08/09 FEVRIER 2015 NEWS: Kerkenes - Hougoumont - Avanos -
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TURQUIE – 
Kerkenes - Mosaics from the late Roman era have been unearthed by an illegal excavation carried out in a wheat field in the central Anatolian province of Yozgat’s Sorgun district. The treasure hunters, whose identities are not yet known, excavated two spots in the wheat field, which is located five kilometers away from the ruins of Kerkenes. As a result of the illegal excavation, the treasure hunters unearthed a mosaic structure and a wall one meter under the surface of the field. They had damaged a part of the mosaic, possibly while trying to find valuable treasures that may have been hidden under the mosaics. Following an examination of the area, the Culture and Tourism Provincial Director Lütfi İbiş said legal procedures would begin for the illegal excavations. “Mosaics from the late Roman era were discovered here. We will do our best to get the region declared an archaeological area,” he said. Yozgat Museum Director Hasan Kerim Şenyurt said research and excavations had been continuing on the right side of the Kerkenes Mount since 1993. He said the ruins of Kerkenes could be considered the largest ancient city in central Anatolia. “The field of the illegal excavations is outside the protected archaeological site. The 240x150 centimeter mosaics have round and diamond shapes. White, green, dark and light brown colors are seen in the small stones of the mosaics. We will work with the Kerkenes excavation team to unearth these mosaics completely,” Şenyurt said. He said they had thought of protecting the mosaics where they are currently located, but that it would not be possible and the mosaics would be carried to the museum. “The mosaics will be damaged if they remain in the open area. It will be better for them to be protected in the museum,” he said.
BELGIQUE – 
Hougoumont - A team of archaeologists is planning to excavate a Napoleonic farmhouse that was defended against seemingly impossible odds by the Coldstream Guards during the Battle of Waterloo, 200 years ago. The archaeologists, led by Prof Tony Pollard of Glasgow University, will begin the most comprehensive excavation carried out so far of the farm at Hougoumont and the wider battlefield. The French army had been told by Napoleon to seize the Duke of Wellington’s strategic position on the Mont St Jean Ridge, a few miles from Brussels. Hougoumont was a cluster of 12 buildings situated in woodland directly below the main position selected by the Iron Duke to break up the advance of the French infantry.The battle had reached a critical moment, with 14,000 French soldiers on the brink of breaking into the chateau compound and securing victory, when Corporal James Graham, a 24-year-old guardsman, closed the large gates of the farm while under fire. “Every guardsman from day one in training is told about Waterloo and Hougoumont and what that means to be a Coldstream Guard,” Mr Evans said.
TURQUIE – 
Avanos - The Cappadocia Underground Ceramic Museum (Güray Museum) is considered the world’s first rock-carved underground ceramic museum and is a highly popular spot in the Avanos district in the central Anatolian province of Nevşehir. Established after five years of work by the Güray ceramic factory, one of the oldest ceramic factories in the region, the museum has been displaying nearly 500 pieces since April last year. The museum is located on an area of 1,500 square meters and is 15 meters underground. It also serves for meetings and cultural organizations.