07 MARS 2017 NEWS: Kibbutz Shamir - Long Lawford - St-Martin-d'Hères - Boulogne sur Mer - Chengdu -
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ISRAEL – 
- A 4,000-year-old dolmen, a large table-like stone structure, was unearthed near Kibbutz Shamir in the Upper Galilee by archeologists from Tel Hai College, the Israel Antiquities Authority and the Hebrew University of Jerusalem. The dolmen is marked by its huge dimensions and the artistic decorations engraved in its ceiling. According to the Israel Antiquities Authority, the dolmen was discovered inside a large chamber measuring 2 by 3 meters, and was covered by an enormous stone estimated to weigh at least 50 tons, one of the largest stones ever used in the construction of dolmens in the Middle East. The dolmen itself was enclosed in an enormous stone heap (tumulus) approximately 20 meters in diameter, and its stones are estimated to weigh a minimum of 400 tons. At least four smaller dolmens that were positioned at the foot of the decorated dolmen were identified inside the stone heap. “In other words, what we have here is a huge monumental structure built hierarchically (with a main cell and secondary cells). This is the first time such a hierarchical dolmen has been identified in the Middle East,” said the IAA in a release. The engraved shapes depict a straight line going to the center of an arc. About fifteen such engravings were documented on the ceiling of the dolmen, spread out in a kind of arc along the ceiling. There are no other similar engraved rock drawings known to exist in these shapes in the Middle East, and their significance remains a mystery "The building of such a huge construction necessitated knowledge of engineering and architecture that small nomadic groups did not usually possess. And even more importantly, a strong system of government was required here that could assemble a large amount of manpower, provide for the personnel and above all, direct the implementation and control of a large and lengthy project.
http://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-4930971,00.html
ROYAUME UNI – 
Long Lawford - The remains of a 2,000-year-old village have been unearthed in Warwickshire. Archaeologists uncovered relics from the Celtic Iron Age village – the predecessor to the existing village of Long Lawford – as part of a four month excavation ahead of the building of a new housing estate off Back Lane. Finds included the broken-up rim of a wheel from a chariot or cart, and a sword-shaped currency bar which would have been used for barter exchanges. The dig, conducted by the University of Leicester Archaeological Services and Cotswold Archaeology, also found a number of ditched and fenced enclosures – the Iron Age equivalent of modern day allotments – on which vegetables were grown and small animals could have been reared. The fact that both items were found close to each other in the same ditch also indicates that a high status Iron Age blacksmith lived close by who would have both forged and then recycled such items. Both discoveries failed to be detected by metal detector surveys and were only uncovered when the excavation got underway. The broken chariot rim was discovered in the first investigations in 2013, and the sword shaped currency bar last November.
https://leamingtonobserver.co.uk/news/remains-of-2000-year-old-village-unearthed/
FRANCE - 
Saint-Martin-d'Hères - Ce crâne a désormais un nom : celui de Bayard, le chevalier sans peur et sans reproche, héros de l'histoire de France. C'est l'épilogue de 20 ans d'enquête digne des plus fins limiers, menée par le plus proche descendant vivant du chevalier Pierre de Terrail, seigneur de Bayard. Pour confirmer l'authenticité de ce crâne, il a d'abord fallu le reconstituer. Puis des prélèvements ont été effectués. La poudre d'os a permis de prouver que le corps a été enterré avec son armure. Mais pour comparer l'ADN retrouvé dans une dent, il fallait trouver un autre descendant de Bayard, avec un patrimoine génétique transmis de mère en fille depuis 25 générations. Dernière étape : grâce à 2 portraits réalisés du vivant de Bayard et l'utilisation d'un logiciel utilisé par le FBI, il a été possible de recréer le visage du chevalier. Puis de le comparer aux os du crâne. Pour l'instant, les restes de Bayard sont toujours dans un carton au musée d'archéologie de Grenoble. Resté dans l'histoire pour sa bravoure et sa loyauté, Pierre de Terrail, seigneur de Bayard, dont les exploits sous Charles VIII, Louis XII et François 1er ont fait rêver des générations d'écoliers, fut enterré au couvent des Minimes à Saint-Martin-d'Hères, près de Grenoble. Mais ses restes furent disséminés. Depuis deux siècles, historiens et passionnés ont cherché à identifier les restes du héros des guerres d'Italie, né en 1476 au château de Bayard, près de Grenoble, et mort au combat, d'un coup d'arquebuse en 1524 à Romagnano Sesia, dans le Piémont italien. En 1937, un passionné trouva trois cercueils alignés à Saint-Martin-d'Hères, l'un des corps portant une plaque d'officier, et l'un des crânes étant plus sombre. Il a donc fallu attendre 2017 pour authentifier ce crâne, soit 5 siècles après le décès du preux chevalier.
FRANCE – 
Boulogne sur Mer - La ville antique de Boulogne scrutée dans les moindres détails. À quoi ressemblaient les remparts au IVe siècle ? C’est pour répondre à cette question qu’un radar de sol va arpenter certaines rues de la ville jusqu’à ce jeudi soir. Grâce aux ondes électromagnétiques envoyées par cet outil innovant, il sera possible de connaître le tracé exact des remparts antiques.
https://www.associationciras.fr/blog/
CHINE - Chengdu - Archeologists discovered a large deposit of bronze items in Chengdu, capital of southwest China's Sichuan Province, when excavating a tomb cluster dating from between the Spring and Autumn Period (770-476 B.C) and the Warring States Period (475-221 B.C). Wang Tianyou, head of the archeological team from the Chengdu Cultural Relic Research Institute, said they have excavated 180 tombs in an area the size of two soccer fields, from which 540 bronze ware items were unearthed, ranging from weapons, utensils and tools to ritual statues. The largest number of items was found in a tomb holding a boat-shaped coffin, which was carved out of a tree trunk and sealed with mud. The bronze ware is elaborately engraved with designs such as cicadas, tigers, dragons, handprints and symbolic patterns of the Kingdom of Shu, which was an ancient civilization in Sichuan, and the Kingdom of Chu, a civilization in present-day Hubei and Hunan provinces. The smallest bronze pieces were a set of knife sharpeners, each 4 centimeters long. Liu Yumao, a research fellow with the institute, said the findings are important evidence to help understand the culture of the Kingdom of Shu and its interaction with other kingdoms.
http://news.xinhuanet.com/english/2017-03/05/c_136104677.htm
