24 MAI 2023 NEWS
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INDE – 
Papparapatti - A unique hero stone, dating back to the 17th- 18th century, depicting a dance routine of a prominent between was unearthed in Papparapatti. Over the past few weeks, a team of researchers and history enthusiasts have been studying hero stones in part of Papparapatti. During the study, the team discovered a hero stone which depicts two people putting up a dance routine, while one person is seen using a percussion instrument and another person is seen dancing at an extremely fast pace. Usually, hero stones depict the heroic sacrifice of a warrior. Speaking to TNIE, History Professor at the Dharmapuri Arts College, C Chandrasekhar said, “It is extremely rare to see a hero stone depicting a dance. The details carved are extremely vivid and detailed.” Based on the depictions of the clothing and other cultural aspects, the stone can be from the 17th - 18th century period. Moreover, the hero stone shows a pillar, which could mean that this was held on a large stage with a lot of people. From the depiction we can speculate that this might have belonged to the ‘Kurumans’ tribe which is still prominent in the area, he added.
INDE - 
Hyderabad - A city archaeologist has discovered ochre colour rock paintings at BNR Hills in Jubilee Hills, dating back to third millennia BCE. Dr Dyavanapalli Satyanarayana said a huge boulder that looks like snake hood contains ochre colour rock paintings in a straight line of about two metres. According to him, the BNR Hills letters belong to the pre-Ashokan age because there one comes across several cupules hewn by the people of neolithic age while making their tools some 5,000 years ago. Thereafter, human culture lasted here because a rock bruising of “a trident going up through a circle” is also noticed, he said, adding that it is the characteristic motif of the successive age known as megalithic age which existed some 3000 years ago.
PEROU – 
Ancon – Archaeologists have uncovered a tomb from the Ichma culture during excavations. The Ichma were a pre-Inca indigenous polity located south of Lima in the Lurín River valley and the Rímac River valley. The culture emerged around AD 1100 and lasted until around AD 1469 when they were absorbed into the Inca Empire. Is believed that the Ichma were an Aymara-speaking people that came to inhabit the coastal areas near Lima following the collapse of the Wari empire. Around this time, several small kingdoms and confederations were created, which were dominated in the region by the Chancay Culture to the north of Lima, and the Ichma culture to the south. The Ichma were centred on their capital of Pachacamac (formerly known as Ishma before the Inca conquest), where they constructed at least 16 pyramids and worshiped Pacha Kamaq, the creator god. This revealed a 500-year-old burial from the late Ichma period, whose remains were deposited in a pit and wrapped in natural fibre blankets secured using ropes tied in geometric patterns. Alongside the burial are various funerary offerings, including ceramics and containers for mate – dried leaves of the yerba mate (Ilex paraguariensis) that many cultures of the Americas use to create a caffeine-rich infused herbal drink by soaking the leaves in hot water.
https://www.heritagedaily.com/2023/05/tomb-from-the-ichma-culture-found-in-peru/147388
CHINE – 
South China Sea - Hundreds of years ago, the Ming dynasty relied on maritime trade to import key goods from foreign countries. Now, the discovery of two Ming-era shipwrecks in the South China Sea is giving experts a better idea at what that trade looked like. The shipwrecks were discovered about 1 mile below sea level on the northwest slope of the South China Sea, according to a May 22 news release from the State Administration of Cultural Heritage via the Institute of Archaeology at the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences. Experts determined that the first shipwreck dates to the Zhengde period of the Ming dynasty — which lasted from 1506 until 1521. The wreck was overflowing with porcelain goods, including bowls, cups, plates and jars in various glaze colors. More than 100,000 relics, mostly made of porcelain, have been uncovered so far, and experts said they are spread across hundreds of thousands of square feet. The second, older shipwreck dated to the Hongzhi period of the Ming dynasty — which lasted from 1488 until 1505. At this site, experts found stacks of logs and some pottery, according to officials. The persimmon logs were all a similar size and were neatly stacked.
