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MEXIQUE – Cholula - The Great Pyramid of Cholula, also known as Tlachihualtepetl (meaning “made-by-hand mountain” in Nahuatl), is an archaeological site and temple complex in the San Andrés Cholula, Puebla municipality of Mexico. The pyramid is dedicated to the Aztec/Nahua version of the feathered-serpent deity, Quetzalcoatl, an important god in the Aztec pantheon who is associated with the wind, Venus, dawn, merchants, arts, crafts, knowledge, and learning. Occupation of the ceremonial precinct began in the Late Formative period, and the first building stage of the pyramid dates to the Terminal Formative. The Great Pyramid was built in four major construction stages and at least nine further phases of minor modifications. Restoration works led by archaeologist, Catalina Castilla Morales, and supervised by the National Institute of Anthropology and History (INAH), have uncovered an adobe core on the eastern side of the pyramid that dates from the end of the Classic period.The team also found an unusual accumulation of broken ceramics, which a closer analysis has determined were pre-Hispanic braziers. Whether the braziers had a ritual function or were simply used to illuminate the pyramid is unclear. What is apparent, is that there was a sustained use of fire at the pyramid, indicated by multiple deposits of ceramics placed in layers after they were discarded. Excavations also found a 30cm cylindrical sculpture in white stone, representing the Aztec god, Tlaloc, the supreme god of the rain, earthly fertility and of water, depicted with his “goggle eyes” and fangs. As part of the restoration works, the team have conducted archaeological surveys on the surface, as well as studies of the underground level and cleaning of 24 tunnels beneath the pyramid.
https://www.heritagedaily.com/2023/02/new-discoveries-at-great-pyramid-of-cholula/146158
ANGLETERRE – Corby - A bronze artefact found near a recently discovered Roman road suggests soldiers remained in the area after they built it. The depiction of two dolphins found in excavations at Priors Hall Park, Corby in Northamptonshire, was originally thought to be a Roman buckle. But specialists recently revealed it to be the handle of a 2nd Century helmet. Archaeologist Nick Gilmour said it could suggest a "link to the military continued" after the road was built. They first uncovered a temple/mausoleum that was turned into a pottery, brick and tile manufacturing centre but during a second phase of work in 2021, they found an intact Roman road that showed Corby joined to surrounding settlements. Mr Gilmour said the bronze artefact, about 5cm (2in) long and showing "two dolphins facing each other as if they had jumped out of the water", was the sort of thing that was frequently found on Roman buckles so when they found it at the site, that is what it was thought to be. But after further investigations, a professor of Roman military equipment told them it was 95% certain it was the handle of a 2nd Century helmet. "Its shape looks like a buckle but you can see it's not broken off and you can see where the rivets went through," Mr Gilmour said. "We had found this road built in the 1st Century and roads were built by the army so we know they were in the area then. "[The find] could suggest that some link to the military continued on the site after the construction of the road."
https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-england-northamptonshire-64508603
ROUMANIE – Albeni - The discovery was made by last year the Albeni commune, in Gorj County by Viorel Betej, an amateur archaeologist who was conducting a metal detecting survey, when he came across an iron mask from the Roman period and reported his find to local authorities. The mask was likely worn by a soldier stationed either at the Roman fort of Bumbești-Jiu, now known as Vârtop, or a military outpost somewhere in the vicinity. The mask is relatively intact but has corroded due to the high iron content and exposure to oxygen and water in the soil. The artisan who created the mask has made perforated holes around the nostrils for breathing, and slits in the eyes and mouth. Experts date the mask to the 2nd or 3rd century AD, a period when parts of modern-day Romania were in the Roman province of Dacia.
https://universul.net/roman-parade-mask-discovered-in-romania/
INDE – Thiruparankundram - Historians discovered a 2,200-year-old Tamil Brahmi inscription in Thiruparankundram hillock cave in Madurai on Wednesday. There are many rock-cut temples of the early Pandyas on this hillock. There are two natural caves on the western slope of the hill located opposite Thiruparankundram Railway Station. The cave above it contains a large number of stone beds and three Tamil Brahmi inscriptions of 1 BCE and CE 1. In this case, on the way to the above cave, there is a small natural cave to its left, which has five circular stone beds inside with a cut in the front to prevent rainwater from entering. Madurai archaeologist V Balamurali, a researcher of rock paintings, inscriptions, and rock-cut temples, found and studied a Tamil Brahmi inscription on the cave’s western side of the canopy. The inscription has two lines .
https://www.newindianexpress.com/states/tamil-nadu/2023/feb/09/centuries-old-tamil-brahmi-inscription-found-in-madurai-2545741.html
MEXIQUE – Palenque - archaeologists in Mexico have unearthed more than 10,000 shards of ceramics they say will give them greater insight into daily life in Palenque, according to a news release from Mexico’s National Institute of Anthropology and History. Excavations of Palenque in southeast Mexico have been ongoing for years, and in 2022 the exploration of “Group IV” — a zone of the city — resumed, the institute said. Group IV contains more than 270 structures, including housing units and plazas, that are about a tenth of a mile northwest of the city’s center. Archaeologists have focused on an area within the group called J6, which includes a central square and monument. In previous excavations, human burials were found on the southern and western sides of the structure, the institute said. The recent excavation focused on the eastern side of the structure, but instead of human burials, experts unearthed thousands of ceramics, they said.Despite finding burials, archaeologists think the area was used for funerary purposes, Rodrigo Liendo Stuardo, the researcher who coordinated the excavation, said. The ceramics date to the seventh century, a period that previously lacked ceramic evidence, the institute said. The findings also coincide with the rule of Palenque’s “most iconic” ruler, K’inich Janaab’ Pakal.
