04 MARS 2023 NEWS
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ROUMANIE – Alba Iulia - A rare, 1,700-year-old sarcophagus with an inscription dating from the second century and the carved face of Medusa in stone was destroyed by an excavator in the cemetery of Alba Iulia, Romania. A local resident took some photos and sent them to representatives of the National Museum of Unification in Alba Iulia. "We looked at the fragments on the ground and discovered a series of elements that lead us to conclude that we are dealing with a sarcophagus. There are pieces of the sarcophagus lid and the coffin. A Roman stone sarcophagus comprised two 'operculum' and 'arca'. There are pieces of the coffin and the lid, which has four-quarters of a sphere at the corner. [...] We also have the sculptural decoration with the face of the Gorgon Medusa. It is a typical decoration for workshops in Alba Iulia, and it is represented in other funerary monuments, but it is a rarity," said George Bounegru, an expert in funerary archaeology at the National Museum in Alba Iulia. According to archaeologists, the sarcophagus would have been about 2.5 meters long and belonged to a man named Claudius (CL), who lived for 30 years. "The dedication was put by the 'coniux', the form of 'coniugi', which in Latin means 'the deceased's spouse'," specialists explained.
https://www.romania-insider.com/roman-sarcophagus-accidentally-destroyed-romanian-cemetery
ESPAGNE – 
Castelló d’Empúries - Deep beneath an ancient Spanish church, a set of tunnels has long been a source of curiosity. Now, after five years of excavations, archaeologists know more. The three tunnels make a U-shape underneath the church of the convent of Sant Agustí in Castelló d’Empúries, experts with the Institut d’Estudis Empordanesos said. Combined, they are about 130 feet long, 10 feet wide and 15 feet high. Archaeologists said the tunnels were made of opus signinum — a simple, unpatterned pavement commonly used by the Romans — and had a hydraulic mortar coating, indicating that they may have been used as cisterns for holding water. Experts estimate that altogether the tunnels could hold more than 100,000 gallons of water. Using a sample of coal from the tunnels to conduct a radiocarbon analysis, experts determined the tunnels were built between 198 B.C. and 42 B.C., which was during the Roman Republic — and much earlier than what archaeologists expected. During this time, the Romans used Castelló d’Empúries as a port and colony in Iberia, according to the World History Encyclopedia. In 195 B.C., the Iberians revolted before Roman armies led by Marcus Porcius Cato stopped them. Following this defeat, the region saw a period of heavy military presence, experts at the institute said. This led to increased construction of castles, towers, residences, offices and more.
https://www.bellinghamherald.com/news/nation-world/world/article272666865.html#storylink=cpy
ISRAEL - 
Lachish - The Israel Antiquities Authority said Friday that an ancient shard bearing the name of the Persian king Darius the Great that was announced this week to much fanfare was “not authentic.” In the Wednesday announcement, the authority said the fragment found by a hiker in Israel’s Judean lowlands region was the first discovery of an inscription bearing the name of Darius I anywhere in Israel. The ostracon, a potsherd that was used as a writing surface, bears an Aramaic inscription that reads “Year 24 of Darius,” which would have dated it to 498 BCE. However, on Friday, the IAA said that following the publication of the find they were approached by an expert who participated in an excavation expedition last August, who informed the authority that she had created the inscription “while demonstrating to a group of students the manner in which sherds were inscribed in ancient times.”“She then left the sherd on the site, which led to the erroneous identification.
ALLEMAGNE – 
Haithabu - A trainee metal detectorist in northern Germany recently hit on something his mentor never expected: an 800-year-old hoard of gold jewelry and silver coins that hints at the area's trade connections. The large hoard contained a dazzling collection of artifacts. "The hoard consisted of two very high quality gold earrings set with semi-precious stones, a gilded pseudo-coin brooch, two gilded stone-studded finger rings, a ring fragment, a small formerly gilded perforated disc, a ring brooch, and about 30 silver coins, some of them heavily fragmented. Known as Hedeby in Danish, the site was the second-largest Nordic town and was important to the Vikings between the eighth and 11th centuries. Haithabu was destroyed and abandoned around 1066, ending the Viking era in the region, but a century or two later someone purposefully buried the bag full of valuables nearby. Perhaps the most remarkable items in the hoard are the two earrings. They probably date to the time around and after 1100 and are in the tradition of Byzantine goldsmiths. The hoard also contained an imitation of an Islamic coin — an Almohad gold dinar — that had been made into a brooch. The Almohad caliphate was a Muslim dynasty that ruled over southern Spain and northern Africa between the 12th and 13th centuries. The 30 silver coins, minted during the time of Danish King Valdemar II, suggest that the hoard was buried some time after 1234.
