31 OCTOBRE 2013 NEWS: Pachacamac - Mandalay - Flores - Megara - Xi'an -- Lake George -

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PEROU624x468-12.jpg Pachacamac - Archaeologists hope to better understand the relationship between the temple at Pachacamac and the islands off the coast.There won’t be much dust to brush off of the artifacts found at this dig, but there will certainly be a host of factors making life complicated for the archaeologists beginning an underwater dig near Pachacamac. According to Andina news agency, archaeologists are searching for clues to better understand the relationship between the holy site at Pachacamac and the islands near the coast. Experts believe that the islands were of great religious significance to prehispanic peoples, reports Andina. Andina writes that a legend first recorded in the 1600s indicates that the islands may have been understood to be the embodiments of the goddess Cavillaca and her daughter, who threw themselves into the sea after leaving the mountains and traveling to the coast. Previous digs near the site have found both pre-and post-hispanic artifacts, including the remains of a dock from the period of the guano boom in 19th-century Peru. The Pachacamac archaeological complex is located about 40 kilometers south of the city of Lima. The site was utilized by different groups over the centuries, including the Huari and the Ichma. The Ichma were later conquered by the Inca empire, and Pachacamac was absorbed into imperial infrastructure.

http://www.peruthisweek.com/news-peru-underwater-archaeological-dig-will-investigate-pachacamac-site-101293

MYANMAR7-dsc01561-150x107.jpg – Mandalay -Archaeologists say they have discovered the remains of a monastery building buried beneath the historic tomb of a former Siamese king in Mandalay Division. The tomb of King Uthumphon, in the well-known Linzin Hill graveyard in Amarapura Township, has been under excavation since February. Mickey Heart, a historian who leads the excavation team, said the foundations show the monastery building was about 18 meters wide, while the monastery compound was about five acres. “We still can’t say exactly which abbot resided in this, but since it was situated near the pagoda built by the Thai king, it could have been the place where Thai abbots were living,” he told The Irrawaddy. According to Burmese history records, Uthumphon was originally brought to Mandalay Division in the 18th century as a prisoner of war. He was captured by the third king of Burma’s Konbaung Dynasty, Hsinbyushin, who invaded the ancient Thai capital of Ayutthaya in 1767 and returned to his own capital, Ava, with as many subjects as possible.  The Thai king, who was in monkhood, died in captivity and was buried at Linzin Hill. Dr. Tin Maung Kyi, a Burmese historian who lives in Mandalay, agreed that it was unclear which abbots once lived at the site. “We can’t say that this monastery belonged to King Uthumphon,” said Dr Tin Maung Kyi. “Other abbots may have resided there.” The abbots may have lived during the reign of King Bodawpaya (AD 1782-1819), the sixth monarch of the Konbaung Dynasty, he said. Meanwhile, the 100-person excavation team also plans to establish a museum around Linzin Hill that reflects the culture and daily life of the Thai people who lived in Mandalay during the 18th century.

http://www.irrawaddy.org/burma/ancient-monastery-buried-beneath-thai-kings-tomb-mandalay.html

INDONESIEhomo-floresiensis-skull-lb1.jpg Flores - Researchers from the Eijkman Institute for Molecular Biology in Jakarta are collaborating with their US counterparts to trace the presence of the genes of the prehistoric Denisovan and Homo floresiencis humans in modern-day residents of Flores, East Nusa Tenggara (NTT). "It has never been thought before whether there is Denisovan and Homo floresiensis genes both in our genes and theirs [Flores residents]. We will carry out research into the issue," said Eijkman Institute deputy director, Herawati Sudoyo, in Jakarta on Tuesday, as quoted by Antara news agency. She said Indonesia was home to a wide variety of ancient hominid humans. It was here that Homo floresiensis, nicknamed the ‘Hobbit’, the most recently discovered human species was located and its evolution remains a mystery. "This is because we cannot yet prove through a DNA test whether [the diminutive] Homo floresiensis is a new species or whether they were short because of certain illnesses," said Herawati. Although anthropologists could physically determine that the ancient humans found in Liang Bua, Flores, were different from other hominids, Herawati said the differences could be precisely determined and analyzed through a DNA test. "We can determine it through a wider perspective using ‘Genome-wide scanning’. We can see it from the aspects of metabolism, nutrition, food, including genes related to their susceptibility to diseases," she said. Herawati said her team would soon start activities to organize the field in Ruteng, Flores, together with researchers from the University of California, before they started the survey and decided which samples should be taken. Meanwhile, Richard Edward Green, an assistant professor from the Biomolecular Engineering Department of the University of California, said researchers had found fossils of Denisovan ancient humans in the Althai Mountains, Siberia. Parts of the DNA fragments of the Denisovan ancient humans can be found only in populations living east of the Wallace line, namely Australia, Flores, Maluku, Oceania, Papua and the Philippines. (ebf)

http://www.thejakartapost.com/news/2013/10/30/researchers-trace-genes-ancient-humans-flores.html

