15 DECEMBRE 2019: Alamo - Duolun - Avon - Llanfairfechan - Mit Rahina - Akrotiri - Beta Samati
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USA – 
Alamo: Archaeologists discovered the remains of three people beneath the Alamo during an archaeological exploration ahead of planned renovations at the site of one of the most famous battles in American history. The remains of an infant, a teenager or young adult, and an adult were found during archaeological work in Alamo church’s monks burial room and nave. During the 1836 Battle of the Alamo, nearly 200 defenders died following a 13-day battle with Mexican forces led by General Santa Anna. The dead included legendary American frontiersmen David Crockett and Jim Bowie. Historians believe most of the bodies of the vanquished were burned.
https://nypost.com/2019/12/14/three-bodies-found-beneath-the-alamo-during-archaeological-dig/
CHINE – Duolun: Chinese archaeologists have discovered the relics of a large-scale palace dating back 1,000 years in north China's Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region. The palace, located in Duolun County, was believed to be built in the Liao Dynasty (916-1125 AD), according to the Institute of Cultural Relics and Archeology of Inner Mongolia. Built on a tall rammed earth platform, the pavilion-style building has a rectangular shape with a bulge on its front. The wall, built with clay, was lime-washed and 1 meter thick. Drainage facilities were found on both sides of the building to prevent erosion. Archaeologists also found many construction materials, including some rare eave tiles featuring human and animal faces. Besides, the large number of color-glazed tiles unearthed from the relics proved that the palace was of high importance. "The well-preserved site is significant to the archaeological study of the dynasties of Liao, Jin (1115-1234), and Yuan (1271-1368)," said Gai Zhiyong, vice president of the institute. The Liao Dynasty was founded by the nomadic Khitan and ruled the northern part of China.
http://www.xinhuanet.com/english/2019-12/14/c_138630992.htm
USA – 
Avon - Beneath the frozen earth and seven feet down, artifacts, from more than 12,000 years ago, were discovered in Avon last January. The archeological findings were discovered while the state Department of Transportation crews excavated a site for a bridge replacement at the intersection of Route 10 and Old Farms Road. Archeologists and historians around the state are celebrating what is considered a major discovery. “The significance is, this is the oldest known Paleoindian archeology site in southern New England,” said Terri Wilson, president of the Avon Historical Society. Senior Archeologist David Leslie has worked with the DOT and coordinated the dig. He said they’ve uncovered about 15,000 artifacts. Included among them, 27 “Cultural Features” Leslie said are extremely rare. “This is a human contact site. Not a human remains site. So there’s no remains of humans. This is where they lived and worked,” said Wilson.
ROYAUME UNI – 
Llanfairfechan - Archaeologists looking for evidence of neolithic axe work have make an "astonishing" discovery in North Wales. A team of experts from Gwynedd Archaeological Trust have come across three discarded axe workings in Llanfairfechan, Conwy - made roughly around 5,000 years ago. It is thought to have been thrown away when someone had started to shape the stone into an axe, but it was not good enough. Hundreds of pieces of debris have also been discovered at the field at Ty’n y Llwyfan Farm, known as 'stone flakes' which is the debris from axe working. The test pitting work ran by experts and volunteers last month show there was axe-working in the field and should help experts to pin-point exact working locations next year. It is not known whether people were living permanently in the area, or if they were just visiting to collect axe stone from the area.
https://www.dailypost.co.uk/news/north-wales-news/archaeologists-made-astonishing-new-find-1741910
EGYPTE - 
Mit Rahina - An Egyptian archaeological mission from the Ministry of Antiquities has unearthed a red granite royal bust of King Ramses II emblazoned with the “Ka,” a symbol of power, life force and spirit. The discovery was made during excavations on privately owned land in Mit Rahina village in Giza, after the landowner was caught carrying out illegal excavation work at the site. Mostafa Waziri, secretary-general of the Supreme Council of Antiquities, asserted that the bust is unique, as the only similar bust to have been discovered is carved in wood and belongs to 13th Dynasty King Hor Awibre, and is now on display at the Egyptian Museum in Cairo. Waziri says that the newly discovered bust is carved in red granite and depicts Ramses II wearing a wig with the symbol of the “Ka” over his head. The bust is 105 cm tall, 55 cm wide and 45 cm thick. The mission has also unearthed a collection of huge red granite and limestone blocks engraved with scenes showing Ramses II during the Heb-Sed religious ritual, which indicates that these blocks could belong to a great temple dedicated to the worship of the deity Ptah. The bust and the blocks have been moved to the Mit Rahina open air museum for restoration, and excavations will continue at the site.
GRECE - 
Akrotiri - According to Marie Nicole Pareja of the University of Pennsylvania worked with primatologists to re-examine wall-paintings of monkeys in a Minoan building buried in volcanic ash around 1600 B.C. at the site of Akrotiri, which is located on the Greek island of Thera in the Aegean Sea. No monkeys are known to have lived in Greece at the time. Most of the monkeys in the painting have been identified as olive baboons, which are native to Egypt, but one monkey, with distinctive fur and an S-shaped tail, was identified as a grey langur, a species that lives in Nepal, Bhutan, and the Indus Valley of India. The Minoans are known to have had contact with Egyptians, but did they also cross paths with members of the Indus Valley Civilization? “I wouldn’t be surprised if someday in the future we found evidence for that kind of direct contact,” Pareja said. It is also possible that Greeks may have seen langurs imported to Mesopotamia from the Indus Valley, she added. “It’s evidence of this far-reaching trade, these relationships with these far-flung areas.”
ETHIOPIE – 
Beta Samati - Archaeologists have uncovered the remains of a 1,700-year-old Christian basilica in Ethiopia. The basilica, from the 4th century A.D., was found in Beta Samati, an ancient town that was once part of the Aksumite civilization. The remains of the church date back to the time when Christianity became the official religion of the Aksumite empire. “Early basilicas in Ethiopia were key places of Christian worship, and the site at Beta Samati appears to be one of the first in the Aksumite kingdom — built shortly after King Ezana converted the empire to Christianity during the mid-fourth century AD,” researchers explain in a statement emailed to Fox News. Secular and religious artifacts were discovered in and around the basilica, including animal figurines, crosses, stamp seals, and tokens that were likely used for trade and administration. Commercial and domestic buildings were also found at Beta Samati. A gold ring, which shows Roman influences, was also found in the basilica.
https://www.foxnews.com/science/1700-year-old-christian-basilica-discovered-in-ethiopia