https://www.miamiherald.com/news/nation-world/world/article275659401.html
ANGLETERRE – 
Vindolanda - We’ll never know what was written on the first Vindolanda tablet found in modern times. The postcard-sized wafer of wood was discovered in 1973, during excavations of a 1900-year-old Roman fort in the north of England. That first writing tablet wasn’t preserved because archaeologists at the time didn’t realize how fragile the ancient wooden artifacts were. But since then, more than 1,800 similar tablets have been found among other buried artifacts at Vindolanda, and they’re now recognized as some of the world’s greatest archaeological treasures: the everyday writings of Roman soldiers and their families who lived at the fort, offering an unparalleled and intimate record of life on the Roman frontier. To mark the 50th anniversary of the discovery of the first Vindolanda tablet, the British Museum in London is conducting a new analysis of the materials used to make the Vindolanda tablets, in the hope that by studying the mediums of the tablets they can complement their messages. Most of the tablets were written in ink on wood, but about 400 of them were written with a stylus on a layer of beeswax in a recess in the tablet. Only fragments of the wax now remain in the corners of these tablets, but in many cases the writing on the wax has left scratches on the wood beneath that can be read. The tablets are usually found deep underground, where the damp earth and lack of oxygen prevent the wooden items from decaying. Ordinary Roman soldiers were taught to read and write—uncommon skills at the time—and the Vindolanda tablets cover almost every aspect of life in a Roman frontier fort, including household matters, letters to friends, and official requests for leave. The was written in about A.D. 100 by a woman named Claudia Severa, the wife of a commander of a nearby fort. In it she addresses Sulpicia Lepidina, the wife of the commander of a cohort at Vindolanda, and invites her to a birthday party: “I shall expect you, sister,” reads the letter. “Farewell, sister my dearest soul, as I hope to prosper, and hail.” This is one of the earliest-known writings in Latin by a woman. Five decades after the discovery of the first Vindolanda tablet, the British Museum is undertaking a new study to better understand how they were made. Museum scientist Caroline Cartwright, who specializes in the preservation of ancient artifacts, says that about 80 of the tablets have been studied so far. Each examination looks closely at the wood the tablet is made from, the chemical composition of the ink (where it was used), and whether the tablets were prepared with another substance before being written on. The scientists are also using electron microscopy to analyze the wood, multispectral imaging to reveal details of the writing under different light wavelengths, and Raman spectroscopy to determine chemical compositions—all methods that weren’t available to earlier researchers of the tablets, she says.
https://www.nationalgeographic.com/premium/article/vindolana-tablets-british-museum-rome
FRANCE – 
Thérouanne - Le site antique mis au jour durant la fouille correspond à un quartier artisanal qui se développe durant le Haut-Empire au sud-est de la ville, le long d’un chenal canalisé de la « Lys ». La position des vestiges en bas de la pente du versant nord de la rivière a favorisé leur conservation. En effet, ils ont été scellés par des alluvions liées aux débordements de la rivière et par des colluvions provenant du versant. Le site antique a ainsi été rapidement recouvert par une couche de sédiments, qui a atteint une épaisseur de 2,50 m à 3 m, qui l'a remarquablement préservé. Les vestiges antiques correspondent à un quartier artisanal, principalement représenté par deux bâtiments aménagés le long d’une voirie perpendiculaire à l’axe du canal. Le premier bâtiment, installé au sud-ouest de la voirie, s’étend sur une surface de 115 m2. Il n’est conservé qu’au niveau des fondations dont la profondeur augmente en allant vers le bas de la pente. L’extrémité sud-est du bâtiment est installée sur un apport conséquent de remblai au bas de la pente. Cet aménagement correspond à une plateforme en craie, reposant sur de nombreux pieux en bois. Sur la plateforme, les remblais devaient