19 JUIN 2018: Tahmachi - Chifeng - Cluny - Muğla - Zamkova Hora -

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IRAN139703281719219814468014 Tahmachi hill - After reports of discovery of several ancient earthenware artifacts by local residents at Iran’s southern port city of Deylam, a group of experts from the Cultural Heritage, Handicrafts and Tourism Organization (ICHHTO) were dispatched to the area to excavate a site known as ‘Tahmachi’ hill. The ancient site, located near the village and port of Ameri, consists of many big knolls, each up to 6 meters high, located on an open plain. After excavation of the knoll slopes, archaeologists unearthed several artifacts from what appears to be an ancient civilization, including beige earthenware dishes with designs colored brown, dark green and black. Similar pottery objects had been already found in another area in the province of Bushehr, dating back to the Bakun culture which flourished in the nearby province of Fars in the fifth and early fourth millenniums BC. The other objects discovered in the Tahmachi hill site include stone tools and human bones. With the new discoveries, scientists guess that the objects belong to a civilization that inhabited in the freshwaters regions of the Persian Gulf coastal areas during the 5th millennium BC.

https://www.tasnimnews.com/en/news/2018/06/18/1752536/ruins-of-ancient-civilization-discovered-south-of-iran

CHINE - Chifeng - Archaeologists have discovered the ruins of a Bronze Age village dating back more than 3,000 years in Chifeng city, north China's Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region. Located to the west of a village, the ruins cover an area of around 15,000 square meters. Three tombs including a joint burial were found, together with some pottery and two ditches. Excavation work is under way. Cao Jian'en, head of the regional institute of archaeology, said preliminary research showed that the ruins were mainly from the Weiyingzi Culture, a branch of Bronze Age culture during late Shang Dynasty (1600-1046 B.C.). "The discovery will provide new reference for studies on archaeology and culture in southeast region of Inner mongolia during the Bronze Age," Cao said.

http://www.xinhuanet.com/english/2018-06/18/c_137262778.htm

CANADACluny  Cluny -  A real archeological dig on traditional Blackfoot land searching for clues as to how people lived three centuries ago. This spot — located near the Blackfoot Crossing Historical Park on the Siksika Nation, just outside Cluny, Alta. — was a busy gathering place for the Blackfoot people, as it was the only place for many kilometres where the Bow River could be crossed by foot. Everyone gets their hands dirty here. High school students and archeologists work shoulder to shoulder to uncover the secrets of the only known prehistoric fortified village on the Canadian Plains. About 300 years ago, a group of people came to this spot in the heart of Blackfoot territory and built the Cluny Fortified Village, but later abandoned it, said Pennanen. She said who those people were, and what their relationship was to the Blackfoot, is still a mystery — and one that the archeologists working with the students here are aiming to solve.

http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/calgary/blackfoot-first-nation-indigenous-archaeology-alberta-1.4706695?cmp=rss

TURQUIE Bodrum villa1 sb Phainos Bodrum villa2 Muğla - Archaeological ruins and mosaics discovered in Turkey’s southwestern city of Muğla have been confirmed to belong to the villa of fisherman Phainos who lived in the 2nd century AD in the ancient Greek city of Halicarnassus, Diken news site reported on Friday. In addition the ruins of the villa and a 20 square meter mosaic, a well, a Roman bath, marble work that were used in luxury residences back then, pottery, perfume bottles, and fishing equipment have also been unearthed. The mosaic which depicts a fisherman and huge fishes are the greatest discoveries on the site according to experts. Moreover, 10 tombs and human remains have also been discovered.  “The first findings of Phainos, the most famous fisherman of his time, was first discovered in the ancient city of Halicarnassus in 1890s. More mosaics and villa ruins that had the marks of Phainos were later discovered during the excavations at the city centre,” archaeologist Candan Temizel said. 

https://ahvalnews.com/turkey/villa-and-mosaics-greek-fisherman-phainos-discovered-turkey

UKRAINE4 1 Zamkova Hora - In May 2018, a joint archaeological expedition of the National Historical and Cultural Reserve “Chyhyryn” and the Institute of Archeology of the National Academy of Sciences of Ukraine completed research and studies of mass burial sites discovered last year at Zamkova Hora in Chyhyryn, Cherkasy Oblast. In autumn of 2017, explorers accidentally stumbled on a deep hole filled with human bones (mainly human skulls) on Zamkova Hora in Cherkasy Oblast, near the historic town of Chyhyryn. The site measured 1.8m x 1m and was 1.5m deep. Calculations made it possible to assume that the pit might contain up to 300 human skulls. Referring to global studies on opening mass military burial sites, researchers developed a methodology that allowed them to make comprehensive and detailed studies of these findings. The site was divided into 50 сm2 squares; each square was recorded and the soil was carefully removed in 10 to 30 cm layers (depending on the actual content of each layer). In the first phase, during which three main and three intermediate layers were removed, archeologists discovered human skulls and individual bones. They then deduced that the excavation site might contain more than just human skulls, as it first seemed, but also random remains, which had obviously been gathered in the immediate vicinity of the site. The second phase (4-7 layers removed), which lasted all through May 2018, gave researchers some idea of ​​the origin and composition of the remains. It should be noted that most of the findings consisted of disarticulated (isolated) skulls, lower jaw bones and the first three cervical vertebrae. In addition, the pit contained separate disarticulated bones of hands, collarbones, and individual feet and leg bones. According to preliminary observations, most of the remains belonged to rather young men (from 18 to 30 years old), but there were also individual skulls of older children, young women and older men. The latter were found in the middle and upper layers of the burial site. Most of the skulls had traces of fatal injuries caused by sharp weapons. Two types of injuries were identified: traces of superficial or penetrating wounds, located randomly along the skulls, mainly on the front and top of the left side. These were obviously wounds inflicted during battle. Similar injuries were observed on individual bones of the forearms and feet. Bullet holes were found in two skulls. The other types of injury pointed to traces of slashing and cutting located horizontally around the neck area, the base of the skull, the lower part of the lower jaw and cervical vertebrae. Given the location, these injuries were correlated with decapitation (beheading). Taking into account the historical context, the researchers assume that the pit found on Zamkova Hora in Chyhyryn is linked to the Chyhyryn campaigns of 1677-1678 when the Ottoman army besieged and eventually conquered the citadel protected by a Russian division and Ukrainian Cossack troops. Many historical sources mention that it was traditional for Turkish military forces to behead their enemies. It was a manifestation of military valour and an act intended to intimidate the enemy. Heads from dead enemies were considered military trophies, for which the victorious fighters received financial rewards.Given the location of the site and the archaeological and historical context, it can be argued that the excavation pit was a disposal site for the remains of warriors – the defenders of Chyhyryn – who died and were beheaded during battle, as well as of dead civilians who had remained in the fortress. The pit was formed gradually, possibly in two or more stages. Apparently, the Turks dug this pit to bury the remains near their camp, which surrounded Chyhyryn Fortress. Judging by the colour and state of the bones in the lower layers, this occurred at least a few months after the first siege. The injuries on the skulls that were found in the upper layers of the pit, the presence of bones of upper and lower limbs, as well as the presence of beheaded skulls of women and children (over 9 years of age) suggest that the pit was filled and partially covered after the complete destruction of Chyhyryn Fortress in 1678. This burial site, which contains the remains of at least three hundred persons, is an unprecedented archeological find in Ukraine.

http://euromaidanpress.com/2018/06/16/new-dig-in-chyhyryn-sheds-light-on-a-page-of-ukrainian-cossack-history/