01 DECEMBRE 2021 NEWS
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TURQUIE – 
Pergamon - Skeletons examined by scientists in the ancient city of Bergama revealed that people living in the region 2,000 years ago mainly ate carbohydrates and plants, while the wealthy consumed more meat. The studies also revealed that people of the region suffered dental problems and sinus diseases the most. they also benefited from the teeth to understand the nutritional habits of the period, Teegen said, “We see that a carbohydrate-rich diet was common like bread and porridge.” Teegen stated that carbon and nitrogen examinations in the laboratory revealed that many people had a plant-based diet. “A certain percentage of the population could eat meat regularly. The number of people who ate a lot of meat was low because meat-eating varied depending on people’s social status. Those who had money were able to eat meat or fish. We know that beef was cheaper than pork, as pork was very popular during the Roman Empire. The most expensive meat was rabbit meat at that time,” he said.
https://www.hurriyetdailynews.com/studies-reveal-eating-habits-of-pergamon-people-169632
FRANCE – 
Morschwiller-le-bas - Les archéologues de l'INRAP ont mis à jour à Morschwiller-le bas, près de Mulhouse, un monument funéraire monumental datant du néolithique final, soit environ 3.500 à 3.100 ans avant notre ère. Cette découverte constitue une première en Alsace. Le site porte aussi des traces d'une présence humaine remontant au mésolithique ancien, soit 9.000 ans avant notre ère. Le monument funéraire est une structure monumentale, mesurant 15 mètres de long sur 5 mètres de large. Il est constitué de blocs de calcaire importés spécifiquement sur le site provenant au minimum de 3 kilomètres. Les archéologues ont découvert à proximité 200 fragments d'ossements humains appartenant à des individus de tout âge. Les ossements sont tous très fracturés, ce qui confirme l'hypothèse, selon Sylvain Griselin, le responsable de ces fouilles, d'un rejet ou d’une mise à écart volontaire, que l'étude ultérieure devra préciser.
CHINE – 
Inner Mongolia - Archaeologists announced the discovery of 128 children buried inside of urns as part of an ancient Chinese funerary practice. The excavation team unearthed the tombs along with coins, pottery and tiles in northern China's Inner Mongolia autonomous region. They believe these were people who lived during the Han dynasty (202BC-220AD). During this period, the bodies of children would not have been cremated. People would connect multiple urns — likely two, sometimes more — to create a protective "home" for the body.
AFGHANISTAN – 
Kapisa / Logar - A total of seventy five ancient relics have been discovered in Kapisa and Logar provinces, an official said. The archeologists found the artifacts dating back to two thousand years in the Kushanid era, in Khume-Zargar area of Kapisa and Mis-e-Ainak area of Logar province. The antiquities included pottery, metal barrels that were used for various tools and that there were also a number of small statues.
ALLEMAGNE – 
Wertach – A hoard of 5,600 silver coins from the Roman Empire dating back nearly 2,000 years has been found. The silver coins minted in the denarii Roman currency were discovered in an old, gravel riverbed near the location of what was once an early military base. The coins, which weigh 33 pounds in total, were discovered during excavation work after floods in the small town of Wertach flushed them out. The statement said that the oldest of the coins were minted under Emperor Nero (A.D. 54–68) and the most recently minted under Septimius Severus, shortly after A.D. 200. A soldier earned between 375 and 500 denarii in the early 3rd century. The treasure, therefore, is the equivalent of about 11 to 15 annual salaries. Archeologists also discovered coins from the eras of Emperors Trajan, Hadrian, Antoninus Pius and Marcus Aurelius as well as coins from the era of Didius Iulianus, who was only emperor for nine weeks before being murdered in A.D. 193. Previous ancient discoveries in the area have included weapons, jewelry, more than 800 coins, dishes, transport vessels and a variety of devices. The statement said that the newly discovered objects are "chronologically meaningful," especially the coins. They allow for the first Roman base in the area to be dated to between 8 and 5 B.C. Toward the end of the reign of Emperor Augustus (around A.D. 10), the first base was replaced by a military camp for around 3,000 soldiers. From this base, the early civilian settlement of what would become Augsburg emerged. It was called Augusta Vindelicum in medieval times. "We assume that the treasure was buried outside the city of Augusta Vindelicum near the Via Claudia running there in the early 3rd century and was never recovered," Gairhos, the Augsburg archeologist, said.
https://www.newsweek.com/cache-thousands-ancient-roman-silver-coins-found-river-1653112?piano_t=1
MALTE – 
La Vallette - A Knights-era painting that has just been discovered behind a bricked-up arch at the Museum of Archaeology could shed light on the original decoration of the Auberge de Provence's Gran Salon. The wall painting, which was discovered during a restoration project, has been described by Heritage Malta as a unique surviving element that could reveal information of the decorative scheme of the hall prior to the early 19th-century. One day restorers came across a bricked-up arch and two fireplaces, likely introduced by the British in the 19th-century. As they investigated further, the restorers spotted decorative elements that were completely different from the hall's decorative scheme. A small section of the arch was removed to assess this artwork, which, although covered in soot, was relatively intact. The uncovered part depicts a hand holding a trident, an image usually associated with mythology. The rest of the painting is currently still behind the fireplace shaft and the rest of the arch.
