14-17 AOUT 2014 NEWS: Croxton Kerrial - Kyzikos - Ardnamurchan - Sarıveliler - Asuka - Banagher - Dublin -
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ROYAUME UNI – 
Croxton Kerrial - Artefacts and 12th century building remains have been found in a village excavation. The latest finding, at a site in Croxton Kerrial, near Melton, is a tithe barn – a barn where crops were kept – and the artefacts include pottery and a metal belt strap-end carved as a dragon.Members of an archaeology group, Framland Local Archaeology Group (Flag), made the discoveries as part of an excavation of the house in Croxton Kerrial, which was last recorded in the 16th century and had disappeared from maps by the 1790s. So far, 350 finds have been discovered as part of this project. Flag chairman Tony Connolly said: "Most of it is medieval. There is pottery dating from the 12th to 14th centuries. "This season we have uncovered the tithe barn which is 28 metres long by seven metres wide. It is really exciting, no-one knew anything was here until we started excavating. It is getting larger all of the time, and we are finding more buildings. Other finds since the excavation started in 2012 include the remains of the manor house, a medieval well and a 700-year-old glazed jug and other artefacts. The team have also found cobbled stones surrounded by buildings, and think this may have been a dairy, a blacksmiths and a bakery. The house, built in the 12th century, was given to Croxton Abbey in the 14th century. Records show it was uninhabitable by the 16th century.
http://www.leicestermercury.co.uk/Medieval-finds-village-excavation/story-22755426-detail/story.html
TURQUIE – 
Kyzikos - This year’s excavations have recently started in the 2,500-year-old ancient city of Kyzikos in the northwestern province of Balıkesir’s Erdek district. The works will focus on finding the Hadrian relief, which is expected to shed light on history. Erzurum AtatürkUniversity academic and head of the excavations, Associate Professor Nurettin Koçhan said this year’s goal was to reveal the surroundings of the Hadrian Temple, which is considered as the “eighth wonder of the world” by European travelers. During the first days of excavations, they had found the head and body pieces of human figures, which are seen in Roman friezes, as well as the head of a marble female sculpture, he said. “Statements about these findings will be made after carrying out the necessary examinations,” he said. “We have started excavations in the area where we found the column heading last year. This is the most important finding here in the last two years and one of the highest column headings seen in the Roman era. An ancient source talks about a relief of Hadrian in the temple area. If it is right, I believe we can find its remains,” Koçhan said
ROYAUME UNI – 
Ardnamurchan - Archaeologists have discovered the remains of at least two bodies in a Bronze Age burial cist in a remote area of the west Highlands. They were previously aware of one body in the ancient grave on the Ardnamurchan peninsula but they have now found more bones than could belong to another person. A skull found during an earlier archaeological dig at Swordle in 2010 was dated as being from around 1700BC. And the bones discovered during the Ardnamurchan Transition Project team’s visit to the area this summer have now been sent away for radiocarbon dating. Team leader Ollie Harris,“This was an exciting find. One of our main aims this year was to find out about what we thought was a single body, so to come back and find probably two people is very interesting as it offers a different perspective on Bronze Age burials.” He added that they also found another jet bead in the grave. Three were found in 2010 and they are believed to be part of a necklace. They also unearthed a flint scraper, which they believe to have been used for removing fat from hides, and small pieces of flint debitage, which is the waste material produced in the making of early stone tools. The cist was found under a pile of rocks known as Ricky’s Cairn. While at Swordle this year, the team also excavated the Neolithic tomb of Cladh Andreis, a 200ft long mound of rocks leading from the tomb, which they describe as the tail of the monument, and a small Bronze Age cist cut into the side of the tail.
TURQUIE – Sarıveliler - Treasure hunters in a field in the Central Anatolian province of Karaman’s Sarıveliler district have damaged unique ancient mosaics underground, after using a caterpillar excavator in their hunt. The suspects recently began excavating an area of 150 square meters and found a mosaic structure and walls one meter underground. After the discovery, they continued digging four meters underground, causing considerable damage to the mosaics. Yıldız said the structure could date back to the Roman Empire in the 3rd or 4th centuries, adding that the excavated area was most probably the entrance of the structure. “The main center of the structure is deeper underground. Its upper part has been damaged since ancient times. There are lots of Roman ceramics in the surface. The mosaics were made in the garden or courtyard of the structure. It might be a religious structure or the house of a notable person at the time, because these mosaics are unique ones that we have never seen before. They were made on thick Khorasan mortar. The motifs are very different; they are geometrical and in the shape of a fish. Some were damaged during the excavation. The mosaic structure is in layers underground and a legal excavation should be carried out as soon as possible. The necessary process will be begun to start excavations,” he said.
JAPON - Asuka - A large rectangular tomb in the village of Asuka in Nara Prefecture, may have been built in a rare pyramid shape, archaeologists say. The Miyakozuka tomb is believed to have been built in the latter half of the sixth century. It was likely a terraced pyramid made of multiple stone layers, experts at the municipal education board and Kansai University’s Archaeological Research Institute said Wednesday. The tomb may have been influenced by ancient tumuli built near the border between China and North Korea, given the similar structure, the experts said. It is thought that Soga no Iname, a Yamato Dynasty leader who died in 570, was buried in the tomb. He is known to have close links with the people who migrated to Japan from China and the Korean Peninsula. After excavating the mound and areas surrounding Miyakozuka tomb, the group of archaeologists found stairlike architectural remains at three locations. Four layers of stones were found at one of the three locations and one layer was discovered at each of the two other locations. Based on the findings, the group said it believes that the tomb had a pyramidlike structure with seven or eight stone layers. The mound is estimated to have been at least 4.5 meters high on the east side and 7 meters high on the west, with each side being over 40 meters in length. Soga no Iname is known to have had strong ties to the ancient Korean kingdom of Koguryo because he is believed to have had two wives from that area. The village of Asuka is known for many megalithic discoveries, including the Ishibutai tomb believed to have been built in the seventh century for Soga no Umako, a son of Iname who died in 626. In a survey started in 1967 by the Kansai University research institute and others, clay pots and ironware were unearthed from the Miyakozuka tomb. But the mound’s size, structure and other details remained unknown.
IRLANDE – 
Banagher - An Offaly scuba diver has recovered a 3,500-year-old Bronze Age sword from the River Shannon near Banagher.The remarkable discovery was made by Banagher native Michael O'Rourke yesterday (Wednesday). Michael, who is a member of the Shannonside Sub Aqua Club in Banagher, stumbled on the important artefact during a routine search and recovery exercise. The medieval relic is believed to be a Bronze Age sword that dates back to 1050 BC.
http://www.offalyindependent.ie/news/roundup/articles/2014/08/14/4032007-/?
IRLANDE – Dublin – Skeletal remains discovered at Trinity College could date back to the Vikings, archaeologists have said. Remains of at least five people were uncovered last month during the Luas cross city works. The bodies were discovered just north of the gates of Trinity College on College Green. An initial examination of the remains has led the team to believe that there is at least one adult male and one 'sub-adult', or teenager, in the group. Four of the five people were discovered in north-south oriented graves and there is no evidence yet that they were buried with grave goods. The lack of possessions is slightly unusual according to experts, but it is not unheard of. A detailed examination will now take place on the ancient finds. "This will reveal significantly more information about the lives and deaths of these individuals and the city in which they lived," a spokesperson said. The remains were discovered about 1.5m below ground, ruling out the possibility that the are from post-medieval times. A Viking Settlement was discovered in Temple Bar in 2011.
http://www.herald.ie/news/skeletons-found-in-luas-works-could-vikingera-30511038.html
