14 DECEMBRE 2011 NEWS
14 DECEMBRE
INDI-UNI : ANTHROPOLOGY - ARCHAEOLOGY
INSCRIPTION 2012 COURS A DISTANCE
REGISTRATION 2012 ONLINE COURSES
MEXIQUE – Teotihuacan - Archaeologists announced Tuesday that they dug to the very core of Mexico's tallest pyramid and found what may be the original ceremonial offering placed on the site of the Pyramid of the Sun before construction began. The offerings found at the base of the pyramid in the Teotihuacan ruin site just north of Mexico City include a green serpentine stone mask so delicately carved and detailed that archaeologists believe it may have been a portrait. The find also includes 11 ceremonial clay pots dedicated to a rain god similar to Tlaloc, who was still worshipped in the area 1,500 years later, according to a statement by the National Institute of Anthropology and History, or INAH. The offerings, including bones of an eagle fed rabbits as well as feline and canine animals that haven't yet been identified, were laid on a sort of rubble base where the temple was erected about A.D. 50. "We know that it was deposited as part of a consecration ritual for the construction of the Pyramid of the Sun," said INAH archaeologist Enrique Perez Cortes. Experts followed an old tunnel dug through the pyramid by researchers in the 1930s that narrowly missed the center, and then dug small extensions and exploratory shafts off it.What they found points to the earliest days of the still largely mysterious Teotihuacan culture.The remains of three structures that predate the pyramid were found buried at the base. Archaeologists have known that the ceremonial significance of the site, perhaps as a "link" to the underworld, predates the pyramids. They also found seven burials, some of them infant remains. Susan Gillespie, an associate professor of anthropology at the University of Florida who was not involved in the project, called the find "exciting and important, although I would not say it was unexpected" given that dedicatory offerings were commonly placed in MesoAmerican pyramids. "It is exciting that what looks like the original foundation dedicatory cache for what was to become the largest (in height) pyramid in Mexico (and one of the largest in the world) has finally been found, after much concerted efforts looking for it," Gillespie wrote in an email. She said the find gives a better picture of the continuity of religious practices during Teotihuacan's long history. Some of the same themes found in the offering are repeated in ancient murals painted on the city's walls centuries later. George Cowgill, an anthropologist at Arizona State University, called the find "pretty important" and suggested the Tlaloc offerings may thicken the debate about whether the pyramid was linked to the sun, the underworld or Tlaloc, who was also considered a war god. "The discovery of seven humans suggests that they were probably sacrificial victims, along with several species of fierce animals," Cowgill wrote. The city was founded nearly 2,500 years ago and came to have a dominant influence in architecture, trade and cultural in large swaths of ancient Mexico. But the identity of its rulers remains a mystery, and the city was abandoned by the time the Aztecs arrived in the area in the 1300s and gave it the name Teotihuacan, which means "the place where men become gods."
CANADA – Yamaska - On annonce qu’une découverte archéologique importante a été faite au parc National de la Yamaska. La trouvaille est une pointe de projectile en pierre de schiste. Pour les archéologues, ceci confirme qu’il ya eu une présence amérindienne sur les bords de la rivière Yamaska il y a 5000 à 6000 ans. On croit que cette pointe de pierre était associée à un javelot et servait d’arme pour chasser les gros mammifères comme le cerf de Virginie, l’orignal ou l’ours. Une excursion pédestre toute simple au parc de la Yamaska en août dernier a permis à un randonneur de faire cette étonnante découverte sur le territoire de la municipalité de St-Joachim-de-Shefford. La pièce sera reproduite alors que l’originale sera envoyée à la collection nationale du Québec.
http://www.m105.ca/site/actualites/actualitesDetail.asp?ID=3274
SRI LANKA – Weligama – Batyawala . The statue built by the king to fulfill the vow has been declared an archaeological site by the Department of Archaeology. However the historic site is today covered with a shrub jungle. The historic Kushtarajagala statue on Weligama – Batyawala road that dates back to the 8th century AD is another neglected archaeological site. According to tradition, a king who had been suffering from a chronic skin disease without an effective cure had obtained treatment from a Buddhist monk resident at the Weligama Agrabodhi Temple and recovered.