PEROU – 
Cajamarquilla - A mummy, fully bound in ropes and with its hands covering its face, has been discovered in an underground tomb in Peru. Archaeologists from the National University of San Marcos found the mummy in good condition in Cajamarquilla, a significant site 25km inland from the coastal city and capital Lima, Peru. The mummy is estimated to be between 800 and 1200 years old. Although the mummy's striking pose – bound by ropes and in the foetal position - appears chilling at first sight, researchers believe it is a southern Peruvian funeral custom. The tomb also contained ceramics, vegetable remains and stone tools. Several marine molluscs were also discovered outside the tomb."After the body is placed in the tomb, there are constant events and activities," Van Dalen Luna said. "That is to say, their descendants keep coming back over many years and placing food and offerings there, including molluscs."The mummy, thought to be a male, likely predated the Inca civilisation, which dominated the southern part of South America 500 years ago.
ISRAEL – 
Zif - A lead projectile dating back to the times of the Maccabees was discovered. The 3 cm. projectile carries the name of Diodotus Tryphon, a Hellenist king who reigned over the Seleucid Empire from 142-138 BC. A symbol representing Zeus, the ancient Greek religion's king of the gods, is also etched onto the projectile. The projectile was discovered at Zif, an archaeological site in South Hebron Hills. Tryphon is known for the assassination of Jonathan, one of Mattathias' sons, Judah Maccabee's successor as leader of the Maccabees and High Priest of Judea.
FRANCE – 
Arras - À Arras, l’Inrap a fouillé une nécropole à inhumation du Bas Empire. Pas moins de 130 tombes ont été mises au jour, venant affiner les connaissances régionales sur les pratiques funéraires et la gestion de l’espace sépulcral durant l’Antiquité tardive. Les tombes s’implantent dans un substrat crayeux compact et suivent un axe globalement sud-ouest/nord-est – avec quelques variations est/ouest ou encore ouest-nord-ouest/est-sud-est. Les fosses sont quadrangulaires, parfois relativement grandes par rapport à l’individu inhumé. Leurs dimensions sont très variables, jusqu’à atteindre 3 m de long, 1,80 m de large et 2 m de profondeur pour les plus importantes. Malgré une forte densité, on n’observe que peu de recoupements entre les tombes. Ceux-ci sont assez anecdotiques, indiquant très vraisemblablement la présence d’un marquage aujourd’hui disparu : simple levée de terre sur la tombe ou aménagement plus pérenne. L’architecture des tombes est assez homogène. La majorité des individus sont inhumés dans un cercueil cloué posé directement au fond de la fosse sépulcrale. Le bois n’étant pas conservé, celui-ci est matérialisé par la présence des clous, de dimensions plus ou moins importantes. Dans quelques cas, un coffrage de bois supplémentaire a été observé, comme l’atteste la présence d’équerres clouées aux angles du coffrage dans certaines tombes. Un sarcophage en plomb a été mis au jour au centre de l’emprise de la fouille non loin de celui découvert et prélevé au cours de l’opération de diagnostic de 2020. Le sarcophage est similaire à celui dégagé au cours du diagnostic : il présente les mêmes éléments de décor, lui conférant donc une datation semblable. Il était vraisemblablement posé dans un vaste coffrage de bois, matérialisé par la présence d’équerres d’angles. Le sarcophage a été écrasé sous le poids des blocs de craie du comblement de la tombe. Un sarcophage en calcaire a été mis au jour dans la fosse sépulcrale voisine du sarcophage de plomb. La cuve monolithe de forme trapézoïdale était surmontée d’un couvercle en bâtière trapézoïdal, parfaitement conservé et en place. L’étanchéité du contenant ainsi assurée, la cuve était vide de tout sédiment et ne contenait que les restes osseux – moyennement conservés – d’un individu adulte de sexe féminin. Aucun mobilier n’accompagnait la défunte. On notera l’absence quasi systématique de dépôt de mobilier auprès des défunts. Seules deux tombes font exception ; dans l’une d’entre elles (sép. 1296), la jeune femme a été déposée richement parée de bijoux.Les individus inhumés correspondent, au premier abord, à un recrutement naturel. On y rencontre des enfants, dont de très jeunes enfants, et des adultes ; des hommes et des femmes. Aucune répartition particulière n’a été observée en fonction de l’âge des défunts, les tombes d’enfants étant mêlées aux tombes d’adultes. Les tombes sont toutes individuelles, à l’exception d’un cas de sépulture double adulte/enfant.
https://www.inrap.fr/une-necropole-inhumation-du-bas-empire-arras-pas-de-calais-16119