21 DECEMBRE 2017 NEWS: Beit Shemesh - Liangzhu - Exeter - Germanicia - Tiberias - Blanc Sablon - Syrie -
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ISRAEL – 
Beit Shemesh - More than 1,000 teenagers worked with archaeologists for months to help uncover the remains of a 1,500-year-old Byzantine monastery and church with mosaic floors and imported marble elements, the Israel Antiquities Authority said on Wednesday. “The artifacts found in the large building, which seems to be a monastic compound, may indicate that the site was important and perhaps a center for ancient pilgrims in the Judean ‘Shfelah’ (lowlands) region,” Storchan said. Described as “spectacular” the find is located about 19 miles outside of Jerusalem in the city of Beit Shemesh. The IAA is conducting what it calls a “rescue excavation” ahead of expansion in the area. “During the excavation, we uncovered before our eyes the remains of walls built of large worked stone masonry and a number of architectural elements including a marble pillar base decorated with crosses and marble window screens,” Storchan said. “The marble artifacts were brought from the region of Turkey (by ship) and further inland by wagon. In one of the rooms we uncovered a beautiful mosaic floor decorated with birds, leaves, and pomegranates,” he said.The artifacts show that “the church enjoyed a great deal of wealth in ancient times,” he added. The monastery was apparently abandoned in the 7th century AD for unknown reasons during the Islamic conquest.
VIDEO = https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IrIFOn508xk
CHINE - Liangzhu - A huge pile of carbonized unhusked rice dating back 5,000 years was found in the ruins of ancient Liangzhu City in eastern China's Zhejiang Province. The pile was about 60 cm thick and covered about 5,000 square meters, the provincial institute of archaeology said Wednesday. The pile stored about 100,000 kg of carbonized rice. Liu Bin, head of the institute, said grain storage was an important symbol of city, and the discovery demonstrated that Liangzhu had a relatively developed paddy agriculture. The ancient city of Liangzhu was discovered in 2007 in Hangzhou's Yuhang District. In 2015, archaeologists found a large water project while excavating the neolithic remains of the city. It is believed to be the world's earliest water conservation system.
http://news.xinhuanet.com/english/2017-12/20/c_136840454.htm
ROYAUME UNI – 
Exeter - Evidence of one of the first ever turkey dinners to be eaten in the UK has been found in Devon by archaeologists. The bones – two femurs and an ulna – come from some of the first turkeys to arrive in England from the Americas, say experts. They were first found as part of excavations before the building of a shopping centre in Paul Street, Exeter, in 1983, but had never been identified or dated. However, archaeologists from the University of Exeter have now examined the bones and, judging by pottery lying beside them, say they date from 1520 to 1550. The first turkeys were introduced to England by William Strickland, an MP in the reign of Elizabeth I, in 1524 or 1526 following a voyage to the Americas. He is recorded as having bought six turkeys from Native American traders and sold them for tuppence each after sailing with them back to Bristol – 80 miles from Exeter. When turkeys first appeared, they were more likely to have been kept as pets as a display of wealth rather than being served as food. The birds became very popular after 1550 and were a common sight at Christmas dinners by the 1570s, with suggestions that Henry VIII had such a meal.
http://www.plymouthherald.co.uk/news/local-news/leftovers-one-first-turkey-dinners-951302
TURQUIE – 
Germanicia - The ancient city of Germanicia, which was discovered 10 years ago in the southern province of Kahramanmaraş, is progressing to become the Ephesus of the region. Located in the Dulkadiroğlu neighborhood, the ancient city was discovered in 2007 during illegal excavations. Registration, expropriation, excavation and preservation works have still been ongoing to uncover the ancient city that covers an area of 140 hectares, including the neighborhoods of Namık Kemal, Şeyhadil, Dulkadiroğlu and Bağlarbaşı. Social life in the era was featured by mosaics, which covered the floors in the late Roman era. the Provincial Culture and Tourism Director Seydihan Küçükdağlı said works had been ongoing for almost 10 years in the area. So far, 30 out of 50 parcels of land have been expropriated. “Thirteen parcels of land are in the court process and it will soon be resolved. We want this area to be projected as an archeology park, an open museum. The excavations will continue to reveal the mosaics that have been uncovered in two fields and the current archaeological data we have. Each of these parcels are in a different spot. The ancient city of Germanicia will become the locomotive of Kahramanmaraş tourism once it is completely unearthed,” said Küçükdağlı. Some of the mosaics found in the ancient city of Germanicia have been on display in their original places and some at the museum, according to Kahramanmaraş museum director Ahmet Denizhanoğulları. Last year’s works unearthed very important ruins of graves and walls, said Denizhanoğulları.“This year, we continued excavations in a different parcel and found very important mosaics. Germanicia is progressing to become the Ephesus of the region. Once it opens for tourism, this place will change the future of our city. These were the highest quality mosaics in their era. They date back to the fourth, fifth and sixth centuries. They feature daily life and hunting animal figures. There is also a place we excavated in 2015. It is most likely a church,” said the director.
