10 MARS 2023 NEWS
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ANGLETERRE – 
Leicester - An archaeological dig has uncovered what is believed to be a Roman shrine beneath a graveyard in Leicester. The cellar of a Roman building and a 1,800-year-old altar stone have been discovered during the excavation, led by University of Leicester Archaeological Services (Ulas), suggesting the presence of a shrine or cult room. The cellar – now nearly 10ft (3m) below the ground – is believed to have had a concrete floor and stone walls, with decorative paintwork. The existence of a Roman temple underneath the cathedral had so far been a folk tale. With the discovery of the cellar and the fragment of a Roman altar stone out of it, scientists confirmed that there definitely was a Roman place of worship underneath the cathedral. It is believed the cellar was built in the second century and then deliberately filled in a century or two later and used as a place to worship God or gods. Several pieces of Roman pottery and coins were also found.
INDE – 
Visakhapatnam - A fragmentary (damaged) inscription engraved on a stone dating back to 1167 CE was found on the outside wall of Simhachalam temple in Visakhapatnam. The inscription was written in Telugu and contained characters dated Saka 1089 (1167 CE) Uttarayana Sankranti. Archaeological Survey of India director (Epigraphy) K Muniratnam Reddy said it was the 501st inscription found at the temple and the second oldest identified so far. The inscription seems to be the record of the gift of 100 naragadyanas (gold coins) as a deposit in the temple bhandaram (treasury) by Tirupana Dasari Kuntta for lighting the perpetual lamp to Lord Narasimha, the presiding deity of the temple, on Uttarayana Sankranti.” Tirupana Dasari Kuntta wanted the treasury to light ‘Akhanda Deepam’ in the sanctum sanctorum, read the characters in the inscription. The inscription also mentioned the measurement known as ‘Narasimha Manika’, used to measure materials in that particular region. “Since the inscription is fragmentary as all letters in four lines are missing, it is difficult to determine whether Narasimha Manika was used as a tool to measure the gold coins, while they were being deposited in the temple treasury,” the ASI director added. Sai Kumar who found the inscription five days ago at the Simhachalam temple, said the inscription stone might be the debris of the old temple, used for the construction of the new temple in 1268 CE as per the history.
ANTILLES – 
Antigua - Les profondeurs caribéennes de Tank Bay, à Antigua, ne renferment pas que des hippocampes mouchetés et des poissons-papillons. Elles enveloppent aussi un navire, dont la carcasse charpentée repose depuis plus de deux siècles dans la vase de cette crique touristique des Petites Antilles. La présence d'une structure sous-marine a été identifiée dès 2013, à l'occasion d'un relevé hydrographique réalisé sur la côte sud de l'île. Les eaux troubles ont un temps protégé le secret du site. Dix ans plus tard, les archéologues y voient enfin clair : il s'agissait de l'épave du Lyon, un ancien navire de la Compagnie française des Indes orientales, coulé en 1778. Le navire qui repose à approximativement cinq mètres de profondeur, dans le port classé à l'Unesco d'English Harbour, serait l'unique épave de la Compagnie connue à ce jour. «C'est un vaisseau énorme, long de 45 mètres et assez bien conservé, notamment sur tout le côté tribord de la coque. Les vestiges se trouvent dans une zone assez proche de la mangrove, ce qui signifie que la salinité de l'eau a tenu à l'écart les vers xylophages», indique l'archéologue Jean-Sébastien Guibert, maître de conférences au campus martiniquais de l'université des Antilles. L'équipe constituée de 26 spécialistes possédait déjà un bon indice sur l'identité du navire qui repose toujours au fond du port d'Antigua-et-Barbuda. Une carte. Non pas une carte au trésor, au vélin malmené et assaisonné par