16 DECEMBRE 2021 NEWS
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NORVEGE – 
Oslo - A crowned figure holding a falcon has been found in Oslo’s medieval park, representing one of the earliest visual examples of falconry in Scandinavia. The figure was discovered during preparatory works for the medieval park in the Old Town of Oslo, where archaeologists have also found traces of buildings, streets, water pipes and wells. The figure is 7.5 cm long and is made of organic material, decorated on both sides, but has a somewhat flat oval cross section. The design of clothing and hair shows that it is from the middle of the 13th century and was probably made at a workshop in Oslo. One possible theory is that the figure depicts King Håkon Håkonsson who gave falcons as a gift and even exported them. King Håkonsson was king of Norway from 1217-1263 and was known as a major player in the field of falconry.
CHINE – Jiangcun - A tomb unearthed in northwest China's Shaanxi Province has been confirmed as that of Emperor Wen of the Han Dynasty (202 BC-220 AD). According to the NCHA, archaeologists launched systematic excavations and investigations on the mausoleum located at Jiangcun Village in the ancient city of Xi'an in 2016. New research findings traced the tomb to that of Emperor Wen, also known as Liu Heng, who reigned between 180 BC and 157 BC during the Western Han Dynasty. The tomb stretches as long as 72 meters and goes as deep as 30 meters. Some 110 pits have also been found surrounding the tomb, with over 1,500 cultural artifacts, including pottery items, bronzeware and ironware, unearthed from eight of the pits. Meanwhile, other members of the imperial family were also buried near the site. Around 800 meters to the northeast is the mausoleum of Empress Dou, wife of Emperor Wen. And Empress Bo, mother of Emperor Wen, was buried 2,000 meters to the southwest.
FRANCE – 
Aubagne - Dans la commune d’Aubagne, des investigations conduites par l’Inrap ont permis la découverte d’un habitat du Néolithique moyen et final, d'une nécropole monumentale (tumulus) de la fin de l’âge du Bronze et du début de l’âge du Fer ayant livré un mobilier exceptionnel (épée, bracelets décorés, torque, céramique...), et d'une voie romaine inédite, rattachée probablement au territoire de Massalia-Marseille, ayant pu jouer un rôle stratégique dans le conflit qui oppose César à Pompée. Parmi les aménagements se rapportant au Néolithique, l’ensemble le plus marquant est sans doute un bâtiment d’habitation, matérialisé au sol par l’intermédiaire de creusements étroits. Ces derniers étaient destinés à accueillir des poteaux constituant l’armature du bâtiment. Ils permettent de restituer un édifice allongé de plan polygonal proche du rectangle d’environ 60 m². Les murs gouttereaux sont chacun caractérisés par sept trous de poteaux et une rangée de quatre poteaux centraux supportait le faîtage. Dans le même secteur, de nombreux aménagements ont également été découverts. Certaines de ces structures se démarquent des autres par leurs fonctions en lien direct avec l’exploitation agricole de cette zone. L’espace funéraire a fonctionné entre la fin de l’âge du Bronze et le début de l’âge du Fer (900-600 av. J.-C.). Au total, dix inhumations ont été étudiées dont huit sous tumulus. À une exception près, ces sépultures monumentales sont réparties le long d’un aménagement linéaire reconnu sur environ 50 m. Il s’agit de dalles et de gros galets disposés sur chant les uns à la suite des autres dans des fosses individuelles ou en tranchée. Ils limitent très clairement la nécropole à l’ouest et marquent symboliquement le passage vers le territoire dédié aux morts. La voie antique fouillée au Chemin du Camp de Sarlier appartient à un tracé viaire inédit faisant probablement partie de la chôra (territoire) de Massalia-Marseille. Orienté nord-est sud-ouest, il a pu être mis au jour sur une longueur de 93 m. Son aménagement se caractérise par un empierrement particulièrement massif installé dans un creusement préparatoire. La chaussée est encadrée par deux fossés (dits « bordiers ») qui portent la largeur maximale de l’ensemble entre 12 et 13 m.
FRANCE – 
Aleria - Le site archéologique d'Aleria n'a, semble-t-il, toujours pas livré tous ses secrets. En septembre dernier, les archéologues ont découvert une chambre funéraire étrusque du IVe siècle avant Jésus-Christ. Dans la sépulture, le défunt a été inhumé avec du mobilier funéraire. Une partie a été mise au jour par les archéologues. "Un rituel précis a été mis en place, celui du symposium, celui de la consommation du vin. C'était un rituel social, mis en place dans la vie quotidienne des Étrusques, des Grecs et puis des Romains. Cela constituait un lien social pour les élites", précise Federica Sacchetti, Archéologue. Même si la tombe s'est effondrée et que les ossements se sont dispersés, ils fourniront de précieux renseignements sur son occupant. Dans le même secteur, les archéologues ont aussi découvert une dizaine de tombes romaines. Ces dernières dateraient des IIe et IIIe siècles après Jésus-Christ. Toutes sont disposées le long d'une route, découverte en même temps que les sépultures. "C'est le passage des gens qui voient la tombe, lisent les inscriptions et perpétuent la mémoire des gens qui sont décédés. Et pas très loin, il y a aussi des établissements antiques, des villas. Ça peut être le cimetière dédié à la villa", suppose Laurent Vidal, archéologue.