http://epaper.dailymirror.lk/epaper/viewer.aspx
JAPON – 
Dazaifu - A train yard being excavated here is likely the site of a facility mentioned in ancient records that provided food and lodgings to foreign envoys from China and the Korean peninsula from the early eighth to ninth centuries, local education board officials say. The Dazaifu Municipal Board of Education has been excavating some 12,500 square meters of the train yard since 2005. Officials have since discovered the remains of two large, pillar-supported buildings, as well as luxury eating utensils like tin and copper alloy spoons and food containers thought to be from the Silla kingdom of Korea, lacquerware and Nara tricolor ware. The discoveries have led to the conclusion that a facility mentioned in ancient records as serving envoys from China and Korea stood at the site. A similar diplomatic facility once stood in present-day Fukuoka, near Hakata Bay. Future research will investigate how reception duties may have been divided between the two facilities. The train yard belongs to Nishi-Nippon Railroad Co., and the Fukuoka Board of Education will discuss with the company how to preserve the site.
http://mdn.mainichi.jp/mdnnews/news/20111213p2a00m0na018000c.html
IRAN – 
Sistan-Baluchestan - An Afghan man has set up shop in the Afghan border town of Zaranj, buying ancient coins being smuggled from Iran’s Sistan-Baluchestan Province. Each coin is purchased only for 10,000 rials (about 90 cent) and he has bought about 8000 coins from local people, an Afghan man who asked to remain anonymous told the Persian service of CHN on Tuesday. Sistan-Baluchestan Province is home to the Burnt City, a 5200-year-old site that is located 57 kilometers from the Iranian town of Zabol, which is located about 50 kilometers from Zaranj. A 10-centimeter ruler with an accuracy of half a millimeter in the ruins of the 5200-year-old Burnt City, an artificial eyeball, an earthenware bowl bearing the world’s oldest example of animation and many other artifacts have been discovered in the city during several seasons of archaeological excavations. The 2500-year-old city of Dahaneh Gholaman, which dates back to the Achaemenid era, is also located near Zabol. Many other ancient sites, mostly located near the Iran-Afghanistan border, are located in the Iranian province. However, all archaeological excavations have been left unfinished since 2008, allegedly due to a lack of funds.
USA - Schoharie Crossing State Historic Site - During Irene, raging flood waters ripped up the parking lot and unearthed the foundation of a 24-by-24 foot block house and curtain wall. Roets said they had found remnants of a Mohawk Indian village in the past and knew there was more artifacts on the property. Archeologists and residents always knew the British built a fort back in 1712, hence the name, Fort Hunter. But the big question remained, where exactly was it? The recent discovery is a big hint. Experts aren't just interpreting the stone structures, but dozens of artifacts like cuff links, musket balls, and colonial coins made into jewelry. Plus, smoking pipes and wine bottles, all of which help to paint a picture of what life was like in the mid-1700s.
TURQUIE – 
Isos - A team of archeologists has begun working on examining the site of the ancient city of Isos in southern Turkey by making use of ground-based sensors to visualize the underground features of the city's structures, the district governor has said. Yönden said the excavations will continue after the archeologists find out more about the site of the city by looking at the processed imagery from the sensors. Approximately five months ago, excavations at the site where Isos is believed to be revealed ruins of baths and some Artemis mosaics. Hoping there are more mosaics or other materials that are valuable to shed light on the history of the city, archeologist Ömer Çelik, who is leading the excavation, requested a share of the provincial budget from Hatay Governor Celalettin Lekesiz to examine the site in more detail in order to conduct the excavation fastidiously and not miss any important details in the excavation area. Çelik said: “While we were excavating in the area, we first discovered ruins of an ancient bath. Then we discovered mosaics in the bath tiles, which led us to think that there might be more mosaics or other kinds of stone that could give us clues about the time it was built or used.” Çelik added that they expect the discovery to reveal more about the history of Isos. Once a significant trading city, Isos dates back to the year 2500 B.C. The area where the city was located was once part of the Byzantine, late Hittite, Persian and Ottoman civilizations. Archaeologists believe there are more remnants of the ancient city of Isos, which they hope to reveal in due time.
http://www.todayszaman.com/news-265720-preliminary-work-to-unearth-ancient-city-of-isos-begins.html