12 - 13 NOVEMBRE 2011 NEWS
12 - 13 NOVEMBRE
INDI-UNI : ANTHROPOLOGY - ARCHAEOLOGY
INSCRIPTION 2011 – 2012 COURS A DISTANCE
REGISTRATION 2011 – 2012 ONLINE COURSES
INDE – Odisha - Odisha is famous for her maritime heritage. The long coastal bank helps the inhabitants for long and distance trade and commerce to the foreign countries like java,sumatara,borneo and bali.Our sadhavas had a long distance trade with other countries.Recent survey by Archaeologist Atula kumar pradhan revealed more than 4 ring wells, ancient potteries, fortification wall,beads,coins and some Chinese potteries from Puri-Konark marine drive. These evidences are found from Garudeswar and Ashram area of Tikina village of Konark.These sites are very close to Ramachandi and Khalkatapatana.The antiquities are recovered from the mouth of Kushavadhar River where it joins the Sea. The onshore survey yielded the Chinese celadon pottery, some ancient ceramic shreds of about 1,500 years old. Besides these terracotta, figurines, shell objects, beads of terracotta and semiprecious stones. In ancient times the people from this area had trade relation with other foreign countries through sea route. So this place may be the one port. The goods are loaded and unloaded here.Todays also every year the people observed Boita vandana utsav.So this festival reminds us the past maritime glory of our ancestors. If the Archaeological survey of India or the State Archaeology Dept.has surveyed or excavated these sites, many more forgotten heritage of our past should be revealed. Shri Pradhan claimed that more and more maritime evidences are coming to limelight if the proper offshore and onshore survey works are done. In this survey he is associated with the research scholars of Utkal University and the local inhabitants of Tikina village.Shri Pradhan discovered more than 10 anceint ports and 6 mediaval port sites in Odisha.Besides these now he is continuing his survey work in Astanrang area.
http://orissadiary.com/CurrentNews.asp?id=30196
NEPAL – 
Lumbini - Nepal's Department of Archaeology (DoA) and Lumbini Development Trust (LDT) in unison are trying to ascertain whether Lumbini-based Devdaha was the maternal home of Gautam Buddha. Although there are a number of folklores and old travelogues pontificating that Devdaha was the place where Buddha himself and his father King Sudhdhodhan got married, no inscriptions or coins have ever been found in the area to establish this claim. The matter has shrouded in mystery since the fifth century after an archaeologist named Fasyan first mentioned in his travelogue that the maternal kingdom of Buddha and Sudhdhod-han was the Kwaliyar state (now called Devdaha). According to Prakash Darnal, chief of National Archives under DoA, archaeologists and travellers including Fasyan (in fifth century), Wehn Sang (in seventh century) and Hoey ( in 1962) have mentioned this fact in their writings. As cross cousin marriage was popular then, some archaeologists have also dropped a hint that Buddha’s mother Mayadevi and his wife Yasodhara came from the same family in Kwaliyar. According to ancient scriptures, Kwaliyar was a neighbouring state of Kapilvastu between Lumbini’s Rohini River in the east and Narayani River in the west—an area that matches up with the location of present day Devdaha. In their efforts to find out the remains of the palace of Buddha’s in-laws and maternal relatives, DoA and LDT had initiated an excavation on March 14 last year. However, as the excavation process started too late and just ahead of the monsoon, the process got halted on April 14 and was postponed for the next year. Winter season is considered the best time to carry out excavations. The excavation process resumed on October 13 last month. The "unverified ruins" of old bricks and foundations can be found in four different locations of Devdaha, Kanyamai, Bairimai, Bhawanipur and Khayar Danda, all worshipped as religious shrines by Buddhists these days. According to Himal Upreti, a archaeologist with the Lumbini trust, who is involved in the ongoing excavation, all four locations have equal chances of turning out as the palace of Buddha’s maternal uncles. Out of the four locations, excavation is being carried out only at Kanyamai. The Archaeo-logy Department and Lumbini trust will excavate the three other areas after completing Kanyam-ai excavation this year. "We have unveiled some horizontally erected wall structures and old bricks so far," said Upreti, adding that the evidences gathered so far are not enough to establish that Kanyamai was the place where the Kwaliyar palace located. Darnal, who is also involved in the excavation from DoA’s side, said the exact palace of Buddha’s maternal uncles can be found with evidences only after successful excavation in all the four locations.
http://www.srilankaguardian.org/2011/11/search-for-buddha-maternal-home.html
SRI LANKA – Ampara - A team of archaeologists led by Sri Jayawardhanapura University’s Archaeology Professor K. Hettiaratchi and Professor P. Kannangara have unearthed ruins in Girikumbila Tissa Vihara in the Rajagalathenna area in the Ampara District, where old inscriptions have been found for the first time in the area. Some of the inscriptions that have been deciphered show how money was disbursed annually for the maintenance of Girikumbila Tissa Sabbatha Vihara in the 10th century, during the reign of King Buddhadasa, son of Jettatissa the Great. The offering of money was marked with great festivity according to the inscriptions. These documents show that during the reign of King Buddhadasa, he had relations with Ruhuna. Some of these finds are said to belong to the 3rd and 4th centuries. Canals leading to a rocky pool to conserve water during the drought have been found in Rajagalakanda, among the ancient ruins. A stone umbrella that can shelter up to 150 persons was found too, on top of the rocky area. The advent of Mahinda Thera is chronicled in Brahmin letters in one inscription in Tissa vihara. However the team said their work was being hampered because of the difficult terrain of the area. The research team also included Ven. Dambara Amila Thera and the Ampara GA, among others.
http://www.sundaytimes.lk/111113/News/nws_021.html
USA – 
New Orleans - Construction crews made an historic find in New Orleans' French Quarter when they were building a pool at a condo building and came across several graves. Archaeologists believe the bodies belong to some of the area's first settlers. Everyone once in a while, construction crews will dig up humans bones in the French Quarter - like in a tucked-away courtyard. "That's a piece of one, then you see the side of the wood, see the one in the corner that's the side of one. That's still there," construction foreman Glenn Angelo said. The first graveyard for the city was located in the area, from Toulouse to Saint Peter. Angelo said the old, unearthed coffins aren't the coffins of today - just simply made. "They look like a side of a Cyprus tree. Real rough. Really crude, basic, very narrow," he said. Yakubik confirmed that a total of 15 coffins were removed from the north rampart site. She said it's where the colony's first cemetery was located, pre-dating the City of New Orleans. "There also have been instances where there have been established cemeteries that have been forgotten, either family cemeteries or cemeteries that went into disuse over time," she said. Once Yakubik and her team confirmed the remains at the construction site were human, a state law required the property owner to apply to have them removed.
http://www.foxcarolina.com/story/16019097/bones-found-in-new-orleans-french-quarter
AZERBAIDJAN - Gabala - Archaeologists have discovered traces of ancient settlements in Gabala by the construction site of the new international airport. Archeologists believe the mound goes back to 12-8th centuries BC. The total are of the archeological site is 4 hectares. Walls from ancient structure were found in the center, and remains of valuable household items of the period were also discovered at the site.