21 - 22 SEPTEMBRE 2010

 

 - 22 SEPTEMBRE : 

 - TURQUIE :   Zonguldak - The discovery of a mosaic in a backyard in Turkey's Black Sea region has led to two years of excavations and the recent revelation that the area housed a third century Roman settlement. The mosaic found in 2008 depicts Thracian King Lykurgos attacking Ambrossia disguised as a woman surrounded by vines, representing divine drinks. The work this year found another room with plastered flooring and partially preserved frescos on the walls. North of this area, a water canal about 30 meters long with a mosaic floor linking to three rooms was found. The area has depictions of animal figures and hunting scenes. The rooms with mosaic and figurine flooring are believed to be part of a villa.

          http://www.hurriyetdailynews.com/n.php?n=rome-in-his-backyard-2010-09-21

 - ROYAUME-UNI : Cambridge - A dig in search of Anglo-Saxon skeletons has instead unearthed signs of a sprawling Roman settlement. The discovery was made last week, on the grounds of Cambridge's Newnham College. Evidence of a 16th or 17th century farmhouse that could date back to the reign of Henry VIII was unearthed at the site as well.

         http://heritage-key.com/blogs/ann/cambridge-dig-looking-anglo-saxon-skeletons-finds-roman-settlement

 - AZERBAÏDJAN : Geranboy - Settlements of the Stone Age have been released in the Tatarly village. The main factors proving that the area is ancient are human burial places and stone objects. The objects found during the digs showed once again that they are 5000 years of age. In particular, the stone objects provides information about the level of people of that period. In addition, this area is proven to be ancient by human burial places of the Stone age. Specialists relate this to the crockery found in the graves. Archaeologists hold digs in this area for already two years. The works have been completed at at area of 4 hectares.

          http://news.az/articles/society/23092

 - TURQUIE :   Daskyleion - Archaeologists have discovered two tumuluses during the excavations. They found a gate in one of the tumuluses which leads to a grave chamber. There were remains of two skeletons in the grave. They believe that they belonged to noble people or to members of the royal family. They also unearthed remains of a wooden desk in the tumulus. A glass bracelet, a silver earring, a perfume bottle and more than 30 coins were brought to daylight during the excavations. They would carry out DNA analysis on the skeletons and flesh the skulls to identify the bodies. Located some 30 kilometers away from Balikesir's Bandirma town, the ancient city was named after the King of Lydia "Daskylos". The king was sent to exile from Sardis because of dynasty conflicts and lived here for years. Phrygians, Lydians, and Persians lived in the area including Alexander the Great's Helenistic period and Byzantian period. The first civilization was Phrygia which covered all 7th century B.C. Antique sources specify a city of Phrygia called "Afneon". They lived here from the end of 8th century B.C. until the beginning of the 7th century B.C. The Lydian civilization in Daskyleion took place between 7th century and mid 6th century. Later, Lydians and Persians lived in the region under Persian reign from 6th century and 4th century B.C.

          http://www.worldbulletin.net/news_detail.php?id=64200

 - ROYAUME-UNI : Steeton - A group of archaeology discovered a cup-and-ring stone. According to a short report sent by Mr Paul Bennett, on the stone there are at least 19 cup-markings and a series of serpentine, curved lines running between and towards the cup-markings. Although some of the cups give an impression of being natural, others have the authentic-looking ring to them, with at least one of them possessing a near-complete ring encircling it. Mr Bennett believes the carving has a similar feel in design, although graphically different, to that of the Wondjina Stone at Rivock Edge, on the other side of the Aire Valley a couple of miles east of the site - though this newly found carving is in a better state of preservation. The discoverers gave the newly discovered stone the imaginative title of the Dragon Stone.  Nearby, Michala Douglas located a large prehistoric enclosure site. Structurally similar to the enclosure walling at Horse Close and Rough Haw, either side of Skipton, a few miles to the south, here there are about 100 yards of walling seeming to enclose the eastern side of the small hilltop, but running into the heather on its southern edge and the moorland track on its northern side, where it disappears again. At the northwestern point in the enclosure walling, a very distinct long stone about 4 feet high leans at an angle in the ling.

           http://www.stonepages.com/news/archives/004016.html

 - FRANCE :   Boulogne-sur-Mer - En 2007, un premier sondage avait eu lieu le long des remparts, pour voir comment la terrasse d'artillerie avait été mise en place. Cette dernière avait été installée pour renforcer les fortifications après le siège et la prise de Boulogne par les Anglais, en 1544.  Il s'agit d'un remblai de terre destiné à bloquer les boulets de canon. L'escalier de la porte des Degrés correspond à son dénivelé. » Ces fouilles, qui ont permis de découvrir l'assise du chemin de ronde, ont incité les archéologues à sonder la tour du Conseil. Les archéologues boulonnais ont mis au jour la façade principale de la tour du Conseil, percée d'une porte, ainsi qu'une façade à l'extérieur et un escalier assurant la liaison entre les différents étages. L'objectif est d'atteindre le pied de la porte et de confirmer l'hypothèse d'un accès sur la ville. La présence d'un gond, à l'intérieur de la baie découverte en 2008, indique la présence d'un vantail servant à fermer cette porte. Les vestiges découverts sont ceux de l'enceinte du XIIIe siècle, date de la construction du château comtal par Philippe Hurepel. Chantier qui a permis, en déblayant le remblai ayant servi à combler la tour, de retrouver des objets de la vie quotidienne, datant de différentes époques: des fragments de vaisselle, un dé à coudre, un pichet en grès rhénan, des jetons de compte, des épingles, une coupelle en céramique du XVIe siècle, ornée d'un poisson et portant une inscription en latin ...

