17 MARS 2011 NEWS - Kerboulic-Locquirec - Shaqqa - Marden Henge - Bagnères de Bigorre - Pétra - Rhoudias - Musselburgh -
- 17 MARS
- FRANCE - 
Kerboulic – Locquirec - Un lotissement va être construit dans le quartier de Kerboulic. La loi sur l'archéologie préventive du 17 janvier 2001 prévoit l'intervention des archéologues en préalable au chantier d'aménagement, pour effectuer un diagnostic et, si nécessaire, une fouille pour archiver le sol. La raison à Kerboulic ? La découverte dans les années 60 de tombeaux-coffres de l'âge de bronze. Ce qui explique la décision de la Drac (Direction régionale des affaires culturelles) de lancer ce chantier. Des vestiges de l'Âge de bronze ? Depuis une semaine, les fouilles ont permis de découvrir des vestiges sur le site appartenant à la commune de Locquirec. Trois types de traces ont été mises à jour. Chronologiquement, les plus anciennes remontent à l'Âge de bronze, soit 2 000 ans avant Jésus-Christ. Il s'agit de deux empierrements de sépultures. Puis à l'Âge de fer. Stéphane Blanchet, archéologue de l'Inrap (Institut national de recherches archéologiques préventives) et son équipe ont relevé les empreintes d'une structure domestique, des marques de foyers et des trous de poteaux ayant supporté une construction. On en saura un peu plus dans quelques semaines, lorsque les archéologues de l'Inrap rendront leurs conclusions.
http://www.ouest-france.fr/actu/actuLocale_-Des-vestiges-archeologiques-decouverts-a-Kerboulic-_29133-avd-20110315-60081324_actuLocale.Htm
- SYRIE – 
Shaqqa - Shaqqa (Maximianpolis) archaeological town, 27km northeast Sweida city, assumed an important position during the 2nd and 3rd centuries AD as the Romans named it after the name of their emperor Maxim, to be known as Maximianpolis or the 'City of Maximian'. Director of Sweida Antiquities Department Waseem al-Sha'rani said one of the most important remaining ruins in the village is the Kalybe ruins which were built by the end of the 3rd century AD. The remaining ruins encompass of a part of the main entrance from the north including the gateway arch with two rectangular niches topped by arc ends above each others. The Qayssariye, dating back to mid-3rd century BC, was an administrative headquarters inhabited by the ruler. It functions as the government place consists of a gateway in the eastern facade with a main corridor in the center which is opened to a main reception hall roofed with a dome decorated with niches and stone holders. Researcher Hasan Hattoom said Shaqqa is one of the most important five archaeological cities in Sweida. It constituted a defensive line for the Romans. The city was an important administrative, economic, military and religious center during the Greek, Roman, Byzantine and Islamic eras. Qayssarye includes the Great Church 'the Basilica' ornamented by wonderful niches and beautiful geometrical decorations. It is a square shape, divided into three sections, and built on the remnants of an old temple during the end the 2nd century or the beginning of the 3rd century. Hattoom added Shaqqa also includes a circular old theater, that remnants are hidden inside the old city where we can see beautiful old houses besides a monastery located at the eastern part of the town with a relatively good condition tower from the 5th century. The monastery includes a church and a number of rooms downstairs in addition to rooms of several functions upstairs. It is the most important monastery in the area. The cemeteries include the octagonal place in the southeast of the town and a cemetery located in the northwest. Most of the cemeteries were built underground with stone according to the style of that era. Shaqqa also contains Greek inscriptions which highlight an important part of the twon history. (SANA)
- ROYAUME-UNI – 
Marden Henge - A building whose foundations were unearthed during an excavation at Marden Henge near Devizes last summer could have been a Neolithic sauna. Archaeologist Jim Leary told that the chalk foundations contained a sunken hearth that would have given out intense heat. “It brings to mind the sweat lodges found in North America,” he said. “It could have been used as part of a purification ceremony.” Also found was a midden or rubbish heap with dozens of pig bones, some still attached, likely to be the remains of a huge feast that took place 5,000 years ago.
http://www.gazetteandherald.co.uk/news/8845131.The_heat_was_on_at_Marden_Henge/
- FRANCE – 
Bagnères-de-Bigorre - Serait-il concevable qu'au moment même où la ville lance, et nous l'en félicitons, une « aire de valorisation architecturale et paysagère », une toute récente découverte mise au jour ne soit offerte à la disposition du public et qu'elle ne donne lieu à une fouille archéologique préventive ? Nous parlons ici d'une salle voûtée gothique, à belle clé d'ogive, datant du XIVe siècle. Elle est pourvue de beaux corbeaux de pierre sculptés en feuilles d'acanthe et d'un fragment de fresque de même époque. La démolition de deux maisons anciennes, au pied de la tour de l'Horloge, l'a rendue visible depuis la rue et révélée à nombre de Bagnérais. Ces vestiges sont un fort témoignage de ce qui fut le cœur de la ville médiévale. En ce temps, la rue de l'Horloge s'appelait rue des Cantarés et la rue de la Porte-de-Béarn ne savait pas encore qu'elle rendrait beaucoup plus tard hommage à Victor Hugo. Outre la restauration de la voûte ogivale et de sa fresque, nous insisterons fermement auprès du promoteur pour qu'il ne prive pas l'histoire locale de possibles découvertes supplémentaires dans le sous-sol du couvent, maintenant dégagé.Tout cela étant situé au pied d'un édifice classé au titre des Monuments historiques. Enfin, peut-on suggérer au promoteur qu'il modifie ses plans afin que ce beau témoignage du passé soit désormais accessible à tous ?
