19 MAI 2016 NEWS: Anglesey - Bognor Regis - Bath - Port Arthur - Nantucket - Edinburgh - Crimean Bridge - Vaikunthapuram -
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ROYAUME UNI – 
Anglesey - Archaeologists digging on the site of a new road in Anglesey have unearthed an ancient cemetery and a 1,500-year-old "time capsule". Some 48 early medieval graves have been discovered on the Llangefni link road site. The "cist" graves each hold several bodies, alongside jewellery and French pottery. Archaeologists now hope to use DNA techniques to discover whether the group are related to modern Llangefni residents. The finds include a Roman bronze brooch, fragments of Samian pottery imported from Gaul , and a brooch clasp. Although skeletons do not normally survive in the acidic soil of north west Wales, many of the excavated bones have remained intact in the local limestone bedrock.
http://www.bbc.com/news/uk-wales-north-west-wales-36322953
ROYAUME UNI – 
Bognor Regis - Rumours of an undiscovered villa have been circulating around the village for years. In the late 1990s, Mr Cann unearthed a staggering 8,000 first and second century artefacts in his garden, when he was digging a soakaway for a house extension. It was believed to be a boundary ditch, filled with domestic rubbish. Items included pottery, glass, roof tiles and ironwork. The discovery was made around 40 metres from the boundary of the proposed development site. Rachel Allwood, planning director at Dandara, said she did not think the aerial photo represented ‘compelling evidence’. She said: “We have had a full independent archaeological investigation undertaken by the Centre for Applied Archaeology at the Institute of Archaeology University College London, agreed and assessed by both West Sussex County Council and Arun District Council. “This included extensive trenching which resulted in no evidence to suggest the site is of special archaeological value. “Had the investigation revealed anything of interest we have been required to trench the whole field. Against this background of expert investigation at the site, we do not think that a Google Earth photo presents any compelling evidence.” Investigative trenches are evident on the left, but campaigners believe the central field could have been home to a Roman Villa. Image courtesy of Google Earth
ROYAUME UNI – 
Bath - The dig took place underneath York Street and Swallow Street, in an area of the Roman Baths not currently open to the public. Highlights of the dig included: - Discovering wall plaster with a red painted finish still adhering to the outside of a Roman wall of the Great Bath, which implies that this part of the building was painted red. - Investigating a Roman bath from the earliest phase of the Roman Bath. - Investigating a second Roman Bath beneath York Street. - Finding the footings of the Roman walls of the Great Bath. - Establishing the Roman floor levels to the south of the Great Bath. - Identifying a pre-Roman land surface beneath York Street. - Gaining a better understanding of the extent of Georgian and Victorian disturbance of the area. For more information about the Archway Project, visit www.romanbaths.co.uk/archway-centre.
http://www.bathecho.co.uk/news/community/archaeological-dig-uncovers-new-details-famous-roman-baths-67053/
AUSTRALIE – 
Port Arthur - Gambling tokens, buttons and carved clay pipes uncovered in an archaeological dig at Port Arthur have shed light on the pastime of convicts. The dig is taking place behind the penitentiary building and is one of the biggest excavations to occur at the World Heritage site. During the first phase the yards featured shelter sheds for the men complete with fireplaces. In the 1860s a second period of development saw toilets and washing areas erected for the prison population. One of the most curious aspects of the site was the advanced nature of the facilities. "There is a form of flushing toilets, which for the 1860s is very early," Dr Tuffin said. "You don't normally get that form of hygiene and treating waste until the 1880s, even in towns like Hobart." Many of the pipe stems uncovered are characterised by the teeth marks of the owner. Some of the fragments were decorated which help to pinpoint a likely timeline. "We have one we think is linked to the American Civil War," Dr Tuffin said. A unique discovery was a section of clay pipe thought to be commemorating the 50-year anniversary of the Battle of Waterloo. All up, the yard has revealed about 1,600 finds, including wooden buttons and gambling paraphernalia. "The most welcome find has been the quantity of gaming tokens," Dr Tuffin said. Made from a range of different materials including lead, slate and ceramics, the tokens unearthed have been both circular and square in appearance. Gambling was not allowed, so convicts would have had to smuggle the material into the yard without the guards seeing them.