Stunning gem-covered gold earrings found in 800-year-old hoard in Germany | Live Science
FRANCE – Rennes - Une carrière de schiste ayant servi à la construction de Condate à l’époque gallo-romaine a été mise au jour par l’Inrap. La multiplication des chantiers de construction a récemment permis à l’Inrap de mettre au jour des centaines de tombes dont celle remarquable de Louise de Quengo. Mais c’est la première fois que ses équipes rencontrent un tel monument. Imaginez un peu : les pierres qui ont été extraites ici ont servi à la construction des premières rues de celle que l’on appelait alors Condate. Datation : entre 50 et 150 après Jésus-Christ. Des vestiges vieux de 2.000 ans cachés là, sous nos pieds, et qui seront bientôt surplombés d’une résidence senior. « Les pierres de schiste sont des matériaux très drainant. Elles étaient utilisées pour façonner les soubassements des rues et des bâtiments car elles évacuent facilement l’eau », explique Nicolas Menez, le responsable du chantier. Ses équipes ont même découvert une multitude de trous dans la pierre. Il s’agirait des impacts de barre à mine que les Romains utilisaient pour extraire la roche. La technique existe toujours dans les carrières modernes, mais elle se fait à l’explosif. De couleur verte, le schiste découvert ici est très friable. C’est un cousin du schiste pourpre qui a servi à construire tant de maisons de Rennes à partir de l’époque médiévale et que l’on peut encore voir aujourd’hui. Découverts à deux pas du centre-ville de Rennes, ces vestiges nous rappellent ô combien Condate était étroite à l’époque. Imaginez que cette carrière ne se trouvait même pas dans la ville gallo-romaine. « On mettait les activités artisanales à l’extérieur de la ville parce qu’elles étaient jugées bruyantes, odorantes et qu’elles risquaient de provoquer un incendie », explique l’archéologue de l’Inrap. Sans doute fermée au IIIe siècle, la carrière est ensuite devenue une sorte de dépotoir où les habitants venaient jeter leurs bibelots cassés ou abîmés. En creusant, les archéologues ont pu croiser le chemin d’objets divers : un sesterce frappé du profil de l’empereur romain Trajan, décédé en 117 après J.-C. Ou encore d’une statuette de Venus en terre cuite, vraisemblablement façonnée en Bourgogne.
ISRAEL – Jerusalem - Des pierres de baliste vieilles de 2000 ans, découvertes lors de fouilles archéologiques, ont été analysées par l’autorité des antiquités israélienne, révélant que les combats de l'époque de l'Empire romain étaient d'une intensité "impitoyable" L’archéologue Kfir Arbiv mène des recherches sur la puissance de l’armée romaine à son apogée. Cette étude, faite par l’autorité des antiquités israélienne, a pour but de comprendre comment Jérusalem et le Second Temple ont été détruits lors d’une invasion. Selon les Israéliens, ce monument a été démoli en 70 après J.-C. "Les Romains disposaient d'une armée massive bien entraînée, équipée des meilleures innovations militaires de leur époque. C'était une machine de guerre impitoyable", explique Kfir Arbiv. Les Romains étaient même parvenus à fabriquer des balistes qu’ils arrivaient à propulser d’une distance allant de 100 à 400 mètres. Parmi les objets qui étaient lancés par les catapultes et les frondes, figuraient des épées, des pierres, des lances ou des flèches. À partir des objets qui ont été retrouvés, les scientifiques ont pu effectuer des calculs balistiques qui permettent de voir le lieu du lancer et la cible visée. Kfir Arbiv décrit : "Avec l'aide de l'ordinateur, j'ai localisé tous les balistes exactement là où elles ont été trouvées. J'ai pris en compte la topographie locale et l'emplacement des murs de fortification de la ville à l'époque du Second Temple, et j'ai effectué des calculs balistiques, notamment l'angle de lancement et la distance de projection des pierres. Toutes les données ont été comparées aux descriptions contemporaines détaillées de la bataille, de la conquête et de la destruction de Jérusalem faites par le célèbre historien juif Joseph dans son livre 'Histoire de la guerre des Juifs contre les Romains'." Les balistes ont aidé les Romains à percer les lignes de défense Cela lui a permis de savoir depuis quel endroit étaient lancées les pierres. Pour lui, beaucoup de machines étaient placées dans un lieu appelé la "place des chats" dans le quartier de Nahalat Hashiva. Ces munitions auraient aussi aidé les Romains à envahir la ville et à détruire les défenses des Israéliens. Bien qu’ayant résisté, le peuple hébreu n’a pu empêcher la destruction de Jérusalem.
