16 AOUT 2021 NEWS
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FRANCE – 
Les Touriès - Il s’agit du sanctuaire héroïque des Touriès (du VIIe au Ve siècle avant Jésus-Christ) situé prêt du village de Saint-Paul-des-Fonts sur lequel a été découvert un ensemble de stèles anthropomorphes stylisées, ainsi qu’un sanctuaire celtique unique en Gaule méridionale par l’absence de réutilisation ultérieure. C’est la 12e campagne de fouille du site des Touriès : nom occitan signifiant monticule, talus ou tertre. Au fil des campagnes, plusieurs stèles ont été trouvées. L’une d’elle représente un guerrier en arme avec une épée à antenne dans son fourreau. Des fragments de statues ont été trouvés. Le dénominateur commun à toutes ces stèles est qu’elles représentent des élites guerrières symbolisées dans le sud de la France par le disque métallique en bronze qui était cousu sur des cuirasses en cuir. Disque d’avantage ostentatoire que fonctionnel. Parmi les nombreuses découvertes à signaler, celle d’un fragment important d’une représentation de roue de char en haut relief et en grès dont six éléments ont déjà été mis au jour les années précédentes.
FRANCE – 
Genainville - Après 6 semaines de recherches, la campagne 2021 du site archéologique des Vaux-de-la-Celle s’achève. Le site date de la fin du 2ème siècle, il était occupé par les gallo-romains et plus particulièrement par le peuple des Véliocasses. La capitale de ce peuple gaulois, c’était Rouen, Genainville se trouve exactement à mi-distance entre Rouen et Paris. Les fouilles sont divisées en programme de 4 ans, le temple étant totalement fini, les recherches se situent exclusivement au niveau de l’ancienne place et du théâtre, un théâtre qui à l’époque mesurait 115 m2 de diamètre et pouvait accueillir 8000 personnes, il faut donc s’imaginer que le territoire était beaucoup plus peuplé qu’aujourd’hui.
RUSSIE – 
Suzdal Opolye - Archaeologists from the Institute of Archaeology of the Russian Academy of Sciences has discovered a treasure horde near the Nerl-Klyazminskaya river, in the Suzdal Opolye region of Russia.This led to an exploratory 2×2 metre pit being excavated, revealing Volga-Finnish jewellery deposits from the period of the Great Nations Migration from the middle of the 1st millennium AD. The treasure consists of ornaments for a traditional female costume, typical of the Volga Finns’ culture, and an imported metal bowl. The Volga Finns (sometimes referred to as Eastern Finns) are a historical group of indigenous peoples of Russia living in the vicinity of the Volga.
EGYPTE – 
Marea - A team of Polish researchers has discovered evidence of a well-planned Christian settlement dating to the sixth century in the ancient Egyptian port city of Marea. Archaeologists said the settlement also has a building that was used by Christians on pilgrimage to Abu Mena and the tomb of St. Mena, a Coptic martyr associated with healing who died in the late third or early fourth century when Christians were still being persecuted. The Christian settlement studied covers an area of about 13 hectares, or 33 acres. The Christian settlement appears to have been a well-planned "dense urban area without defensive walls" that was not built until the second half of the sixth century, according to an article published in the August issue of the journal Antiquity. The community's modular building system of one-story structures with duplicate floorplans "and fixed sizes" measuring 14 meters by 10 meters (46 feet by 33 feet) was not typical of that period. The adjoining rectangular modules reached a length of 260 meters (850 feet) and housed residences and shops.The planned town also had a basilica, two bath areas and five public latrines with sewage channels that drained into the lake. Antiquity also said that words written on pottery indicated the "presence of a nosokomeion, or hospital, a building that became common in the Byzantine period." Research showed the community had a "complex system of straight streets with adjoining buildings serving various functions and an artificial waterfront linked to an extensive port infrastructure."The Abu Mena pilgrimage site was essentially destroyed during the Muslim conquest in the second quarter of the seventh century.
MEXIQUE – 
Teotihuacan - Four intact bouquets of flowers have been discovered in a tunnel under the Temple of the Feathered Serpent in Teotihuacan, Mexico. They were found in excellent condition, preserved with the cotton ropes still tied around the stems. They have not been radiocarbon dated yet, but the timeline of the tunnel’s use and other objects found near the flowers indicate they were deposited in the 1st or 2nd century A.D. This the first time botanical materials have been found in such an exceptional state of preservation. In addition to the flowers, archaeologists also found maize seeds, beans, chilies, pumpkin seeds and prickly pear seeds. A leaf has been carefully recovered from one of the bouquets and will be studied to identify the plants used.
http://www.thehistoryblog.com/archives/61993
ISRAEL – 
Habonim beach - Yotam Dahan, a tour guide from Klil in northern Israel, found a bundle of antique coins during a family camping trip in Habonim beach. The bundle of coins, weighing a total of 6 kg., agglutinated after years of lying underwater. They were determined to have been used in the fourth century CE. IAA marine archeology department head Yaakov Sharvit noted the coins might have belonged to an ancient ship sailing the Mediterranean Sea.
https://www.jpost.com/archaeology/ancient-1700-year-old-coins-found-on-israeli-beach-676687
CHINE – Datong - Archaeologists have recently published studies on a tomb of lovers hugging each other dating back to the Northern Wei Dynasty (386-534) more than 1,600 years ago, according to Jilin University. The tomb was first excavated in Datong City, north China's Shanxi Province, in 2020. The couple lay in a single coffin buried in the same grave. The male had his arms wrapped around his lover's waist while the female partner nestled against his chest with her head on his shoulder. The researcher also found a silver ring on the ring finger of her left hand. Further skeletal analysis revealed an unhealed infectious fracture on the right arm of the male tomb owner, while the bones of the female appeared to be healthy. This discovery indicates that the two might have committed suicide.
CHINE - 
Dongzhuang - Archaeologists have discovered two brick tombs at an ancient cemetery with 14 crypts in north China's Shanxi Province. The discovery sheds light on funeral customs of rich families during the Jin Dynasty (1115-1234). Two tombs, numbered M12 and M14, with wood-like structures and brick chambers were found to be intact and beautifully decorated. M12 consists of a gate, two passageways and a chamber. Three Chinese characters that translate into "great luck" are etched on the bricks above the entrance. The room is decorated with brick carvings and colored paintings. The brick carvings were mainly found on the walls and the door of the tomb, while the colored paintings are all over the room, except the passageway. Images of the tombs' owners were carved on the north wall. They were depicted sitting on chairs with a square table on each side, on which a plate of peach fruits or pastry is placed. The female tomb owner had a scroll in her hand, while her male counterpart was holding a rosary on his chest. M12 and M14 are located in the same cemetery and belong to the same family. No items were found that could prove the identity of the tomb owners but it is believed that they were members of the Han people who were ruled by the Jin people and belonged to a relatively wealthy class.