USA – 
Nantucket - Nearly six decades after 46 people died when the Andrea Doria sank to the sea floor following a violent collision with another ocean liner south of Nantucket, Massachusetts, explorers are preparing to do what 16 people have lost their lives attempting: get a good look at the wreckage. A Washington state-based ocean exploration company is planning the first manned submersible expedition to the wreck in 20 years. Everett, Washington-based OceanGate will use its five-man submersible Cyclops I next month to get high-definition video and 3-D sonar images of the shipwreck, technology never before used to study one of the nation's most famous maritime disasters. The New York-bound Italian luxury liner sank after a collision on the foggy night of July 25, 1956, with the Swedish ship Stockholm, which was heading back to Europe. The Stockholm ripped a gash in the Andrea Doria's hull, causing it to list and making some of its lifeboats unusable. Five people on the Stockholm died, but 46 crew and passengers on the Italian ship perished. More than 1,600 others were rescued as the ship took 11 hours to sink. The wreck, in about 240 feet of water 50 miles south of Nantucket, has for years attracted treasure-hunting divers looking for money, china and other artifacts from a bygone era. But 16 of those divers have died, the most recent just last year. The wreck has been compared to Mount Everest, because as alluring and dangerous as the world's tallest peak is to mountaineers, the Andrea Doria is to divers.
http://phys.org/news/2016-05-explorers-june-mission-andrea-doria.html
ROYAUME UNI – 
Edinburgh - An archaeological excavation is under way in the grounds of St Mary's RC Primary in Leith, Edinburgh, after ancient remains were found at Easter. Now a further nine skeletons - including one of a small child - have since been discovered within individual coffins. Work is continuing at the site, however experts believe that the remains could be those of plague victims who died in the 17th century. It has been widely known that a cemetery was located in the Leith Links area around that time, however the exact location was unknown.
http://stv.tv/news/east-central/1354536-bones-of-suspected-plague-victims-unearthed-in-playground/?
RUSSIE – 
Crimean Bridge - Archaeologists managed to unearth a hoard of silver coins at the construction site of a new highway which will lead to the bridge across the Strait of Kerch. The roadway will link mainland Russia with the Crimean Peninsula, RIA Novosti reported, referring to the information center Crimean Bridge. The treasure was discovered on the Taman Peninsula in Russia's Krasnodar Region, an area that borders on the north with the Sea of Azov, on the west with the Strait of Kerch and on the south with the Black Sea. "On the outskirts of an ancient village, scientists have found a treasure: 15 silver coins weighing more than 300 grams, hidden in a ceramic pot. It is assumed that the coins were minted in Spain in the middle of the 17th century," the information center said. "Perhaps this is part of the treasure plundered from a galleon, or it could be traces of the commerce which was rather actively conducted in the area in ancient times," he center added that archaeologists will continue working on a 50,000 square meter excavation in the region, where they are studying the remains of a settlement dating back to the Roman Empire. Scientists did not exclude that during the final stage of the excavations, they will be able to unearth unique artifacts from the Taman Bronze Age.
http://sputniknews.com/russia/20160518/1039809399/russia-crimea-bridge-treasure.html?
INDE – 
Vaikunthapuram - A clue given by residents of Vaikunthapuram, located in the capital Amaravati region, led veteran archaeologist E. Siva Nagi Reddy to Buddhist remains of 1st Century BC atop a hill in the village. Based on information given by the villagers that a few brickbats and fragments of earthen pots were found atop the hill, Dr. Reddy, who is also CEO of the Cultural Centre of Vijayawada, embarked on a thorough exploration of the area. Assisted by village residents Bhogineni Nageswara Rao, Subhakar Medasani and Chaitanya Ravela, he conducted a thorough search on the hill which yielded three mounds studded with brickbats and pottery in red colour. The mounds were formed on huge boulders on which a brick-built stupa was raised. “The bricks used in construction of stupas and viharas measured 60x30x8 cm and 58x28x7 cm, invariably belonged to the Satavahana era (1st Century BC). A huge quantity of fragments of terracotta and brick tiles used to cover chaityas and viharas was also found,” explains Dr. Reddy. Further excavations revealed that the Buddhist monks relied for drinking water mainly on two tanks spread in an extent of half an acre and two rock-cut cisterns. “The Buddhist remains like stupas, chaityas and viharas yielded on Vaikunthapuram hill show that Buddhism existence from 1st Century BC to the 5th Century AD, but later the region came under the influence of Saivism in the Vishnukundin era and under Vaishnavites between the 13th and 17th centuries AD. This is evident in the existence of two Venkateswara temples —one at the foot of the hill and another on the hill top,” said Dr. Reddy. He said a 1{+s}{+t}Century BC rock-cut cave on the hill top was installed with the idol of Lord Venkateswara during the 17th century AD. Dr. Reddy also stumbled upon two Siva lingas on the Krishna river bed. It appeared that the lingas surfaced recently due to receding of the river water. These Siva lingas, he said, portrayed stylistic ground art of 5th century AD (Vishnukundin era).