https://www.sanluisobispo.com/news/nation-world/world/article272279048.html
FRANCE – La Rochelle - "On est devant la voirie médiévale", décrit Emmanuel Barbier qui dirige ces fouilles pour l'Inrap. "Elle se développait entre l'enceinte médiévale (détruite par Louis XIII à l'issue du Grand siège) et elle était délimitée de l'autre côté par un fossé. Cette configuration était totalement méconnue." Signe émouvant : les empreintes de charrettes qui sont passées là il y a cinq ou six siècles. "Cela permettait de circuler rapidement en dehors de la ville, C'est un peu le premier périphérique rochelais en quelque sorte. Et ça, ce n'était pas du tout documenté, dans les plans anciens qui nous sont parvenus", précise Emmanuel Barbier. L'autre gros morceau, ce sont donc les tombes. Ici se dressait au Moyen-Age un immense cimetière, connecté à l'église Notre-Dame-de-Cougnes. Sous une vaste tente, une série de sépultures encore prisonnières de la terre. Nous sommes sur l'ancien cimetière de la paroisse Notre-Dame-de-Cougnes, l'un des plus anciens et les plus importants de la ville. Une tombe en particulier arrête l'anthropologue Elisabeth Rousseau : une femme accompagnée d'un foetus d'un peu plus de quatre mois. "On peut imaginer une fausse couche. Et le fœtus a été posé entre les jambes de sa mère, empaqueté dans un linceul." Ce qui marque aussi, c'est la position de la main de cette maman, dont les doigts pointent vers son bébé. "Cela suggère qu'elle montre l'enfant, mais est-ce volontaire ? Cela reste très aléatoire de pouvoir le prouver..." Cette tombe date de la période dite moderne du cimetière**, entre la fin du grand siège de La Rochelle en 1628, et la Révolution française**.Ce sont des sépultures de personnes souvent humbles", précise Elisabeth Rousseau. "Vous avez essentiellement des chapelets, des crucifix, peut-être parfois un anneau en alliage cuivreux à la main... Mais pas de bijou, rien. C'est très simple." Ce chantier de fouilles qui permet de documenter une pratique funéraire assez rare : des cercueils posés sur un lit de tibias et autres ossements longs. "A l'époque il y avait une telle pression funéraire, que lorsqu'on creuse une tombe, on en perturbe une autre. Donc on récupère les os longs de cette tombe perturbée. C'est une pratique typiquement rochelaise" déjà repérée lors des fouilles du cimetière protestant proche de l'hôpital Saint-Louis.
https://www.francebleu.fr/infos/societe/plongee-dans-le-passe-medieval-de-la-rochelle-a-l-occasion-d-un-chantier-de-fouilles-9455646
FRANCE – Douarnenez - Dans le cadre d’un projet de construction immobilier, des fouilles archéologiques préventives avaient été commandées de sorte à ne pas construire sur de potentielles trouvailles. Une grande nécropole antique était cachée juste sous leurs pieds. Les fouilles, menées entre août et décembre 2022 sur un site grand de 5500 mètres carré ont dévoilé tombes, céramiques, ainsi qu’une sombre découverte. “Un premier diagnostic effectué en 2021 avait permis de montrer qu’il existait un site archéologique sur cette zone, puisque des fragments de vase et de poterie avaient été découverts”, retrace Ronan Bourgaut, responsable du Centre départemental d’archéologie du Finistère. Mais les chercheurs ne s’attendaient pas à avoir de tels résultats ! Résultat des fouilles : une zone funéraire entière a été dévoilée, comprenant environ vingt sépultures de formes rectangulaires. En plus de ces nombreuses tombes, l’une d’entre elles a particulièrement intrigué les scientifiques. Ils y ont trouvé divers objets tels qu’un miroir et un collier. “Nous avons découvert un petit mausolée circulaire constitué d’un tertre avec une base en pierre. Dans une autre tombe, nous avons retrouvé un miroir, un collier en perles de verre et d’autres objets liés à la parure, des éléments qui laissent imaginer qu’il s’agissait de la dépouille d’une fillette”, explique Ronan Bourgaut au Télégramme. Selon Yohann Dieu, au vu des analyses effectuées sur les os et sur la forme des catacombes, la crypte dévoilée devrait dater du IIIe siècle après Jésus-Christ.
Le squelette d'une petite fille découvert dans une tombe antique en France (msn.com)
ESTONIE - Tallin - Archaeologists working on an excavation site along Vana-Kalamaja tänav in Tallinn recently unearthed pavement from the medieval Nunne tänav as well as several other items dating back to the same period. As little is known about the Kalamaja of that era, this find has an important place in the area's history. Archaeological excavations along Vana-Kalamaja tänav were expected to be a routine part of reconstruction work on the current street — break ground, dig up the surface layer by layer, then done. To the archaeologists' surprise, however, they were met with the sight of the pavement of a medieval street — Nunne tänav. Based on ceramic shards found at the site, it's estimated that Nunne tänav was built during the 14th century and in use through the 16th century. Finds run the gamut, with one grander than the next. This is dated 1645 — a quarter öre," the supervisor described, holding up find after find. "Three örtugs. Belongs to Sweden, and 'CRS' for Queen Christina of Sweden. An öre minted in Tallinn, in Reval, around 1640. Likewise Christina. That copper coin was a quarter öre, but this silver coin is one öre. A beautiful piece of a Westerwald stoneware jug. Import ceramics brought here from German lands. In 1527, for example, there were a known 78 households and 17 taverns, Kalamaja was also basically the site of a port, and there were always taverns located around ports, where people slept, ate and used women.
https://news.err.ee/1608880634/medieval-tallinn-street-pavement-unearthed-in-kalamaja-neighborhood