probablement être maintenus par des murs en pierres sèches et former un quai. Le deuxième bâtiment, installé au nord-est de l’axe de la voirie, présente, lui, un état de conservation remarquable, avec des murs en élévation et des sols en limon associés, conditions rarement observées en milieu périurbain où les vestiges de bâtiments sont généralement conservés sous les niveaux de circulation, au niveau des fondations. Plus exceptionnel encore, il s'agit de l’atelier d’un verrier. La fouille du bâtiment (toujours en cours) a permis d’identifier plusieurs phases d’occupation en lien avec des fours. Les réaménagements de l’espace (dont l'un consécutif à un incendie) semblent indiquer une activité étendue dans le temps. La métallurgie fine est également envisagée au sein du bâtiment. La fouille du chenal a livré une quantité très importante de rejets de boucherie d’os de bovins. Toutes les omoplates des bovins présentent la trace du croc du boucher et tous les os rejetés sont identiques, ce qui induit un tri préalable avec rejets des parties non-utiles. Durant l’époque antique, l’activité de boucherie s'accompagne d'activités connexes (tannerie, tabletterie, fabrication de colle). Ici, le travail du cuir est représenté par la découverte, toujours dans les comblements du canal, de nombreuses chaussures en cuir avec semelles cloutées et de nombreuses chutes de cuir triangulaires, indices de la présence probable dans le secteur d’un cordonnier et d’une tannerie qui, comme les bouchers, auraient utilisé la rivière comme dépotoir. Enfin, plusieurs fragments de meules ont été découverts sur le site, dont certains sont trop volumineux pour correspondre à des meules manuelles, semblant indiquer la présence d’un moulin, probablement situé non loin du canal découvert dans l’emprise de fouille. La découverte d’un canal aménagé durant l’époque antique est une première dans le Nord-Pas-de-Calais. Le très bon état de conservation de celui-ci a permis d’observer la fabrication d’une berge stable sur le versant nord-ouest de la rivière. Cette berge prend la forme d’une succession d’au moins trois palées (planches maintenues par des pieux), avec une ligne de pieux supplémentaires dans l’eau. Le canal est présent dans l’emprise sur une longueur d’environ 30 m et sa relation avec le premier bâtiment, aménagé en partie sur le « quai », reste à mettre en évidence.
https://www.inrap.fr/un-quartier-artisanal-antique-sous-les-alluvions-de-la-lys-therouanne-pas-de-17230
FRANCE - 
Alésia - C'est le 21 Août 2023 que va débuter la nouvelle campagne de fouilles autour du monument d'Ucuetis à Alise-Sainte-Reine (Côte-d'Or). Un programme qui a débuté il y a trois ans, sur un lieu emblématique d’Alésia. Selon des spécialistes, seulement 10 à 15% du site d'Alésia aurait été fouillé. Dans les années 90, des fouilles ont été effectuées sur la façade publique du monument. En 2020, Fabienne Creuzenet (ingénieure d’étude en archéologie à l’université de Bourgogne, chargée de recherche sur le site d’Alésia) a proposé de reprendre les fouilles sur le quartier nord du monument qui n’a pratiquement pas été exploré. "On a fait une découverte très intéressante dans une ancienne carrière, une grande fosse creusée dans le rocher. Ce sont des restes d’un banquet qui a lieu entre 10 avant JC et 10 après JC. Un banquet de quoi nourrir au moins 2000 convives". De quoi aiguiser la curiosité. «On croit qu’on connait bien Alésia, la circulation au centre de la ville avec la basilique, le monument d’Ucuetis, les boutiques le long d’une grande place publique. Mais on se rend compte qu’il y a beaucoup d’inconnues", constate l'archéologue Fabienne Creuzenet. Le quartier nord du monument d'Ucuetis est le centre monumental d’Alésia. Cette zone, qui faisait office de place publique, fait apparaitre des bâtiments via des photographies aériennes et des prospections géophysiques et radar qui sont restées à l’écart des fouilles anciennes. Il reste une assez grande méconnaissance de l’occupation gauloise sous la ville romaine et il y a encore de nombreux endroits où l'on peut retrouver des choses intéressantes. Le but de ces fouilles est aussi d'approfondir la connaissance du développement de la ville romaine: "on est revenus dans le périmètre des fouilles visitable par le public pour se reconcentrer sur la ville".