GRECEmegara.jpg Megara - The Greek Central Archaeological Council (KAS) voted for an area of 4,000 hectares in the western Attica region, Megara. After the voting procedure, it was announced that the area of Megara is listed for protection as an archaeological site. The location of Megara is in the northern section of the Corinth Canal opposite the island of Salamina. Moreover, in antiquity was a significant trading hub, with the new archaeological area including two ancient ports. Initially, there were some concerns regarding the size of the site and the difficulties that its full excavation would entail. Despite this fact, Greek Central Archaeological Council stated that the protection of significant antiquities found at the site merit its full protection. The archaeologists found Roman-era baths, an aqueduct, impressive fortifications, graves containing valuable burial offerings and an ancient agora, among others. The decision by KAS means that all the separate excavation sites that have emerged from the 1930s to the present will be encompassed in the 4,000-hectare zone.

http:/greece.greekreporter.com/2013/10/30/greek-council-lists-megara-as-archaeological-site/

CHINEa46fc028-688f-4e80-83dc-6f8dc007fe16.jpeg Xi'an - The Tang Dynasty West Market, located to the west of Xi'an, Shaanxi Province, used to be just ruins, but now it has been restored and developed into a complex with eight areas, including a shopping street, a museum, a hotel and residential apartment buildings.  The project is the brainchild of Xi'an Tang Dynasty West Market Culture Industry Co, a private enterprise. An Jiayao, a well-known archaeologist with the Institute of Archaeology of the Chinese Academy of Sciences, was invited to explore the ruins before they were developed. Exploration of the market ruins has provided useful information about the Tang Dynasty (618-907), An said, such as the method used for construction of ditches and artworks made from bones. Findings about the layout of the market have also proved valuable. Behind the shops were individual workshops where vendors made crafts before displaying them, according to An's exploration. The West Market covered about 106 hectares in the Tang Dynasty, and was home to tradesmen from about 220 industries, including wine, clothes, medicine, antiques and jewelry. It was one of the world's largest international trading centers at the time. Standing at the starting point of the ancient Silk Road, the restored market is hoping to benefit from plans to develop a new Silk Road Economic Belt, which was proposed by President Xi Jinping when he paid a state visit to Kazakhstan in early September. A senior archaeologist in Xi'an who wished to remain anonymous told the Global Times that only a small part of the restored market area was explored for genuine archaeological purposes. Though archaeologists are allowed to conduct explorations, they often have a limited amount of time because they are under pressure from real estate developers to finish quickly, said the archaeologist. This problem is not uncommon, he noted. Restoration of the ruins should be proper restoration, he said, not just duplications of the original form.

http://www.globaltimes.cn/content/821648.shtml#.UnJ1k1RdUuo

USA –  milliondollarbeach-600.jpg Lake George -  New York archaeologists say they've uncovered 10,000-year-old American Indian artifacts at the site of a construction project at a popular state-owned beach in the southern Adirondacks. Officials with the State Museum in Albany say an archaeological dig conducted  New York archaeologists say they've uncovered 10,000-year-old American Indian artifacts at the site of a construction project at a popular state-owned beach in the southern Adirondacks. Officials with the State Museum in Albany say an archaeological dig conducted on Lake George has turned up artifacts dating back to about 8,000 B.C. The museum's director and the state's head archaeologist are holding a news conference at the beach Thursday afternoon to announce the finds and display some of the artifacts.The state is repaving the parking lot and access road along the entrance to the beach, located on the southern end of the 32-mile-long lake. Previous digs have turned up prehistoric artifacts in the tourist village known for its French and Indian War sites.

http://www.northcountrypublicradio.org/news/story/23134/20131031/dig-turns-up-ancient-artifacts-at-lake-george-site