05 JUILLET 2023 NEWS
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UKRAINE – 
Kakhovskyi - A boat, which may be 500 years old, was discovered in the Khortytsia National Reserve, on the site of the shallowed Kakhovskyi Reservoir. During a routine inspection of the washed-up coast of the Dnipro, employees of the “Khortytsia” nature reserve found an ancient Ukrainian boat, the Ministry of Culture said in a press release. The boat was made from a solid oak trunk. The length of the artifact reaches 67 meters, the width is 8 meters (taking into account the deformation), the height of the ship’s side is 5 meters. The boat was immediately moved to the restoration hangar. 70-80% of the monument has been preserved. The vessel is missing a fragment of the left side in the aft part. Two longitudinal cracks 2-3 meters long extend along the starboard side. According to the state of preservation of the wood, it can be assumed that the age of the boat may reach 300-500 years.
ANGLETERRE – 
Linmere - Twenty-five Mesolithic pits that date back 8,000 years have been unearthed in an “exciting discovery” by archaeologists in Bedfordshire. The Linmere pits are “incredibly significant” because there are very few substantial Mesolithic sites in the UK, the Museum of London Archaeology (MOLA) said on Monday. Scientists hope they can gather more information about the Mesolithic period beyond limited existing evidence, such as flint tools and “occasional butchered animal remains”. Animal bones found in the pits helped scientists to radiocarbon date them back to between 8,500 and 7,700 years ago. Archaeologists found the remains of several wild species, including aurochs, marten, deer and boar. Aurochs were a wild species of cattle, and there was evidence on the bones that people were eating them. Measuring up to five metres wide and 1.85 metres deep, it would have been a huge undertaking to dig a single pit. The pits appear to be laid out in multiple straight lines, up to 500m long. The shape and size of the pits makes it unlikely they would be used to store food, MOLA said. Their location next to water suggests there could have been “some spiritual or special significance”. Archaeologists are carefully studying whether the pits are aligned on any major celestial events such as the solstice. They are hoping to discover whether the pits were all dug and in use at the same time, as well as understanding more about the plants growing nearby. They have already identified evidence of oak, hazel and pine, and are now studying tiny pieces of pollen.
KYRGYZSTAN - 
Batken - The remains of people who lived approximately in the 1st −4th centuries were discovered in Kyzyl-Koshuun valley of Batken region during archaeological excavations. The Batken State University reported. The site, where the excavations were carried out, has a cemetery, graves, architectural objects, houses and petroglyphs. The last studies were carried out there in 1954-1960.According to the head of the archaeological expedition, Candidate of Historical Sciences Abdinabi Kadyrov, the monuments found during the excavations may have been installed at Kara-Bulak cemetery. About 150-200 archaeological sites have been found in this valley. According to him, during the research, personal items belonging to people, who lived in the 1st-4th centuries, were found. A vessel, three knives, a dagger, an arrowhead and a belt were found buried with the man.«Kara-Bulak monuments date back to the 1st — 4th centuries. At that time, according to burial rituals, personal belongings were left next to the deceased, jewelry was left for women, and food was also left in a vessel at the head of the bed,» Abdinabi Kadyrov explained. He noted that the discovered objects would be sent for research to a European laboratory, where radiocarbon analyzes are carried out. After research, it will be possible to accurately determine the origin of the mound.
RUSSIE –
Altai - Recent scientific exploration in the remote Altai Mountains has uncovered a striking revelation that astonished experts. According to a post on Archeology Knowledge’s Facebook page 1, researchers stumbled upon a remarkably well-preserved mummy known as the “Siberian Ice Maiden” or “Princess Ukok” 2. This fascinating discovery shed light on not only the ancient individual’s identity but also her enduring fashion sense. The star of the show was an exquisitely preserved tattoo, prominently displayed on the left shoulder of the Ice Maiden. The captivating design featured a gracefully depicted deer with intricately woven floral antlers. This incredible ancient artwork serves as a timeless testament to the creativity and artistic skill of a civilization long gone. What’s truly remarkable is the age of the mummy, estimated to be a staggering 7000 years old 2. This revelation provides concrete evidence that fashion trends can stand the test of time. It appears that tattoos that were considered fashionable seven millennia ago still retain their allure today.
https://www.europeantimes.news/2023/07/a-7000-year-old-mummy-with-a-tattoo-discovered/
ITALIE – 
Segesta - Local authorities have announced the uncovering of an ancient Greek altar at the archaeological site of Segesta on the island of Sicily. Over 2,000 years old, the altar was used for family worship during ancient times. It had been buried for centuries by a few centimeters of earth and vegetation in the area of the Southern Acropolis at the Segesta site, which is in the western part of the island. Segesta, renowned for its fifth-century-B.C. temple, was an ancient Greek city nestled between mountains. Apart from the altar, archaeologists also dug out a similar-shaped relic that they believe may have been a support for a sculpture. Both finds are perfectly preserved, the regional government said.