http://www.hurriyetdailynews.com/excavations-reveal-ancient-germanicia-124401
ISRAEL – 
Tiberias - Likely part of a Jewish tomb from the second to fourth centuries, the door was discovered during the excavation of a former mosque and sugar works dating back to the seventh century. “We found that the top step of a stairway leading to a small room was actually a portion of a basalt Jewish-tomb door,” Cytryn-Silverman explained. “Such tomb doors, probably originating from the Jewish cemetery to the north of the classical city [of Tiberias], had already been brought to this area during the early eighth century, when the Umayyads transformed the simple mosque of the seventh century into a monumental mosque,” Cytryn-Silverman explained. The slab was used as the base for a pillar within the mosque, she added.The tomb door’s colorful history, however, did not end there. The mosque was destroyed by an earthquake in 1068 and subsequently abandoned. But then, during the Crusader era, the site became part of a complex devoted to sugar production.
CANADA – Blanc-Sablon - Une expédition archéologique a découvert de nombreux artéfacts à Blanc-Sablon cet été, dont un jeton de Nuremberg, pièce unique dans le golfe du Saint-Laurent et le plus vieux découvert jusqu’à présent. Cette pièce datant du milieu du 16e siècle devait servir de monnaie d’échange entre les premiers Européens et les autochtones. Pendant trois semaines cet été, des archéologues professionnels et amateurs ont récolté pas moins de 30 500 artéfacts. Les archéologues savaient qu’il ferait de belles découvertes à Blanc-Sablon. L’endroit est un lieu historique national du Canada et le ministère de la Culture et des Communications du Québec l’a classé comme site patrimonial pour sa valeur archéologique. La Côte-Nord est une région très riche en patrimoine archéologique. Elle compte plus de 1200 sites archéologiques, dont plus de 800 datent de la période préhistorique. On y a découvert des traces d'occupation remontant à 6500 ans av. J.-C. dans les secteurs de Vieux-Fort, Blanc-Sablon et en Haute-Côte-Nord.
VIDEO = http://www.tvanouvelles.ca/2017/12/19/riches-trouvailles-archeologiques-a-blanc-sablon
SYRIE – 
- Un exceptionnel réseau militaire vieux de 4000 ans, a été découvert en Syrie grâce à l'analyse d'images aériennes et satellitaires par une équipe franco-syrienne. Il comprend forteresses, fortifications, tours et fortins, qui communiquaient par signaux lumineux. Ces travaux ont été menés par le laboratoire Archéorient (CNRS-Université Lumière Lyon 2) et la Direction générale des antiquités et musées de Syrie. Ils ont été publiés mardi dans la revue Paléorient. "C'est la première fois qu'un système fortifié d'une telle ampleur est mis en évidence. Cette structure longe le relief qui domine la steppe de Syrie centrale et protégeait les agglomérations et les terres les plus attractives à l'âge du Bronze moyen" (2e millénaire avant J.-C.), précise l'une des auteurs, Marie-Odile Rousset, chercheuse au Centre français de la Recherche scientifique(CNRS). La région prospectée par la mission franco-syrienne des "Marges arides de Syrie du Nord" se situe à l'est de Hama et s'étend sur 7000 kilomètres carrés. "Ces fouilles 'virtuelles' complètent celles conduites sur le terrain" de 1995 à 2002 puis en 2010, donc avant la guerre, avec la datation précise de céramiques notamment. "De cette époque, on connaît surtout des fortifications urbaines, mais là il s'agit de fortifier tout un territoire pour protéger les axes de circulation et les terres", explique Marie-Odile Rousset. Ces forteresses étaient constituées de gros blocs de basalte non taillés et de murs de plusieurs mètres de haut et de large."De plus, chaque site fortifié était implanté de façon à pouvoir communiquer visuellement avec les autres par signaux lumineux (feux de nuit) ou de fumée, comme les Indiens, afin de transmettre rapidement les informations vers les grands centres de pouvoir", précise la chercheuse. Située à la lisière des régions sédentaires très peuplées du Croissant fertile à l'ouest et de la steppe aride des nomades à l'est, cette région n'a pas été constamment habitée. "On a pu constater que cette région pas facile à mettre en valeur était réoccupée en période de crise. D'ailleurs, récemment, le site de l'époque romaine a été réoccupé par les habitants qui fuyaient Hama et Homs".
https://www.swissinfo.ch/fre/d%C3%A9couverte-en-syrie-de-forteresses-vieilles-de-4000-ans/43767660