06 DECEMBRE 2017 NEWS: Crubenmore - Topuzarpa - Oslo - Ande - Beidha -
ROYAUME UNI – 
Crubenmore - Work on the A9 has led to the discovery of a possible structure, pottery and a stone tool from the Iron Age. The finds were made during work to build a new stretch of dual carriageway on the road between Crubenmore and Kincraig. Orkney Research Centre for Archaeology (ORCA) believe the finds could be associated with a nearby souterrain. Souterrains are underground structures that may have been used as stores, defences or in rituals. The souterrain close to where the possible Iron Age finds were made is known as Raitt's Cave. The structure, near Kingussie in the Cairngorms, is larger than other souterrains found so far in the north of Scotland. The new structure could be associated with Raitt's Cave. Martin Carruthers, Iron Age specialist at the University of the Highlands and Islands Archaeology Institute, has identified the pottery as a possible collection of early Iron Age sherds, or fragments. The tool found is believed to be a stone Ard point, a rock worked into a point for use as part of a plough. Archaeologists were alerted to the finds by anomalies identified in a geophysical survey.
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-scotland-highlands-islands-42227561
TURQUIE – 
Topuzarpa – A 2,800-year-old stele from the ancient Urartu civilization which had been missing for the past 120 years has been found in Turkey's eastern Van province, reports said Tuesday. Discovered by German archaeologists during excavations in 1891, the stele belonged to Urartian King Minua (810-780 B.C.), Anadolu Agency reported. Professor Bilcan Gökçe from Van Yüzüncü Yıl University's Archaeology Department had launched excavations to find Urartian itineraries in Van's center, Muradiye and Tuşba districts. The stele was discovered Topuzarpa neighborhood in Muradiye district and measures 2 meters and 20 centimeters in length and is made out of basalt. It features 36 rows of cuneiform script, which epigraphist Kenan Işık said was dedicated to the king's vineyard. Işık noted that the stele also explains libation rituals made by Urartian God Haldi and Goddess Arubani from the wine obtained from the vineyard. The team of archaeologists also found some Urartian tablets in the area. Urartu was an Iron Age kingdom located near Lake Van and the mountainous plateau between Anatolia, Mesopotamia, the Iranian Plateau, and the Caucasus Mountains. The kingdom was established around mid ninth century B.C. and was conquered by the ancient Iranian people of Medes in the early sixth century B.C.
NORVEGE – 
Oslo - A stone carved with symbols known as runes and dating to the Middle Ages has been discovered during an excavation ahead of a railway-construction project in Oslo, Norway. The runes, which were found engraved on a whetstone (a stone used for sharpening knives), date to sometime around 1,000 years ago when the Vikings (also called the Norse) flourished in Norway. The runic writing system conveyed a language and could be used to record and convey information as well as cast spells. Each rune formed a letter or sign and a combination of runes could spell out a word. Who engraved the runes on this newly discovered stone is unknown. « On the whetstone, the runes 'æ, r, k, n, a' appear. But it is not easy to tell what they mean," archaeologists with the Norwegian Institute for Cultural Heritage Research (NIKU) said in a statement. The runes could be an attempt to spell a person's name, or they could spell the word "scared," "ugly" or "pain," the archaeologists said in the statement. The person who wrote these runes was probably not a trained rune carver and was likely learning to spell in runic, Karen Holmqvist, a fellow at NIKU who specializes in the study of runes, said in the statement, noting that the quality of runic writing on the stone is poor.
https://www.livescience.com/61100-mysterious-rune-stone-norway.html
INDE – 
Ande - Valuable historical remains including inscriptions and statues of Veeragallu, unearthed during Mission Kakatiya works in Ande village near Siddipet, were thrown out negligently in Telangana. The 15th-century valuables were found by experts. Veeragallus are village heroes who died fighting protecting the women and properties. The site is located near Lord Shiva temple in Ande. During Mission Kakatiya works in the nearby lake and rivulet they have unearthed several statues and inscriptions. Three Veeragallu statues were found. The word Veeragallu means martyrs memorial. One of the Veeragallu statues unusually has an inscription. The inscription was in Telugu. The statues have headwear and a weapon. One of the inscription says that Veeragallu was killed by the local king.
JORDANIE – 
Beidha - The Islamic Beidha Project was launched in 2014, under the direction of Italian archaeologist Micaela Sinibaldi, to conduct excavations, surveys, conservation projects and enhance community engagement focusing on the Islamic village at Beidha studied in the broader context of the Beidha and Petra regions. 'The study of Islamic Beidha belongs to a broader project — The Late Petra Project, which I led — which explores the post-Byzantine period in Petra and is aimed at filling an important gap in the history of the region by expanding research both to the hinterland of Petra and of its later periods,' the archaeologist noted. Contrary to traditional theories, the Petra Valley was 'never really abandoned', she claimed, adding that, starting from the Byzantine period, there was a gradual movement of most of the population living inside the valley to outside areas, in search for better opportunities for water and agriculture. 'During this time, the Beidha region included several agricultural villages, because of its position under the Shara Mountains, particularly favourable for agriculture since the time of Neolithic Beidha,' Sinibaldi explained. The rural village has been settled probably over the whole Islamic period, following a large settlement during the Nabataean and Byzantine periods, Sinibaldi argued, adding that the Islamic village at Beidha consists of clusters of habitations, largely belonging to the Late Islamic period, and of two mosques.
http://menafn.com/1096182149/Archaeological-project-explores-Beidha-during-Islamic-era