https://www.dailysabah.com/arts/ancient-greek-altar-unearthed-in-italian-island-sicilys-segesta/news
NORVEGE – 
Setesdal - While trying to expand their home, a Norwegian couple found a Viking Age grave and sword in their garden. . He searched the internet for more details and “found an almost identical Viking-era sword that was discovered in another region of the country some time ago. Archaeologist Joakim Wintervoll from Agder county municipality and Jo-Simon Frshaug Stokke from Oslo’s Museum of Cultural History came to see the discovery. Surely enough, they could confirm: A Viking was once laid to rest here. It’s the make of the sword that allows the archaeologists to date the find. The two pieces of the sword that were found make out a 70 cm long sword, and the blade is 5 cm at the broadest point. The hilt of a sword is an object of fashion, and the style of the hilt found in Setesdal places it at around the end of the 800s and the beginning of 900.
https://arkeonews.net/norwegian-couple-found-a-viking-age-grave-and-sword-in-their-garden/
INDE – 
Thulukkarpatti - Potsherds with Tamil inscriptions 'Thieeya', 'Thisa', and 'Kuvira(n)', were unearthed in the second phase of excavation at Thulukkarpatti in Tirunelveli, said minister Thangam Thennarasu on Tuesday. In a Twitter post, Thennarasu said, "It is worth noting that among the potsherds found now, there are potsherds with Tamil inscriptions such as Thieeya, Thisa, and Kuvira(n). This is good proof of the literate Tamil community which had been living on the banks of Nambiar with its own cultural elements." In a statement, the Tamil Nadu Archeology Department said that the antiquities unearthed in Thulukkarpatti included copper rings, iron objects, terracotta (hopscotch and gamesman), spindle whorl, carnelian, amethyst, glass beads, and quartz apart from the potsherds with Tamil inscriptions.
MEXIQUE – 
Chichén Itzá - A "portal to the underworld" has been found near the ancient city of Chichén Itzá, Mexico, surrounded by human and animal skeletons. The bones, along with a canoe, were initially discovered along the Yucatán Peninsula back in 2021 when divers explored an underwater cave 15ft (4.6m) below the surface of the water. Researchers on the dive at the San Andrés cenote – or sinkhole – found 38 skeletal remains in total, including bones from a human foot, an armadillo, a dog, a turkey and an eagle. Now, because of the human foot and armadillo bones, historians believe the canoe may have been used by the Maya for an ancient ritual ushering the dead into the next life, a press release by the National Institute of Anthropology and History (INAH) said. It is believed the Maya thought of armadillos, who are keen swimmers, as an "allusion to the entry [...] into the underworld.""There are known images in Mayan ceramics in which [the armadillo] appears as a 'stool of the gods,' with characters that place their feet on it," said Alexandra Biar, an archaeologist from the French National Center for Scientific Research (CNRS).The Maya people also believed caves and cenotes were portals to the underworld, and used armadillos as an "avatar" for the God L. The deity, who took the form of a jaguar, was believed to be one of the principal gods of the underworld and is associated with rain and lightning. He also wore a cape decorated in a pattern similar to that of an armadillo's shell and it was thought the armoured creature was believed to serve as a manifestation of the god on Earth. The canoe found alongside the bones also hints at the cave being used as part of a sacred ritual – the "very heavy" boat doesn't appear to have been designed with easy navigation and water-tightness in mind.
https://www.dailystar.co.uk/news/world-news/portal-underworld-found-surrounded-human-30386413
FRANCE – 
Lodeve - Les vestiges des jardins de l’évêché dont la création remonte au XVIIIe s. ont été perçus à plusieurs reprises dans les tranchées de diagnostic. Des allées empierrées bordées de fosses de plantation ont été retrouvées ainsi que l’un des bassins « en forme d’urne renversée » décrit comme tel sur un plan de 1736 conservé aux archives départementales de l’Hérault. Les alimentations en eau de différents ouvrages hydrauliques du parc ont également été retrouvées. Le diagnostic a également mis au jour les témoignages inédits d’un probable faubourg médiéval. Il s’agit d’un ensemble de fondations de murs d’habitations qui se développent sur plusieurs centaines de mètres carrés. Les traces d’activités domestiques (foyer, sols d’habitat) ont été perçues ponctuellement. Mais où est donc Luteva ? Le diagnostic répond à la question posée en 2002 par Pierre Garmy et Laurent Schneider dans la Revue archéologique de Narbonnaise, où ils faisaient le bilan des faibles connaissances sur cette cité romaine qui acquiert le droit latin au Ier s. de notre ère. À 200 m de la présente opération, la fouille Inrap, menée en 2014 lors de la restructuration du musée Fleury, avait livré un carrefour de rues et les façades de bâtiments antiques, révélant les premières traces tangibles de l’urbanisation de la ville romaine. Le diagnostic étendu qui vient d’être réalisé a permis de retrouver, sur plus de 100 m de long, un axe de circulation important s’intégrant dans la même trame que les précédentes découvertes. À la voie de 8 m de large, s’accole un bâtiment correspondant à une probable domus. Elle a été repérée sur plus de 400 m2 et livre des sols aménagés (terrazzo, béton).
