22 SEPTEMBRE 2017 NEWS: Kilmarnock - Cumbria - Çavuştepe - Limoges - Belgique -
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ROYAUME UNI – 
Kilmarnock - The remains of a pre-historic home dating back 6000 years have been unearthed in a field during a water mains project. Archaeologists found post-holes which formed part of a rectangular building and fragments of Neolithic pottery near Hillhouse farm north-east of Kilmarnock in East Ayrshire. The archaeologists believe the structure was built by some of the earliest farmers in Scotland more than 4,000 years BC, before the Callanish Stones in Lewis and Stonehenge in Wiltshire. Heavily truncated by millennia of ploughing, only the deepest parts of some of the post-holes survived, arranged in a rectangular plan and containing sherds of early Neolithic pottery, hazelnut shell and charcoal."The width and depth of these post-holes indicated that they once held very large upright timber posts, suggesting that this building was once a large house, probably home to an extended family or group of families. "Up until this time, during the earlier Mesolithic period (c. 8000-4000 BC), Scotland was inhabited by small groups of hunter-gatherers, who led a nomadic lifestyle, living off the land. "The individuals who built this Neolithic house were some of the earliest communities in Ayrshire to adopt a sedentary lifestyle, clearing areas of forest to establish farms, growing crops such as wheat and barley and raising livestock such as cattle, sheep, goats and pigs." The rectilinear hall, which measured 14m in length and 8m in width, belonged to a type of house built by the first farming communities in Scotland. Fragments of Neolithic carinated bowl, used for cooking and storage, were also found.
http://www.dailyrecord.co.uk/scotland-now/stunned-archaeologists-unearth-remains-6000-11212884
ROYAUME UNI – 
Cumbria - An unusual late Bronze Age hoard recently discovered in the west of Cumbria is the first of its kind to be found in the county, it is reported. Comprising a penannular bracelet and three lock rings, all made of gold, as well as a fragment of copper alloy, the hoard was found by two metal-detectorists, tucked into a small hollow in the limestone bedrock and covered over with a large stone. Two of the lock rings and the bracelet are stained with organic residue, possibly from something in the soil or something that was placed with or around the objects at the time of their deposition, suggests Stuart Noon, Finds Liaison Officer for Lancashire and Cumbria. The copper-alloy fragment appears to be part of a bangle or a strap, while the bracelet shares characteristics with one from Beachy Head in East Sussex that is now held by the British Museum, Stuart added. The lock rings, meanwhile, are very similar to an example from Portfield Camp, near Whalley, Lancashire. The purpose of this latter kind of artefact is much debated, through – as they are normally found in pairs, it has been suggested that they may have been a form of high-status personal ornament peculiar to the late Bronze Age (c.1000-800 BC), possibly earrings or some kind of hair decoration.
https://www.archaeology.co.uk/articles/unusual-bronze-age-hoard-found-cumbria.htm
TURQUIE – 
Çavuştepe Castle - Excavations in a Urartian necropolis in the eastern province of Van’s Çavuştepe Castle, which has been plundered by treasure hunters in recent years, provide important details about Urartian burial customs. The Culture and Tourism Ministry has initiated excavations to rescue the necropolis in the castle. During the excavations, a tomb was unearthed with the skeletons of a man and a woman. Officials believe they were husband and wife because they were buried together. A bronze belt, tray, seal and several bronze jewelries were also found in the tomb. Along with the tomb of the wife and husband, a horse skeleton was also found in the search. Officials say it is the first horse skeleton unearthed in a Urartian tomb, making it the most important finding among other discoveries in the castle. Samples from the horse skeleton will be analyzed to determine the age and species of the horse. Close to the horse skeleton, the excavation team found many oxidized and deformed iron pieces and bronze nails. The first observations on the pieces show that these findings may have belonged to a horse carriage. The main purpose of the recent works was to rescue the necropolis from treasure hunters and also to obtain information about people’s social lives, faiths and burial customs. Two different types of burial methods have been determined in the field. The first one is the urn-type burial, in which the dead people are cremated and their ashes are buried. Eight urn-type tombs were unearthed in the southern part of the excavation field. The tombs were found in an underground of nearly half a meter depth and most of them were broken.
In the second type of burial method, the dead are placed in a tomb in hocker position, just like in a mother’s womb. The Çavuştepe Castle, where the Urartian people were buried after death, was built in 750 B.C. by the Urartian King Sarduri II. The necropolis in the castle was used by people who lived there for the next 200 years.
FRANCE – 
Limoges - Les archéologues de l’Inrap (Institut national de recherches archéologiques préventives) ont découvert un lieu sacré sur le site de construction d’une maison individuelle à Limoges. Ils ont retrouvé les bases d’une structure dotée de deux fanums, deux temples, pour honorer deux divinités. Il ne reste que les fondations de ces édifices vieux de 2000 ans. Mais après les avoir déterrées, les archéologues savent grâce à elles ce qu'il y avait là, au premier siècle de notre ère. Il s’agissait de temples où l’on venait honorer des divinités. Mais une question d’importance reste en suspens : quelles étaient ces dieux ? Car ce sanctuaire gallo-romain se situait tout à fait à l'ouest d'Augustoritum – qui deviendra par la suite Limoges, presque à l'extérieur de la cité. Une situation géographique inhabituelle pour un site sacré. Les archéologues avancent une hypothèse : il pourrait s’agir de divinités qui n'auraient pas le droit de citer dans l’enceinte de la ville romaine, des divinités gauloises. Mais pour le moment aucun élément n’est venu appuyer cette explication. Il reste encore quelques semaines de fouilles pour espérer trouver des inscriptions ou des statues et en savoir peut-être plus sur ces divinités.
VIDEO = http://france3-regions.francetvinfo.fr/nouvelle-aquitaine/haute-vienne/limoges/intrigantes-fondations-sanctuaire-gallo-romain-vieux-2000-ans-1330915.html
BELGIQUE – 
- Marine archaeologists have uncovered the wreck of a World War I German U-Boat off the coast of Belgium, thanks to a sharp-eyed reanalysis of sonar scans from an undersea survey that was carried out several years ago. Archaeologists have identified the wreck as a Type UB-II submarine built by Germany during World War I, when up to 18 such vessels were based in occupied Belgian ports to carry out raids against British ships. Damage to the hull of the submarine suggests it sank after hitting a marine mine, say the discoverers. It's thought that the remains of the 23 crewmembers are still inside the vessel.
https://www.livescience.com/60475-wwi-german-u-boat-found-off-belgium-coast.html