l'aventure, mais une carte militaire, dessinée d'une main experte, en 1783, dans un bureau de l'amirauté britannique. Un O - plutôt qu'un X - indiquait, dans un recoin de la crique, «Lyon, navire français de 40 canons». Il fallait signaler l'épave aux navigateurs du coin. S'il vogue aux côtés des escadres de Louis XVI, le Lyon n'est pas pour autant cédé à la Marine royale. Son capitaine de l'époque, Jean Michel, aurait même été tenté de devenir corsaire. «Sa mission sortait des sentiers battus et se trouvait à cheval entre le commerce et l'activité militaire. Il semblerait qu'à son retour, il ait même envisagé de recevoir une lettre de marque», raconte Jean-Sébastien Guibert. Le Lyon est cependant intercepté le 3 novembre 1778, alors qu'il vogue - chargé de tabac - en direction de la métropole. Une frégate battant pavillon de la Royal Navy, le HMS Maidstone, surgit à l'horizon. Un duel s'engage au large de cap Henry et de la baie stratégique de Chesapeake. Le Lyon et le Maidstone manœuvrent, échangent des volées de canons. La fumée et la poudre chantent près de quatorze heures jusqu'à ce que ce ballet en haute mer s'achève par la reddition du navire français. Exsangue, le Maidstone escorte sa prise et ce qu'il reste de son équipage jusqu'à Antigua. Les deux vaisseaux gagnent le port d'English Harbour, où se trouvait à l'époque une base navale. «Les deux navires se trouvaient bien mal en point après leur engagement, relève Jean-Sébastien Guibert. Le capitaine anglais a ainsi dû faire escale aux Antilles, faute d'être certain de braver l'Atlantique et de parvenir à Londres en un seul morceau.» Le navire français est dépouillé jusqu'à l'os, minutieusement dépecé puis sabordé dans un coin de la crique. Lors de leurs prospections sous-marines, les archéologues remarquent en effet des traces de cette opération de dissection avant réemploi. Tous les canons ont disparu ; et le mobilier récolté par aspirateur à sédiment se réduit à quelques tessons de céramiques, une pierre à fusil, quelques fragments de pipes à fumer ou encore une balle de mousquet.
GALLES – 
Rhuddlan - A strange-looking object dug up in a back garden has left an entire North Wales community scratching their heads. If identified, it may shed new light on the history of a coastal town in Denbighshire. The heavy stone ball, with a circular indent, was unearthed at a cottage that once formed part of the Parliament hall in Rhuddlan. As the property lies beneath the town’s 13th century castle, the obvious conclusion is that it is some kind of medieval artillery. However all manner of possible ideas were put forward when Alison Blackledge shared a photo of the curio on Facebook. Suggestions ranged from a Palaeolithic net sinker to a "boiling stone" used in ancient cookery. Another idea was a ballast stone used by ships sailing up the River Clwyd.
https://www.dailypost.co.uk/news/north-wales-news/mysterious-stone-ball-found-north-26424528
CHINE – 
Datong - The discovery was made in Datong in the Shaanxi province, where 58 tombs belonging to the middle and late Tang dynasty were discovered during construction works. The Tang dynasty was an imperial dynasty of China that ruled from AD 618 to 907 AD, with an interregnum between AD 690 and 705. It was preceded by the Sui dynasty and followed by the Five Dynasties and Ten Kingdoms period. The cemetery consists of small and medium-sized shaft-type tombs, which are rectangular, trapezoidal or irregular in shape, while some are concave shaped where the deceased’s coffin would be placed. In two of the tombs are stone epitaphs, dated to AD 795 and AD 810, which are decorated with carvings ringed with the twelve symbols of the Chinese zodiac. Excavations have revealed over 300 artefacts, including tower-shaped pots, numerous bronze mirrors, and several yellow and white-glazed jugs, pots and bowls. The mirrors have become discoloured over the centuries and are mainly circular in design, with some examples having a floral form.
