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CHINE – Fenghuang- One of China's renowned ancient towns was under water Wednesday as heavy rain hit the centre of the country, with tens of thousands of people evacuated from the area.The old town district of Fenghuang nestles on the banks of a winding river in a picturesque, mountainous part of Hunan province, and boasts stunning Qing and Ming dynasty architecture dating back hundreds of years. It can attract 30,000 visitors a day and has applied for world heritage status recognition from UNESCO, but pictures showed it inundated, with the central span of a bridge poking up through the waters.
http://www.hurriyetdailynews.com/ancient-town-under-water-as-downpours-hit-central-china.aspx?pageID=238&nid=69188&NewsCatID=375
ROYAUME UNI – Newbury -Evidence of Newbury’s prehistoric ancestors was unearthed in Victoria Park last week. The rare finds include pieces of bone used as tools,as well as charcoal that indicates the presence of hunter gatherers from the Early Mesolithic period – between 10,000 and 13,000 years ago.Principal archaeological scientist at Wessex Archaeology, Dr Catherine Barnett, said that the team came to Victoria Park as it was one of a few green spaces in Newbury where they could try and find sediment from the period. She said: “Not only did the methodologies work but from one tiny hole, we’ve come straight down onto an early Mesolithic site. It’s chocca with human occupation material. “As soon as we got down to it we were finding big lumps of charcoal, so we’re talking about burning things in situ, a lot of artefacts, and also extremely pleasant surprises. We’ve not only got bone but some worked bone and these are very rare. “This is really a kind of special find and just to emphasise, this is a tiny little hole in one place and to comedown onto is very exciting indeed. On a local level, we’re dealing with a proper archeological site.”The finds followed an archeological survey of a ‘trench’ in the park last year, and the archeologists said they were lucky to discover the site.
http://www.newburytoday.co.uk/2014/tiny-trench-yields-rare-finds-in-newbury-park
INDE - Bhubaneswar - The Archaeological Survey of India (ASI) started excavation on the premises of the 12th century Sari temple today to dig out the entire basement of the ancient structure. Some beautiful statues of women in relaxed postures and lions on the corners of the temple wall were found during digging. The full-scale excavation began after a sample survey and digging at a specific location inside the temple a month ago. During the sample digging, archaeologists of the central conservation body had found evidence of the presence of a large basement and suspected that there could be more structures inside the temple compound. The temple is situated at the end of the lane from the north gate of Lingaraj Temple leading to the Krushna Chandra Gurukul Sanskrit College on the southern bank of the Bindusagar lake. ASI experts say the Sari Temple’s architectural design is similar to that of the Ananta Vasudev temple. As the ASI workers, under the guidance of experts, started digging today, beautiful statues of women, lions on the corners of the temple wall, deities and fragments of the artwork surfaced. Another senior ASI official said: “From the design of the temple it is evident that the drainage system was towards Bindusagar lake and we are hopeful of excavating a ‘paduka kunda’ or pond meant to collect the water and milk offerings from the sanctum sanctorum. But after preliminary measurement, it has become clear that some portions of the temple compound might have been there within the premises of the nearby Sanskrit college towards north and the Suka-Sari temple on the south.” Saying that Sari temple could have been a victim of the urbanisation in the city as the Baital temple, Vikrama said: “It’s not just the blockage of the drainage outlets of the temple, but also unwanted raising of the ground or road near the temple compound resulted in water started accumulating inside. This affected the entire structure.” With the excavation and study of the temple wall, the ASI experts feel that they may get some clues to the regular flooding of the sanctum sanctorum of the 12th century Megheswar temple.
http://www.telegraphindia.com/1140715/jsp/odisha/story_18613612.jsp#.U8aCA_l_vVQ
INDE – Nowhatta - Despite being identified as an archaeological site of Jammu Kashmir, Archaeological marvel historic Jamia Masjid (Grand Mosque) at Nowhatta in the heart of the old city has not been protected under the Ancient Monuments and Archaeological Sites and Remains Act, 1958. According to the department of Archives, Archaeology and Museums J&K (AAM), The Grand Jamia Mosque was constructed during the reign of Sultan Sikandar on the advice of Mir Mohammad Hamdani (RA), Khwaja Sadder-ud-Din Khura Sani (RA) was the architect of the mosque. “The approximate date of construction of the Jamia Masjid Nowhatta is 14th century.The mosque is built around a courtyard and is supported by 370 wooden pillars.
http://www.risingkashmir.com/archaeological-marvel-jamia-masjid-unprotected/
INDE – Mysore - Two large pits, about 30 feet deep were discovered in a road adjacent to Gun House and Vishwamanava Udyanavana in Mysore, on Monday. While conspiracy theories, such as, the pit was the entrance to a secret tunnel, or was once used to store gun powder during Wadiyar’s rule and others surfaced, both historians and the department of Archaeology have rubbished the theories.The pits have stairs for a person to climb down to it, with iron bars along the sides of the stairs. The sides of the pit have been constructed in concrete.
http://www.deccanherald.com/content/419744/discovery-two-large-pits-sparks.html
ROYAUME UNI – Rufford Country Park - Remains of a medieval church believed to have been destroyed during the Reformation have been uncovered in parkland in Nottinghamshire. Archaeologists found the church, which dates back to 1160, at Rufford Country Park, near Ollerton. Experts said the find will help them understand how the nearby Abbey's buildings developed over the years. Rufford Abbey was badly damaged after Henry VIII was refused a divorce by the Catholic church. The excavation work has been helping archaeologists piece together the layout of the Cistercian Abbey's buildings. A piece of Tudor pottery and two teeth, which are thought to belong to a monk buried there, have been found at the site of the church.
http://www.bbc.com/news/uk-england-nottinghamshire-28328687