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ROYAUME UNI – 
Somersham - A cluster of decapitated bodies discovered at a burial site were probably from victims of Roman military executions, archaeologists have said. The "exceptionally high" number of 3rd Century decapitated bodies were found at a military supply farm settlement at Somersham, Cambridgeshire. Several were kneeling when they were struck from behind with a sword. Archaeologist Isabel Lisboa said 33% of those found had been executed, compared to 6% in most Roman British cemeteries. Three cemeteries were excavated revealing 52 burials, of which 17 were decapitated. At least one of those executed - an older woman found face-down - appears to have been tortured immediately before death or mutilated afterwards. Their heads were found placed at their feet or lower legs. Dr Lisboa, from Archaeologica, said they dated from a time of increasing instability for the Roman Empire, when legal punishments became harsher. "The number of capital crimes doubled in the 3rd Century and quadrupled in the 4th Century," she said. "As it was part of the Roman army, directly or indirectly, the severity of punishments and the enforcement of Roman law would have been more severe at the Somersham settlements," she said. The settlement is believed to have supplied the Roman army, part of a wider network of nearby military farms at Camp Ground and Langdale Hale. A "lack of genetic relationships" between the bodies suggests they were either in army service or slaves. At least two of those found were born in Scotland or Ireland, and another in the Alps.
https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-england-cambridgeshire-57189875
GRECE – 
Athenes - A 2,300-year-old ceramic jar filled with the bones of a dismembered chicken was likely part of an ancient curse to paralyze and kill 55 people in ancient Athens, archaeologists say. The finding reveals new evidence for how people tried to use "magic" in the city. At the time, around 300 B.C., the people who made the curse also gouged a large iron nail through the vessel. "All exterior surfaces of the [jar] were originally covered with text; it once carried over 55 inscribed names, dozens of which now survive only as scattered, floating letters or faint stylus strokes" Lamont wrote, noting that the Greek writing contains words that may mean "we bind." The nail and chicken parts likely played a role in the curse. Nails are commonly found with ancient curses and "had an inhibiting force and symbolically immobilized or restrained the faculties of [the curse's] victims," Lamont wrote. The chicken was no older than 7 months when it was killed, and the people who created the curse may have wanted to transfer "the chick's helplessness and inability to protect itself" to the people whose names are inscribed on the jar, Lamont wrote. The presence of the chicken's head and lower legs in the jar suggests that "by twisting off and piercing the head and lower legs of the chicken, the curse composers sought to incapacitate the use of those same body parts in their victims," Lamont wrote. "The ritual assemblage belongs to the realm of Athenian binding curses and aimed to 'bind' or inhibit the physical and cognitive faculties of the named individuals," Lamont wrote. The jar was placed near several burned pyres that contained animal remains — something that may have enhanced the curse's power, according to Lamont.
https://www.livescience.com/ancient-curse-jar-found-athens.html
SOUDAN – 
Jebel Sahaba - Archaeological excavations revealed battered bodies buried in a cemetery at one of the world's oldest sites showing human warfare, proving all was not well among the peoples who inhabited the east bank of the Nile River in northern Sudan some 13,400 years ago. Researchers said on Thursday a re-examination of remains from the Jebel Sahaba cemetery excavated in the 1960s provides new insight into this prehistoric bloodshed, including evidence that there had been a succession of violent encounters rather than a single deadly showdown as previously believed. Of the skeletal remains of 61 men, women and children, 41 bore signs of at least one injury, mainly from projectile weapons including spears and arrows. Some wounds had healed, indicating the person survived the fighting. Sixteen of them had both healed and unhealed wounds, indicating they survived one fight only to die in another. A microscopic examination identified wounds with remnants of stone weapons embedded in the bone.
INDE – 
Anantapur - The foresight of the rulers of the Vijayanagar Empire to ensure sustainable agriculture has been highlighted by a stone inscription dating back to the 14th century. It stresses diversion of river waters into tanks to help farmers overcome drought effects. Myna Swamy, a historian and writer, has come across the stone inscription in the agriculture fields belonging to Gangisetty Subhash Chandra Bose of Karaavulapalli in Gorantla mandal. A dasavakanda inscription, the language is simple and sweet, he said, explaining their meaning. He observed, “In those days, writing of prose was not available. Everything was in the form of poetry. But Meereddipalli inscription is throwing new light about development of Telugu language in the 14th century itself.” The inscription belonging to Bukkaraya-II dates back to 1388 AD. It was carved on a stone slab in total 26 lines. The year was Prabhava - Maagha Suddha and its equivalent date as per English calendar is January 23, 1388. It reveals about Nayankara administration, irrigation facilities and development of agriculture in Vijayanagar Kingdom across all parts of the empire. The writer says it was an order of Bukka-II to construct a tank and dig a canal from Chireru (now Chitravati river) to link up with the tank. With the permission of then Ruler Bukka Raya, son of Maha Mandaleswara Sri Veera Harihara Raya II, the Nayankacharya (mandal president) Harigila Poli Nayudu, son of Kithi Nayudu, the ruler of Mereddipalli, constructed a tank and dug a water supply canal as well. Poli Nayudu also gifted some land to Toleti Peda Byrapoju and Toleti China Byrapoju for timely completing the tank and canal works.
MALTE – 
Qrendi - Archaeologists discovered the remnants of a chapel dating to the late medieval period underneath a 17th-century church in Qrendi. Madonna Tal-Hniena, or Our Lady of Mercy, was constructed in 1650 after falling into disrepair, and it was later restored. Buried underneath the church is the medieval chapel, which experts said might have been constructed prior to 1500. Archaeologists found the surviving walls of a smaller and older structure. "The removal of the existing floor tiles and the underlying preparation layers led to the uncovering of walls defining an older structure, which had survived within the enclosed space of the new baroque church," Malta’s Superintendence of Cultural Heritage posted in a statement on May 21. Underneath the foundation of the medieval structure, researchers found even older archaeological deposits, suggesting that the site might have been used even prior to the late medieval period.
https://www.washingtonexaminer.com/news/medieval-chapel-found-underneath-17th-century-maltese-church
AFGHANISTAN – 
Lashkar Gah - Sur les flancs de la rivière Helmand, dans le sud de l'Afghanistan, reposent les ruines d'une cité royale millénaire. Mais les archéologues s'inquiètent pour l'avenir de cet ensemble exceptionnel, aujourd'hui occupé par des centaines de personnes déplacées par les combats alentour. En surplomb du cours d'eau presque asséché, dans les faubourgs de Lashkar Gah, la capitale de la province du Helmand, apparaît un étonnant complexe de palais d'argile ocre, aux contours adoucis par le temps, appelé par les locaux Qala-e-Kohna et datant du XIe siècle. Dénommé Lashkari Bazar par les archéologues, il forme le seul exemple connu d'une résidence d'hiver des sultans Ghaznévides puis Ghorides. Ces deux dynasties ont régné entre les Xe et XIIIe siècles sur une région qui incluait l'Afghanistan actuel, diffusant l'art islamique jusque dans le nord de l'Inde. D'autres constructions éparses s'étendent sur une dizaine de kilomètres vers le sud, jusqu'à la citadelle de Bost, connue pour son arche. Le tout a suscité l'intérêt pour son ampleur, sa remarquable architecture et ses peintures murales.
