09 MARS 2016 NEWS: Muscat - Vulci - North Kerala - Egypte -Cadzow - Dijon - 2 Caps - Monbalen - Gorgan -
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OMAN – 
Muscat - A team of officials from the Department of Heritage and Culture in North Batinah on Monday discovered a new archaeological site near the town of Al Tawyah in Wadi Hibi. The site is spread over 26,000sq m characterised by huge white trimmed stones. Rashid bin Saleh al Shayadi, director from the Department of Heritage and Culture in North Batinah, said the site has houses comprising rooms and storage areas as well as a place to collect water. There is also a cemetery and a Qibla. Shayadi said that it would be too early to talk about its history, but added that the site could belong to the early Islamic period. He said that samples from the site will be sent to the Department of Archaeological Studies in the Ministry of Heritage and Culture for further studies.
ITALIE – 
Vulci - Excavations of a tomb in northern Lazio dating to around the 8th century BC have uncovered treasures including an amber necklace, a golden Egyptian scarab amulet and rare pottery that archaeologists say likely belonged to an Etruscan princess. The excavation of the Tomb of the Golden Scarab follows its discovery earlier this year in the archaeological site of Vulci, a former Etruscan city. Anthropological research helped back the theory that the tomb belonged to a princess within the ranks of the nascent Etruscan aristocracy. A few bones wrapped in precious cloth are all that remains of her. The excavation of the tomb was carried out in the laboratories of the Vulci foundation in Montalto di Castro near Viterbo. A group of international archaeologists are set to begin a new digging campaign at the Vulci site in April.
INDE – 
North Kerala - Belying 19th century British geo-archaeologist Robert Bruce Foote’s argument on prehistoric habitation in the State, north Kerala is fast emerging as the centre of new discoveries on Stone Age cultures. Several reasons have been cited to make this possible, particularly the enthusiasm shown by a young archaeological-anthropologist N.K. Ramesh. He has been credited with the discoveries of many Palaeolithic, Mesolithic, Megalithic, and Neolithic tools and several Megalithic sites in North Kerala. Findings such as the typical Palaeolithic hand axe from Vanimel river basin (Kozhikode) and pointed choppers and side scarpers from Anakkayam and Cheerkkayam river basin of Chandragiri (Kasaragod) are some of the first-time evidence of Palaeolithic implements in these districts. This revealed that hand-axe fabrication technique in quartz raw material was also familiar among the prehistoric man in north Kerala. “In fact, archaeologist Killingworth Richard Utten Todd (KRU Todd) had discovered Mesolithic tools from Chevayur (Kozhikode), perhaps the first Stone Age evidence in Kerala during 1930-35. But detailed studies then failed to take off,” says P. Rajendran, archaeologist, whose works since 1974 brought to light rich Palaeolithic evidence of myriad cultures in Kerala. Dr. Rajendran said that Foote had argued that Kerala was unsuitable for prehistoric habitation citing primary causes such as the absence of quartzite raw material, thick forest and heavy rainfall in the State. “Today the situation is different with more people coming to the forefront in archaeology. But only a few succeed in identifying the implements of the prehistoric era,” he says. Mr. Ramesh, who does research under Dr. Rajendran’s guidance, has discovered Mesolithic tools from Panom forest region, which lies 1,500 feet, above sea level, bordering Kozhikode-Wayanad districts. “It is a Mesolithic factory site as waste material and hammer stone were discovered near a stream inside the forest,” he said. He has been certified for the discoveries of Megalithic sites at Valayam, Varikkoli, Chekkad, Kuitheri, Ummathur, Perumundacheri, Mullankunnu, Pannimukku, and Muippra. The evidence include black and red ware, eagle head-like figures made of clay, iron chopper and dagger, black ware, smoke pipe, iron knife, iron sickle and several iron ingots. The well-polished symmetrical shaped Stone Adzes made of quartz showed the high expertise in quartz fabrication of Neolithic people in Kozhikode, Mr. Ramesh said.
EGYPTE – 
- A collection of important documents from the 18th and 19th centuries were found accidently in one of the storehouses of the Supreme Council of Antiquities (SCA) in Al- Abbassiya district in Cairo, Antiquities Minister Mamdouh Eldamaty announced. Eldamaty said that the documents consist of a number of letters that were exchanged between those who had been supervising the then Egyptian Antiquities Organisation that has since been replaced by the Ministry of Antiquities. Some of the letters were exchanged between Egyptologists such as Gaston Maspero, Jacques de Morgan and Pierre Lacau and archeologists who were excavating in Egypt at that time such as British Egyptologist Howard Carter and French archeologist Legrant. The documents also include reports on digging operations conducted during the 18th century that were written in different languages, in addition to papers related to the Gabry and Fayyed families who were known at that time for trading in antiquities. Among the documents was a complete file on the Egyptian Exploration Society and a law organising the work on antiquities. Eldamaty said that a file on the works of the French Institute for Oriental Studies was also found. The file included documents on some of the sites that were explored by a mission from the French Institute such as Tanis, Matariya in Heliopolis and Karnak Temple in Luxor.