https://www.inrap.fr/des-vestiges-modernes-medievaux-et-antiques-lodeve-herault-17319#
SERBIE – Belgrade - Les archéologues ont mis au jour plusieurs tombes romaines et les vestiges d’un aqueduc dans le centre de Belgrade, la capitale serbe. Les découvertes datent de la période où la ville était une colonie, connue sous le nom de Singidunum, dans le Empire romain. “Jusqu’à présent, nous avons découvert 14 tombes romaines des troisième et quatrième siècles”, a déclaré Milorad Ignjatović, archéologue au musée de la ville de Belgrade. a déclaré au site Web serbe Tout sur l’archéologie (“Tout sur l’archéologie”). Les fouilles ont mis au jour 14 tombes datant des troisième et quatrième siècles de notre ère, lorsque Belgrade – alors appelée Singidunum – était un centre de la puissance militaire romaine dans la région. Le site présente différents styles de tombes romaines. “Deux des tombes ont des bases rectangulaires avec des voûtes voûtées murées de briques, tandis que deux autres sont faites de briques empilées en forme de cercueil”, a-t-il déclaré dans des commentaires traduits du serbe. “Nous avons également découvert quatre sarcophages en pierre, qui étaient considérés comme la manière la plus luxueuse d’être enterré à l’époque romaine.”
SUISSE – 
Saint-Brais - La Section d’archéologie et paléontologie de l’Office de la culture jurassien mène actuellement des fouilles dans un cimetière historique – abandonné au XVIIIe siècle – dans le village de Saint-Brais. Le cimetière se trouve à l’intérieur d’une zone à bâtir. Lors de la réalisation d’une tranchée de sondage diagnostic, «plusieurs squelettes sont apparus dès le début du terrassement», révèle l’Office cantonal. À ce jour, 19 inhumations ont ainsi été découvertes. «Bien que plusieurs enfants figurent parmi les défunts, la composition précise de cette petite population est encore à déterminer», reprend l’Office de la culture. Certaines sépultures semblent se rattacher au XVIIe siècle d’après le mobilier retrouvé mais d’autres pourraient être encore plus anciennes. Une hypothèse est que «ce cimetière aurait donc pu être utilisé durant la guerre de Trente Ans (1618-1648), période particulièrement mouvementée pour la région».Les fouilles vont se poursuivre durant le mois de juillet
https://www.lematin.ch/story/decouverte-de-sepultures-datant-probablement-du-17e-siecle-184359430823
ALLEMAGNE – 
Lübeck - Around 18 months after it was found off the coast of northern Germany, archaeologists have displayed what they uncovered in the wreck of a 17th century Hanseatic trading ship. This marks the first successful salvage of a trading ship from that time period in the region. "We have found more than we hoped and we can make many inferences about the constitution and equipment present on the ship," project lead Felix Rösch announced in a press conference on Monday. After an extensive salvaging mission, the treasure trove has now been cleaned and documented. The pieces include porcelain, parts of the rigging, including 180 pieces of wood. The stern of the ship is in especially good condition, according to news agency EPD. These include a liquor bottle with the word "Londn" written on it. Animal bones and residue found on pieces of porcelain also offer an insight into what was eaten on board. The ship was first found in the Trave River near the port city of Lübeck in north-eastern Germany on the Baltic Sea in November 2021. A routine measurement of the water by officials uncovered the ship at a depth of 11 meters (36 feet). The ship itself is 25 meters long and around 6 meters wide. Experts believe the ship was on the way to Scandinavia — but never made it. Black marks on much of the wood indicate a large fire took place on board, which may have the been the cause of the shipwreck. The cargo of the ship may have been part of the cause of the fire: 150 barrels of highly flammable quicklime, which was used as a building material in the 17th century, were on board. The Hanseatic league was a medieval commercial and defensive confederation of cities and merchants based around the North and Baltic Seas that stretched from the Netherlands to Poland, and north along the coast of Scandinavia.
https://www.dw.com/en/german-shipwrecks-400-year-old-treasures-discovered/a-66120874