http://www.ladepeche.fr/article/2011/03/17/1036620-Un-fleuron-cache-du-Bagneres-medieval.html
- JORDANIE – Pétra - Cette tête de marbre blanc fut mise au jour en avril 2004 au centre de Pétra, dans les fouilles menées par la Mission archéologique française près du temple nabatéen du Qasr al-Bint. Elle appartenait à une statue colossale de Marc Aurèle dont on n'a retrouvé que quelques autres fragments. Cette statue, peut-être flanquée de celle de Lucius Verus, ornait à l'origine un grand monument à abside construit à la limite du sanctuaire après la conquête romaine de l'Arabie au début du IIe siècle après J.-C. Achevé sous le règne commun des deux empereurs entre 161 et 169, comme l'indiquent plusieurs inscriptions, ce monument s'écroula à l'époque romaine tardive. Parmi d'autres portraits orientaux de Marc Aurèle, l'oeuvre se distingue par son état de conservation et par sa découverte dans un contexte archéologique précis. Exposée à Amman depuis mai 2005, elle fait aujourd'hui l'objet d'une présentation au musée du Louvre (après restauration et soclage), organisée par les départements des Antiquités orientales et des Antiquités grecques, étrusques et romaines dans le cadre de la coopération entre le musée du Louvre et le département des Antiquités de Jordanie.
http://www.newspress.fr/communique_238607_2162_RSS-FR-ZON-109.aspx
- CHYPRE – Rhoudias - New finds at the pre-Neolithic site of ‘Rhoudias’, situated in the south foothills of the Troodos Mountains in the Paphos district next to the Xenos river indicate the site was repeatedly visited by groups of hunter-gatherers. The hunter gatherers in question remained in the area for an unknown period each time. The site was part of a route from the coast to the mountains and vice-versa. The second excavation of the site, which has just been completed by the Department of History and Archaeology of the Aristotle University of Thessaloniki (AUT), aimed at exploring the environmental dynamics of the site, “which must have greatly affected the decisions made by the hunter-gatherer groups who seem to have visited this area frequently throughout the island’s early prehistory from 10.000BC–6.000BC. “The finds, mostly lithic tools dating to the pre-Neolithic phase of Roudhias, amount to hundreds,” the Antiquities Department said. “It should however be stressed that absolute dating from the Roudhias site is still pending and is necessary to be dealt with in the immediate future.” The department said the excavation had however confirmed the initial assessment concerning the role that Cyprus’ mountainous hinterland played at the end of the Pleistocene and the beginning of the Holocene, which was shortly before 10,000BC –
http://www.cyprus-mail.com/pre-neolithic/xenos-river-was-part-stone-age-route/20110317
- ROYAUME-UNI - 
Musselburgh - Two Roman altar stones discovered in a Musselburgh park last year during redevelopment work have revealed a "fascinating new chapter" in the story of the area's Roman past. Investigations have been carried out into the rare, beautifully carved altars found at Lewisvale Park, close to historic Inveresk, which are believed to be unique to Scotland if not Britain and date from about 200 AD. The first stone has side panels depicting a lyre - a stringed musical instrument - and a griffon, a mythical beast which had a lion's body and an eagle's head and wings, along with pictures of a jug and bowl, objects which would have been used for pouring offerings on the altar. The front face bears a carved inscription dedicating the altar to the god Mithras. The front face of the second stone (pictured) shows female heads which represent the four seasons - spring, summer, autumn and winter. All are wearing headdresses - spring flowers, summer foliage, autumn grapes and a shawl for winter. The centre of the stone contains a carving of the face of a god, probably Sol, wearing a solar crown. The eyes, mouth and solar rays are all pierced and the hollowed rear shaft would probably have held a lantern or candle letting the light shine through. An inscription on a panel beneath the four seasons is currently partially obscured but likely bears the name of the dedicator who is believed to be a Roman centurion, and the god to whom the altar is dedicated. Traces of red and white paint are still visible beneath the inscription panel suggesting that it was originally brightly painted at least in part. Analysis into the importance of the altars is ongoing. The items are Treasure Trove, which means that a panel of Crown Office experts will determine their final location once full analysis is complete. Shards of pottery, along with remains of burnt cereal grans and charcoal, were also discovered. Inveresk Roman fort stood around the area where St Michael's Kirk now stands on headland overlooking the River Esk. It is known to have been occupied approximately 1,800 years ago and was an important military post.