https://www.heritagedaily.com/2023/03/cemetery-from-the-tang-dynasty-uncovered-in-china/146415
ISRAEL – 
Hazor - Le site archéologique d'Azor, en Israël, a dernièrement été le théâtre d'une découverte surprenante : un seau, en forme de scarabée, datant probablement de la fin de l'âge du bronze. Selon le Dr Amir Golani, spécialiste de l'Autorité des antiquités d'Israël de la période de l'âge du bronze, le scarabée découvert devait être utilisé comme sceau. "Il était un symbole de pouvoir et de statut. Il a certainement pu être placé sur un collier ou une bague." Concernant sa composition, l'expert confirme qu'il est composé de "faïence" enduite d'une couleur "bleu-vert". "Dans la partie inférieure et plate du sceau, un personnage est représenté assis sur une chaise et devant lui se trouve un personnage, debout, dont le bras est levé au-dessus de celui de la personne assise. Le personnage debout a une tête allongée, qui semble représenter la couronne d'un pharaon égyptien", détaille le Dr Amir Golani. Et d'ajouter : "Cette scène reflète la réalité géopolitique qui prévalait au pays de Canaan à la fin de l'âge du bronze (vers 1.500-1.000 avant notre ère), lorsque les dirigeants cananéens locaux vivaient (et parfois se rebellaient) sous l'hégémonie politique et culturelle égyptienne."
Israël : des écoliers mettent au jour un scarabée vieux de plus de 3.000 ans (msn.com)
JAPON – 
Nara - 
A giant seven-foot-long 'demon slaying' sword that lay buried for more than 1,600 years has been found in Japan.The iron weapon was uncovered in a tomb from the Tomiomaruyama burial mound in Nara, and is believed to have been placed there to help the deceased ward off evil spirits in the afterlife. Archaeologists discovered a 16-foot-long wooden coffin deep in the mound, which housed the sword and a two-foot-long shield constructed from a mirror. While many demon-slaying swords have been found in Japan, it is the largest and oldest found in the country. The 'national treasures' suggest that the individual in the tomb was an elite who may have been in the military. Since last year, archaeologists have been pulling layers of dirt away from the burial mound that measures 350 feet across and up to 32 feet high. The mound is known as 'kofun' after the Kofun period of Japanese history when they were built between 300 AD and 710 AD. The survey showed 'ritual' spaces confined within the mound, which led the team to a grave pit where a clay box housing the coffin sat. 'The coffin is believed to have been placed in a deeply recessed portion of the bottom of the grave pit, and a thin layer of clay and sand was leveled about 30cm outside the position where the coffin lid would be placed,' according to the archaeologists. And inside the coffin were the giant sword and mirror. The six-inch blade sword, known as dakō, was likely never used but only fashioned to be laid with the deceased in the mound. The mirror, shaped like a tortoise shell and fashioned from copper, was leaning diagonally to match the shape of the clay that covered the coffin lid. There is a knob on the back and 'other patterns centering on the sawtooth pattern, and it is a bronze mirror like no other,' the team shared. 'The surface is smooth and polished, and it is believed to have been made by a Japanese mirror craftsman.' The mirror weighs 125 pounds and an X-ray detected tin, copper, and lead. It is also the first ever discovered in a burial mound in Japan.
PAYS- BAS – 
Hoogwoud - A man with a metal detector found thousand-year-old gold jewelry and 39 silver coins in Hoogwoud (Noord-Holland) in 2021. The dates on the coins indicate that the valuables were buried around the middle of the 13th century, the National Museum of Antiquities said. The jewelry - four decorated gold pendants shaped like a crescent moon and two pieces of gold leaf that fit together - was already two centuries old by then. “Gold jewelry from the High Middle Ages is extremely rare in the Netherlands,” the museum said. According to the museum, the discovery is also “of great significance for the archeology and history” of the Netherlands. “Important historical events took place during the period this treasure was buried. It was a troubled time of wars between West Friesland and the county of Holland, in which the Dutch count Willem II died in the vicinity of Hoogwoud.”
https://nltimes.nl/2023/03/09/man-metal-detector-finds-1000-year-old-jewelry-noord-holland-city
SOUDAN - Old Dongola - Archaeologists have discovered the remains of a temple in Sudan that is approximately 2700 years old. This temple dates back to the time when a giant kingdom named Kush existed in this region. Some of the stones in the temple were decorated with figures and hieroglyphic inscriptions. Analysis of the iconography and script suggests that they were part of an early 1st millennium BCE structure. Inside some of the remains of the temple, archaeologists have found fragments of inscriptions. According to one of these the temple belonged to Amun-Ra of Kava.
https://presswire18.com/2700-years-old-remains-of-ancient-temple-found-in-muslim-country