ROYAUME UNI – 
Cadzow - The lost medieval village of Cadzow may have been finally located after artefacts more than 1,000 years old were unearthed during upgrading work on the M74.The discoveries near Hamilton in South Lanarkshire include coins believed to date from the 10th or 11th century, and fragments of glazed medieval pottery and clay smoking pipes. The Scottish Government agency said archaeologists believed this could finally identify the location of the lost village of Cadzow - now part of Hamilton. James II gave permission for Cadzow to be renamed Hamilton in 1445, after the Dukes of Hamilton, who owned lands in the area. Archeologists said the site may have lain undisturbed because it was where the Netherton Cross, which also dates from 10th or 11th century, once stood, A memorial stone was left to mark the spot when the cross was moved to Hamilton Old Parish Church in 1925.
http://www.scotsman.com/news/transport/1-000-year-old-lost-medieval-village-found-under-m74-motorway-1-4052326#ixzz42KRa1BzO
FRANCE – 
Dijon - Dans le cadre de la construction d'un immeuble d'habitation par le Groupe Voisin Immobilier, les archéologues de l'Institut National de Recherches Archéologiques mènent actuellement une fouille archéologique préventive à Dijon, rue Berlier. Menée sur prescription de l’État, et plus particulièrement la Direction régionale des affaires culturelles (DRAC) de Bourgogne, cette fouille a livré les vestiges de la ville médiévale depuis le XIIème siècle, et une partie des fondations de l'Institut du Bon Pasteur, un institut datant du XVIIème siècle. Laurent Vaxelaire directeur adjoint de l'INRAP en Bourgogne est ravi : "Par rapport à la connaissance qu'on a de la ville, on est effectivement sur un endroit qu'on n'a pas tellement exploré jusqu'à présent. Ces terrains, selon toute vraisemblance, étaient dévolus à la culture maraichère ou du champ. On essaie de le déterminer à travers un certain nombre d'analyses que l'on peut faire sur les sols." Ces fouilles au numéro 47 de la rue Berlier ont débuté le 1er février. Elles vont durer jusqu'à fin mars.
FRANCE – 2 Caps - Le chantier est interrompu en attendant de probables fouilles complémentaires. En cause, une sacrée trouvaille. Trois même. D’abord deux grands cercles blancs. « Ils font environ 20 et 35 mètres de diamètre », évalue Francis Bouclet, président de la communauté de communes de la terre des 2 Caps. Deux objets pour l’heure non identifiés, mais qui ont été partiellement datés. « Ils remontent à l’âge du bronze », informe Émile Petit, vice-président en charge du développement terrorial. Soit au IIIe millénaire avant J-C ! La troisième découverte est bien plus récente - XVIIIe ou XIXe siècle - mais tout autant énigmatique. « Il s’agit d’un aménagement en grès constitué de blocs bleus », présente Julie Bourdon, agent en charge du développement à la terre des 2 Caps. Après une première analyse, les objets ont été réenfouis et les différentes zones ont été marquées par du rubalise.
FRANCE – Monbalen - De mystérieuses «plaies» sont apparues dans les champs bordant la RN 21 depuis quelques semaines. Il s'agit de travaux, de fouilles archéologiques sur le futur tracé de la 2x2 voies entre les deux communes. «En trois semaines, nous avons creusé 85 tranchées, sur un tracé de 2 km», résume ainsi la Frédéric Prodéo, ingénieur à l'Inrap et en charge du dossier lot-et-garonnais. «Nous sommes là pour faire un diagnostic auprès du ministère de la Culture et de la Dreal, la Direction régionale de l'environnement, de l'aménagement et du logement, qui finance les fouilles. Et nous avons trouvé des choses intéressantes. En ce qui me concerne, pour l'archéologie, nous avons trouvé des silex. Il y a aussi une autre découverte, mais qui concerne plus la paléontologie. Des fossiles de crocodiles et d'hippopotames ont été retrouvés dans une des tranchées».
http://www.ladepeche.fr/article/2016/03/07/2298892-fouilles-archeologiques-des-hippos-et-crocos-sous-la-double-voie.html
IRAN - Tammisheh Wall - Underwater sonar survey succeeded in tracing the Tammisheh Wall for more than 900 m further than the sections known so far. In the east it is lined by a ditch which, like the northernmost section of the wall, is covered by marine sediments. The terminals of wall and ditch are sufficiently distinct to suggest that the wall does not continue beyond this point and that the earlier hypothesis that the Gorgan and Tammisheh Walls are linked, is probably mistaken, conditions for survey were less favorable to the west and southwest of the Gorgan Wall as the sonar was unable to penetrate recent organic alluvial sediments. Whilst further fieldwork is needed to locate the western terminal of the Gorgan Wall, it seems likely that both walls terminated in the vicinity of the contemporary shore (at c. 32m from bypassing coastal wall terminals in shallow water. Wooden piers and naval forces may have been effective, if hard to trace archaeologically