https://france3-regions.francetvinfo.fr/bourgogne-franche-comte/bourgogne/bientot-de-nouvelles-fouilles-a-alesia-que-peut-encore-nous-apprendre-le-site-2774510.html
FRANCE - Roquepertuse - The site of Roquepertuse lies in Provence, just inland from France's southeastern Mediterranean coast. From the Late Bronze Age (c. 1400-750 BC) to the Late Iron Age (c. 450-25 BC), the local inhabitants cultivated barley, as well as millet and emmer—all grains used in ancient beer brewing, although of course barley is the most recognizable to us today. When originally discovered in the 19th century, Roquepertuse was thought to be a Celtic religious center (or 'sanctuary'—when in doubt, archaeologists always invoke 'ritual' to explain just about everything), thanks to some impressive statuary found at the site, but more recent excavation and analysis points to a more prosaic village settlement (albeit one that was violently destroyed on more than one occasion over its time 'in operation'). But what is especially interesting about Roquepertuse is that the its Iron Age residents were not just growing barley—and by this point, it was already domestic barley, not the wild variety—but they were malting it. Before diving into the archaeology, a little background on basic brewing may be useful. The barley found at the site was six-row barley; the number refers to the arrangement of the grains on the plant. While many brewers now prefer two-row barley because of its higher starch content, six-row barley is still widely used, especially by larger commercial breweries. Barley on its own won't magically become beer, however—it needs to be malted first, and the resulting malt is what is used to make beer. The malting process involves steeping the grain in water and allowing it to germinate, and then drying the malt; nowadays, the drying portion of the process typically takes place in a kiln. It seems that things were not so different in Celtic France, albeit on a thoroughly domestic scale—today's locavores would be thrilled by the fact that everything needed to make the beer was grown or processed within walking distance of the site, much of it within the likely dwelling space. The key to the Roquepertuse site is the oven, discovered just two meters from a large concentration of germinated, carbonized barley, essentially in the next room. It's likely that the barley was soaked in one part of the building, then dried in the oven. The malt was probably much smokier than most are today, given the limitations of Iron Age ovens, but that was not the only difference from modern beer. The brewing process likely included ingredients beyond this carefully-malted barley—bog myrtle has also turned up in archaeobotany analyses from Iron Age Germany (and, indeed, was used commonly through the Middle Ages as well), and it's possible it was a common additive in contemporary European beer, along with potentially mind-altering substances like henbane. Beginning around 500 BC, evidence for grape vines becomes more pronounced in the region, but most archaeologists agree that wine-drinking and production was brought to France and Spain from the eastern Mediterranean by Greeks and Phoenicians—beer was the native drink long before wine caught on.
https://www.seriouseats.com/beer-prehistory-celtic-beer-from-france
CHINE –
Jinan - Archaeologists have excavated 12 ancient tombs dating back to the Yuan Dynasty (1271-1368) in Jinan, in east China’s Shandong Province, the local archeology institute said Wednesday. This is one of the most important finds ever made in the eastern Chinese province. The Yuan dynasty was founded by conqueror Genghis Khan’s grandson, Kublai Khan. Based on an inscription discovered at the burial complex, the tombs belong to a family called Guo. Murals in one of the Yuan Dynasty tombs with two burial chambers were comparatively well preserved. The carved brick murals were created using chisels and wooden hammers to make patterns in the bricks. The magpies and branches on the murals were a classic Chinese design for good fortune. “The tombs were arranged in an orderly and apparently planned way, and some of the owners were related by blood, providing new material for the study of the arrangement of family cemeteries in the Yuan Dynasty,” Li said. The excavation, which started on April 23, turned up more than 60 pieces of pottery and porcelain ware, bronze mirrors, copper coins, and other cultural artifacts. The results will aid in the study of porcelain produced in the region and its environs during the Yuan Dynasty.