28 MARS 2017 NEWS: Beit Shemesh - Ippagudem - Aix en Provence - Chouchi - Odisha - Limassol -
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ISRAEL – 
Ramat Beit Shemesh - Remains of a unnamed Jewish town from the Second Temple period were found at the site, which boasts a large and rare collection of eight mikves (ritual baths), as well as wells, stone apparatus used for manufacturing products, and underground tunnels. According to project managers Sara Hirschberg, Sara Levavi-Eilat, and Shua Kislevitz, "What's special about this town is the vast scope of its private mikves, which were built into private homes. Every home here had a mikve and a well. Some of the ones we've uncovered are simple, and some are much more complex and include an "otzar" into which rainwater fell. "It's interesting to see how the residents were so stringent about the laws of purity. "Underneath the residential homes and stone manufacturing apparatus, we've found another surprising discovery from the Bark Kokhba revolt, which took place in the second century CE: a series of twisted escape tunnels which connected to complex underground systems. One of the tunnels accessed an underground well, to provide water for those in hiding. "In a cave, we found ceramic pitchers and whole cooking pots, which survived the rebels. These findings prove that people were still living in the area after Jerusalem's destruction in the year 70 BCE."
http://www.israelnationalnews.com/News/News.aspx/227331
INDE – 
Ippagudem - Much to the delight of archaeologists and historians, a rare idol of Tara – the female Bodhisattva in Mahayana Buddhism who appears as a female Buddha in Vajrayana Buddhism – was found at Ippagudem in Station Ghanpur mandal recently. Archaeology and history enthusiast R Rathnakar Reddy found the black granite idol abandoned near the bund of a tank. He first mistook it for Yakshini of Jain mythology. But later, noted archaeologist and historian Emani Shivanagi Reddy confirmed it as Tara. “It was Shivanagi Reddy who identified the idol as Tara. There is an engraved image of Buddha on the hair bun. The deity’s upper body is naked with large breasts, which is the most common description of Tara in Buddhist literature,” Rathnakar said. Rathnakar also found a broken idol of Buddha near the black granite structure, which helped them confirm that it was Tara. Both the idols – three-ft-tall Tara and four-ft-tall Buddha – take historians and archeologists closer to the Buddhist era. It is believed that idol of Tara, which was damaged, belonged to 8th or 9th century AD.
http://telanganatoday.news/man-stumbles-upon-rare-idol-female-buddha
FRANCE – 
Aix en Provence - Après un diagnostic réalisé par l'Inrap, qui a conclu à la présence d'une nécropole antique, la société privée Mosaïques archéologie a été retenue pour mener les fouilles préventives. Depuis le 13 février et jusqu'au 21 avril, une équipe d'archéologues auscultent donc deux zones définies, l'une de 3600 m² et l'autre, assez vaste, de près de 2 hectares qui semble être la plus riche en enseignements. "Nous avons là une nécropole qui s'étend sur environ 50 m de long et 25 m de large, située au nord d'un chemin empierré. À ce stade des fouilles, nous avons identifié entre trente et quarante fosses bûchers aux parois rubéfiées, dans un état de conservation au-delà de nos espérances", explique Olivier Mignot, responsable des opérations et spécialiste de l'Antiquité. Si les premières fosses n'ont livré que peu de vestiges, la dernière, fouillée ces jours-ci, a permis de mettre au jour de la vaisselle antique (des bols, une cruche, une lampe à huile) mais aussi et surtout... des ossements. Ce qui semble donc confirmer la destination funéraire du lieu. Ce qui soulève dans le même temps bon nombre de questions. Pourquoi les fosses sont-elles vides ? Y a-t-il eu nettoyage et ponction des ossements ? Pour les placer où ? Et à quelle période est-ce intervenu par rapport à la crémation ? Autant d'interrogations qui trouveront peut-être une explication à l'issue des fouilles, lorsque l'ensemble des données recueillies sur le terrain par les archéologues seront analysées en laboratoire. Des vases funéraires ont également été identifiés. Reste à savoir ce qu'ils contiennent. Autre découverte, celle d'une construction en pierre. "Peut-être un mausolée", avance Olivier Mignot qui espère, en creusant plus profondément, trouver "des preuves. Des vases ossuaires, ce serait l'idéal." Tout l'enjeu étant, au fond, de comprendre les rites funéraires de cette époque, datée au plus tard du IIIe siècle après JC. Une "période charnière entre les rites romains et chrétiens." Des suppositions qui devront être confirmées en phase "post-fouilles".
ARMENIE - 
Chouchi - Armenia has begun excavations at Govhar Agha Mosque, referred to as Persian Upper Mosque by Armenians, in the occupied Azerbaijani city of Shusha, APAreported citing Armenpress. The excavation work is being carried out by the Revival of eastern historic legacy foundation. The mosque was built in 1768 upon the order of Ibrahim Khan of Garabagh. However, the construction came to a halt afterwards but was completed in 1883 with the aid of Karbalai Safi Khan Garabaghi.
http://en.apa.az/nagorno_karabakh/armenia-begins-excavations-at-mosque-in-occupied-shusha.html
INDE – 
Odisha - A civilisation of the Stone Age has been discovered during a research by the Archaeological Survey of India in Chandaka Sanctuary on the outskirts of Odisha’s capital. A team led by ASI’s Bhubaneswar circle deputy superintendent D.B. Garnaik revealed that there was human habitat in the hill caves located in the north-west of the forest, approximately 4,000 years ago. During a three-month-long research in the wildlife reserve, the team found ancient stone carvings. Primary statistics revealed that the artwork on reptiles, weapons and geometrical signs prove that people were living in Parthapur, Kusapangi and Gayalbank, 20 km away from Cuttack and 40 km from Bhubaneswar, at least 3,500-4,000 years ago. The artworks found from the site are assumed to be of the new Stone Age and Copper Age. The caves inside the hills have been named as Pandav Bakhara, Duara Khola, Tiger Cave, Chanchali Cave, Kalia Taila Cave, Narahari Cave and Anahat Cave. In these cases, artworks of the Copper Age and the Stone Age have been found. There is a lake adjacent to the hill near Mahanadi River. It is assumed that there was a civilisation near the river during that period.
http://www.asianage.com/india/all-india/270317/stone-age-caves-found-in-odisha.html
CHYPRE – 
Limassol - Archaeological finds possibly dating from the 13th century have been discovered during roadworks in Limassol’s old town, the antiquities department said on Monday. “Foundations of architectural remains of a monumental medieval building have been found on Ayias Theklis street,” archaeological officer Giannis Violaris told the Cyprus Mail. “It didn’t come as a surprise that we found these antiquities, it is an area rife with history as it is so close to the castle. We were prepared for this.” Stratigraphy is the next step the antiquities department will take, trying to discover if there are older archaeological finds under the most recently discovered ones that could be from an older time. “The ones we have found are most likely from the Middle Ages. There could be something underneath that from earlier,” Violaris said.
http://cyprus-mail.com/2017/03/27/limassol-roadworks-uncover-mediaeval-building/