angleterre vers 1760. Le service d'archéologie subaquatique de Parcs Canada a pu découvrir cette nouvelle épave face à Pointe-à-la-Batterie à l'aide de nouveaux instruments sonars. Il s'agit d'une découverte majeure puisqu'il s'agit d'un témoin archéologique tangible de la participation des Acadiens à la bataille.
http://www.radio-canada.ca/regions/est-quebec/2010/08/09/006-Bataille-de-la-Ristigouche.shtml
- 09 AOÛT :
- PAYS-BAS : 
Alkmaar - Archaeologists digging in the Paardenmarkt (Horse market) square have discovered a prehistoric grave. The remains show a person buried in the crouched position, which is typical of the Iron Age. The grave was found under a layer of sand found earlier in Alkmaar and known to date from the same period, between 700 BC and the beginning of the Christian era. Earlier, archaeologists found a collective grave dating from 1573 and containing 15 skeletons and several musket balls and traces of shot. The siege of Alkmaar by the Spanish and the subsequent relief by William of Orange took place between August and October 1573. Other discoveries include a monastery graveyard and the remains of an historic street plan.
http://www.rnw.nl/english/bulletin/prehistoric-grave-found-alkmaar
- FRANCE : Eysses - De l'occupation gallo-romaine du site, en passant par la présence d'un vaste camp militaire dont la présence vient d'être récemment démontrée, à la construction du monastère bénédictin et la construction de la Ville-Neuve, ce sont quelques siècles de la vie de cette partie du Lot qui ont été dévoilés. Entre la mise en valeur du camp militaire, la vie quotidienne de la ville gallo-romaine d'Excisum (qui couvrait une surface de 50 hectares), les reconstitutions en 3D des bâtiments, ou tout simplement l'histoire de la ville, des choix devront être faits.
- INDE : Naapattinam - Several artefacts dating back to the 10th Century A.D Chola period have been unearthed by archaeologists at two villages near here. The artefacts, including a big wooden paddy measure "marakkal" and three big clay oil containers, believed to be made in China, were found by a team of experts of state archaeology department during extensive field study carried out in Sembianmahadevi and Pappakovil. The study was ordered following the unearthing of panchaloka idols and 86 Chola period copper plates at Kazhukkanimuttam village in the district a couple of months ago. At Sembianmahadevi, the team found a big wooden paddy measure 'marakkal', with the inscription 'Sembianmahadevi Pannai', indicating the agricultural farm owned by Queen Sembian Mahadevi, grandmother of Rajaraja Cholan-I. A trishul like symbol was also found below the name. In an ancient Lord Shiva temple at the village, the team found three big oil containers made of clay. Two of the three containers are believed to have been moulded in China. Presence of these artefacts indicate trade contacts between the Cholas and the Chinese. On the banks of the temple pond, a big lamp tower was also found by the team. At nearby Pappakovil village, a large granite stone slab was also found. It could have been erected for the convenience of the traders in transit to place their luggage while taking rest.
http://ibnlive.in.com/generalnewsfeed/news/rare-chola-period-artefacts-found-in-tn/217919.html
AZERBAIDJAN : 
Oglangala - The ceramic samples of the Khojaly-Gedabey culture were found during the archeological digs in the ancient settlement Oglangala in the Sharur region of the Nakhchivan Autonomous Republic. The digs held in Oglangala fortress city revealed the residuals of ancient buildings, including a big palace dating to the period of the ancient states of Midia and Atropatena, ancient graves, a number of other samples of material culture. The samples of ceramics dated to the Khojaly-Gedabey culture show that Khojaly-Gedabey tribes settled in this fortress city in the late 2-early 1 millennium BC. The previous researches of the expedition revealed that Oglangala was the center of an ancient state and it was subjected to attacks of ancient state of Urartu.
http://www.news.az/articles/20576
- ITALIE : Macerata - Aerial photos taken on Monday from a police surveillance plane have revealed what is believed to be a large ancient Roman settlement near the eastern Italian city of Macerata. Archaeologists say the site could be part of the mysterious city of Pausulae. The city is described by 1st century AD historian Pliny The Elder, and is believed to date from the late 2nd century BC.
Archaeologists from the surrounding Marche region identified from the photos a sprawling 20 hectare site criss-crossed by roads, with dwellings and buildings containing quadrangles and columns. Thick walls enclose the settlement which is located in a river valley.
http://www.adnkronos.com/AKI/English/CultureAndMedia/?id=3.1.800763033
- TURQUIE : Ikiztepe - A piece of obsidian dating back 4,000 years and believed to have been used as a scalpel for surgery has been unearthed during excavations carried out in the Black Sea province of Samsun. The excavations have also revealed that there was continuous settlement in the region between 4000 B.C. and 1700 B.C. Weapons, devices, ovens and ornaments were unearthed separately during the excavations, showing that the inhabitants of the İkiztepe region played an important role in the development of mining in Anatolia.
http://www.hurriyetdailynews.com/n.php?n=0806131406627-2010-08-09
- MALTE : 
Gozo - The kilometre of bastions around the Gozo Citadel will start being restored in the coming months, as part of the facelift envisaged for the Citadel. Composed of blue clay, globigerina limestone and green sand, the fortification’s rock foundation is quite friable and therefore not very stable. Consequently, it must be consolidated. In 2002, a considerable mass of rock came away from underneath the Citadel.