CANADA - Sorel-Tracy - Des fouilles archéologiques autour de la Maison des gouverneurs à Sorel-Tracy ont mis à jour les vestiges d'un banquet somptueux datant des années 1780. Plus de 80 assiettes, bouteilles de vin et plats ont été retrouvés au fond d'anciennes latrines. Le tout aurait servi lors de la visite d'un jeune prince britannique en septembre 1787.
VIDEO = https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BBhJi3tZXJk
INDE – 
Keeladi / Sivagalai - If all goes well, the archaeological excavations at Keeladi and Sivagalai, where findings so far have created a huge buzz, will enter their eighth and third phase respectively in January 2022 as the Tamil Nadu government makes a push to explore the “past glory” of Tamils. The archaeological findings have created a buzz with researchers and archaeologists in Tamil Nadu calling them significant as they “narrow down” the gap between the Tamil urban settlements and the Indus Valley Civilisation (IVC). However, they say “more evidence” should be forthcoming before arriving at a definite conclusion. The findings in Keeladi — carbon dating of artefacts found in the fourth phase revealed that they dated back 2,600 years pushing the Sangam Era behind by at least 300 years — encouraged the TNSDA under the then AIADMK government to launch the excavation in many sites. During the second phase of excavation at Sivagalai in Thoothukudi district in 2021, carbon dating of rice husks found in a burial urn dated back to 3,200 years old. The Keeladi cluster includes Agaram and Konthagai, a habitation and burial site respectively. Sediments scrapped from the burial urns and skeletons found from the site have been sent for carbon dating and DNA analysis for further studies.
ANGLETERRE – 
Guernsey - The discovery, made on the small island of Chapelle Dom Hue off the coast of Guernsey in September 2017, revealed the ancient remains of a medieval porpoise buried in the earth, and archaeologists were at a loss to explain the story behind this mysterious animal tomb. The mystery is all the greater due to the way the animal was buried, which doesn't suggest the dead porpoise was simply disposed of underground. Instead, it looks like it's been laid to rest, with the body aligned east to west per Christian tradition, and the careful digging of the grave itself suggests it was intended as a solemn resting place. For that reason, de Jersey expected to find the remains of a medieval monk in the tomb, as the island is thought to have been a religious retreat for monks seeking refuge. But after noticing changes in the soil, which indicated the likely existence of a grave underneath, the researchers uncovered the skull of a juvenile porpoise, which they think has been entombed alongside the graves of other monks since some time in the 14th century.
ITALIE – 
Arma Veirana - The evolution and development of human mortuary behaviors is of enormous cultural significance. Here we report a richly-decorated young infant burial (AVH-1) from Arma Veirana (Liguria, northwestern Italy) that is directly dated to 10,211–9910 cal BP (95.4% probability), placing it within the early Holocene and therefore attributable to the early Mesolithic, a cultural period from which well-documented burials are exceedingly rare. Virtual dental histology, proteomics, and aDNA indicate that the infant was a 40–50 days old female. Associated artifacts indicate significant material and emotional investment in the child’s interment. The detailed biological profile of AVH-1 establishes the child as the earliest European near-neonate documented to be female. The Arma Veirana burial thus provides insight into sex/gender-based social status, funerary treatment, and the attribution of personhood to the youngest individuals among prehistoric hunter-gatherer groups and adds substantially to the scant data on mortuary practices from an important period in prehistory shortly following the end of the last Ice Age.
https://www.nature.com/articles/s41598-021-02804-z
ANGLETERRE – 
Sutton Hoo - Musicians used a distinct type of lyre in early medieval Northern Europe, with one of the stringed instruments even being included in the famous seventh-century Sutton Hoo ship burial. Now, research has identified another one of these lyres – over 4,000 kilometres away in Kazakhstan. This discovery is the result of a re-analysis of Soviet-era excavations that ran from the late 1930s to the mid-1990s. In 1973, these excavations found a series of wooden objects from a medieval settlement in the Dzhetyasar territory, southwest Kazahkstan. Although Soviet researchers were unable to identify these objects, recent work recognised them as musical instruments. Now, research published in the journal Antiquity narrows this down further, showing at least one appears to match the type of lyre seen at Sutton Hoo. The artefact was identified as a musical instrument and dated to the fourth century AD. Despite being found thousands of kilometres away from its kin, this find could help tackle the many questions that remain about this type of lyre: is it a unique Northern European development, or is it part of a wider musical tradition? Dzhetyasar is an important site on the Silk Road, the trade route connecting east and west, raising the possibility that the lyre travelled along this route and could have reached Byzantium, the Levant, or even further east than Kazahkstan. Perhaps the origins of this instrument also lie somewhere upon the Silk Road.