          http://www.lavoixdunord.fr/Locales/Boulogne_sur_Mer/actualite/Secteur_Boulogne_sur_Mer/2010/09/20/article_hier-les-archeologues-boulonnais-ont-tra.shtml

 - 21 SEPTEMBRE :

 - RUSSIE :   Primorski Krai - In the course of excavations of an ancient site of Balhae Kingdom in Primorski Krai the international expedition of Russian and South Korean archeologists has found new proofs of the fact that it was a large scale administrative centre with unique architecture. Russian and South Korean Archeologists Unearth Two Rooms of Palace of Balhae Kingdom (IXe - XIe siècle). The early feudal kingdom of Balhae existed from 698 to 926 AC in the territory of modern Primorski Krai (Russia), the Korean Peninsula and Manchuria. The Russian-Korean archeological expedition started the excavationd on August, 14th in Chuguevka.

          http://www.archaeologydaily.com/news/201009205111/Russian-and-South-Korean-Archeologists-Unearth-Two-Rooms-of-Palace-of-Balhae-Kingdom.html

 - FRANCE : St-Laurent-des-Hommes - Considéré comme « très sensible », le site a fait l'objet d'un diagnostic archéologique. Et, surprise, il renferme, notamment, une nécropole mérovingienne datant de la fin du Ve et du début du VIe siècle. « Alors que nous pensions qu'il y avait 200 tombes, nous avons découvert plus de 360 sépultures », constate Christian Scuiller, chef du chantier. Depuis avril, l'équipe d'archéologues, armés de leur matériel, s'applique à fouiller, tous les jours, manuellement chacune des sépultures. « Nous n'avons pas trouvé d'ossements, sans doute en raison de l'acidité du terrain, poursuit Christian Scuiller. Mais les éléments de parure comme des perles sont nombreux. ».

         http://www.sudouest.fr/2010/09/20/trouveurs-de-tresor-189840-1980.php

 - CHINE : Guofenglou - The "little giant," a 1.93-meter tall human skeleton, was recently identified by experts at China's Archaeology Academy as the tallest prehistoric man ever found. Researcher Yang Yachang determined that the "little giant," which was discovered intact in an ancient cave dwelling in Guofenglou township, Shanxi province in 2006, to have been a 16- to 18-year-old male who lived about 4,200 years ago. Through morphological study and skeletal measurements, Cheng Liang, a professor at the academy found the "little giant" to have Asian features, his bone structure similar to that of modern day humans in South Asia. Researchers were confused as to why he had died so young until they discovered three drilled holes in his skull. However the reason or purpose for the holes remains unknown.

          http://life.globaltimes.cn/odd/2010-09/576034.html

 - BULGARIE : Pliska - Archaeologists in Bulgaria have unearthed a circular mound which they believe used to serve as a burial ground for the ancient Bulgars in pre-Christian times. The site, unique in South Eastern Europe, was found near the north coast of the Black Sea, where the Bulgars first settled after arriving from the east. The Huns also had similar burial mounds but they were of significantly smaller proportions than those used by the ancient Bulgars. The site dates back to the pre-Christian Pliska period of Bulgaria. The mound itself was detected about 15 metres from the royal complex in layer of earth about 70cm below the medieval town of Pliska. After its establishment under Khan Asparuh in 681, Bulgaria retained the traditional Bulgar religion of Tengriism and the pagan beliefs of the local Slavic population. In the mid-ninth century, Boris I established Christianity as a state religion in Bulgaria. In 864 he was baptised in the then capital Pliska by Byzantine priests and after prolonged negotiations with both Rome and Constantinople, he set up a Bulgarian Orthodox Church and used the Cyrillic alphabet to make Bulgarian language the language of the Church. Pliska served as the first ever capital of Bulgaria between 681 and 893 CE. According to a Bulgarian chronicle, it was founded by Khan Asparuh. It is called Pliskusa by Georgios Kedrenos and Anna Comnena. It had an area of 23 sq m and was surrounded by a moat and earthwork ramparts. The walls of the inner fortress were 2.6 metres thick and about 12 metres high.The importance of Pliska gradually diminished during the 10th century, with the concentration of power and resources in Preslav.

          http://www.sofiaecho.com/2010/09/21/963668_archaeology-ancient-bulgar-burial-ground-found

 - EGYPTE : Al-Alamein -  Le site de Marina Al-Alamein, sur la côte nord-ouest de l’Egypte, sera bientôt ouvert au public. Un musée voisin viendra parachever le paysage .Le site abrite plusieurs villas datant de l’époque romaine, des bains, un marché ancien, des rues, un amphithéâtre ainsi que les vestiges d’une église et des tombes remontant à l’époque gréco-romaine. « La spécificité de ce site réside dans le fait qu’il abritait un des plus célèbres ports de l’Egypte à l’époque gréco-romaine.

         http://hebdo.ahram.org.eg/arab/ahram/2010/9/22/voy1.htm

 

×