VIDEO = https://www.newsnow.co.uk/h/Science/Archaeology#nn_gtm_a=mmenu-nav
CHINE – Suzhou - Archaeologists have found a large kiln site cluster dating back to the Southern Song Dynasty (1127-1279) in the city of Suzhou, east China’s Jiangsu Province. An area covering nearly 3,000 square meters has already been excavated. A total of 99 sites, including kilns, drying areas, sedimentation tanks, walls, houses, roads, wells and ash pits, have been found, alongside more than 200 artifacts, such as gold bricks, pottery and lamps, according to Chen Ruijin, an official of the city’s culture, radio, TV and tourism bureau. Archaeologists said that preliminary analysis showed the large-scale kiln sites could be the “Pingjiang Guanyao,” porcelain kilns known for producing royal ceramic ware for the court, which has been recorded in ancient literature. The findings reveal a clue as to the location of the “Pingjiang Guanyao,” and provide new materials and evidence for the exploration of civilization in the Suzhou region, and they are of great importance to the study of the development of China’s kiln industry, said Wang Guangyao, a researcher at the Palace Museum, one of China’s most prestigious museums.
CHILI – 
Quintero Bay - The discovery was made in the Quintero Bay on the central Chilean coast, where the researchers have been excavating a site designated GNL Quintero 1 (GNLQ1). During the last Ice Age (approximately 24,000 to 17,000-years-ago), the marine space that Quintero Bay occupies was a large esplanade of wetlands which stretched several miles from the current coastline. The esplanade was home to various extinct fauna such as paleolamas, mylodones, American horses and deer, as well as species of rodents, foxes and coypus. With the thawing of the ice sheets, a rise in sea levels caused the esplanade to become submerged, providing the only known end-of-Pleistocene submerged site on the Pacific coast of South America. A study of GNLQ1 by archaeologists and palaeontologists have uncovered deposits of camelidae, cervidae, equidae, mylodontidae, xenarthra, canidae, myocastorinae, and octodontidae, in addition to numerous remains of mylodon, all of which are similar to types of animals found at sites of Paleoindian hunter-gatherers in similar environments in central Chile. The underwater field work consisted of an excavation by strata, vacuuming the sediments that were cleared to later recover the faunal assemblages in blocks, together with the sediment that contained skeletal remains. “We have also recovered medium-sized species such as foxes, a large number of microfauna made up of various species of rodents, very small marsupials and even remains of reptiles”, said Professor Isabel Cartajena, Director of the OHC and an academic at the Department of Anthropology at the University of Chile. In total, the researchers have found more than 7,000 skeletal remains, of which 8 have been identified as extinct fauna and dozens of individuals corresponding to minor fauna. “The high taxonomic diversity is especially striking, since the group is made up of more than fifteen species,” Cartajena emphasises. “Until now, the GNLQ1 site has not reported cultural evidence supporting the presence of early human groups. However, this site demonstrates the existence of a landscape available for the occupation and mobility of extinct fauna and early human groups along the Pacific coast of South America”, comments the director of OHC and academic at the Faculty of Social Sciences of the U of Chile.