21 SEPTEMBRE 2021 NEWS
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GRECE – 
x Sitia - Treasures from the Roman era of Greek history were discovered recently at the bottom of the sea on the Gulf of Paleokastro near the town of Sitia on the Greek island of Crete. For the first time, the remains of a shipwreck were found in the form of a number of stunningly lovely amphorae from the second century AD, resting on the seabed as they had been loaded onto a ship that researchers believe most likely originated from the Iberian Peninsula. The researchers are investigating the shoreline and the wider area of the bay to determine the extent of its use throughout its various phases, from antiquity onward. Submerged ancient building remains from at least two historical periods were found by the team. To the north of the bay, a sunken jetty from Roman times — which was first discovered in the 1980s — was documented again as a port shelter was constructed by the team. In that same immediate vicinity an area containing walls and building remains also from the Roman era was also found. https://greekreporter.com/2021/09/17/roman-port-discovered-under-sea-off-crete/
MEXIQUE – 
Xochitécatl – Archaeologists from INAH have discovered several ceremonial offerings, and a staircase to the spiral pyramidal monument at the pre-Columbian site of Xochitécatl, located in the Mexican State of Tlaxcala. Xochitécatl was founded during the Middle Pre-Classic Period around 800 BC upon the summit of a 4 km-wide extinct volcano, that rises 200 metres above the floor of the Puebla-Tlaxcala Valley. In AD 150, an eruption of the Popocatepetl Volcano led to the site being abandoned, until it was resettled in AD 650, emerging as a ceremonial centre within the extended urban area of Cacaxtla. By AD 950, both Xochitecatl and Cacaxtla were abandoned, although there is evidence of continued ritual activity in the Post-Classic Period. On the northern side of the monument, the researchers discovered the original staircase, and several figurines carrying a maxtlatl (loincloth) painted in red, with elaborate headdresses, batons and a clay scroll in hand. The team also unearthed two vessels of the Composite Silhouette type, for which micro-excavations are being conducted on the vessels to determine the contents and whether they could belong to the individuals represented in the figurines.
BELGIQUE – Bruges - Excavations at the Notre-Dame de Bruges Cathedral, in the province of West-Flanders, have unearthed a burial vault. Two other vaults, one of them decorated with 14th-century paintings, had already been unearthed in May. This third vault also has paintings, which are not as well conserved but depict similar scenes, such as an angel brandishing an incense burner decorated with crosses and flowers, and a crucifixion scene: Jesus on the cross, with Mary and the apostle John beside him. The Virgin Mary is depicted on another wall with a child sitting on a throne. Based on these decorations, this vault has been traced back to the 14th Century and is likely older than the two previous ones.
https://www.brusselstimes.com/news/art-culture/185665/medieval-burial-vault-discovered-in-bruges/
TURQUIE – 
Çayönü Mound - Archaeological teams continue excavations in Çayönü Mound in southeastern Diyarbakir province to unearth a Neolithic settlement where traces of settled life and production are evident. Çayönü is the region where copper mines were processed hot and cold for the first time and was perhaps the first place where leatherwork was done. Stating that it is a region where ancient technology for construction also has historical roots, Karaloğlu said they opened a chest-type tomb during this year's excavations that will help shed light on the area's deep history.
https://www.dailysabah.com/life/history/excavations-in-turkeys-cayonu-to-shed-light-on-neolithic-era
FRANCE – Corent - L'archéologue Matthieu Poux présente le résultat des fouilles archéologiques menées sur le Plateau de Corent cet été.
VIDEO = https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lqYQR-z1XGQ
DANEMARK - 
Vindelev - La mise au jour d'un trésor non loin de la ville de Jelling, au Danemark, laisse supposer qu'un puissant seigneur vivait dans la péninsule du Jutland au 6e siècle de notre ère. Parmi les objets trouvés, des bractéates en or portent des motifs et des inscriptions runiques encore inconnus, qui pourraient représenter des versions primitives de personnages de la mythologie nordique. Ce trésor avait été enterré il y a environ 1.500 ans sous une maison longue faisant partie d'un village composé de 3 ou 4 fermes. Il s'agit presque exclusivement de médaillons en or qui ont été transformés en bijoux, le tout pesant près d'un kilogramme ! Les uns sont des bractéates, c'est-à-dire des feuilles de métal frappées, dont l'empreinte apparaît en relief sur l'endroit et en creux sur l'envers, de la taille d'une petite soucoupe à café ; les autres, d'anciennes pièces de monnaie romaines. Les bractéates étaient portées autour du cou afin de montrer avec quel partenaire on avait fait alliance. Pour le moment, les archéologues ne décrivent avec précision qu'un seul de ces médaillons, une bractéate magnifiquement décorée, ornée en son centre d'un motif qu'ils ne connaissaient pas encore. Il s'agit d'une tête d'homme aux cheveux tressés, représentée de profil, entourée d'un cheval et d'un oiseau. Une inscription runique a été frappée sur la feuille d'or entre les naseaux et les jambes avant du cheval. Selon les chercheurs qui l'ont déchiffrée, elle pourrait se lire houaʀ, ce qui signifie "le très haut". Mais le doute subsiste quant à son interprétation : l'inscription désigne-t-elle un souverain de l'époque, ou bien celui des dieux, puisque dans la mythologie viking, ce même terme est associé au dieu Odin ? Si tel est le cas, cette bractéate pourrait alors représenter une des premières versions du dieu principal de la mythologie nordique. Les pièces romaines ont également suscité l'admiration des archéologues, en premier lieu en raison des techniques utilisées pour les transformer en bijoux, car ils n'ont jamais rien vu de comparable. La plus remarquable de ces pièces en or massif, qui font presque 24 carats, figure l'empereur Constantin le Grand (285-337 après J.-C.). Selon les conclusions des chercheurs, le fait qu'elle ait pu se retrouver 300 ans plus tard tout au nord du continent européen montre combien les régions les plus éloignées étaient alors étroitement reliées par le commerce et la guerre. La quantité d'or trouvé sur le site de Vindelev suffit à elle seule à laisser présumer que cette région du Jutland devait être un centre de pouvoir à la fin de l'âge du fer, sur lequel régnait au 6e siècle de notre ère un seigneur extrêmement riche, non seulement capable d'acquérir ces biens, mais aussi d'attirer auprès de lui des orfèvres de grand talent. Cette découverte constitue une surprise d'autant plus grande que Vindelev se trouve à moins de 8 kilomètres du site de Jelling, qui est considéré comme un siège de pouvoir de l'ère viking et le berceau du royaume de Danemark. On ne peut également que spéculer sur la raison pour laquelle le seigneur de Vindelev aurait enterré ce trésor. Il aurait pu vouloir le conserver en lieu sûr en vue de l'utiliser à un moment opportun, en cas de guerre par exemple. L'enfouissement pourrait ainsi être lié à une catastrophe climatique qui a eu un impact au niveau mondial : le "petit âge glaciaire de l'Antiquité tardive". En effet, vers l'an 536 après J.-C., se sont produites plusieurs éruptions volcaniques très violentes, attribuées à l'Ilopango en Amérique centrale, ou au Krakatoa en Asie du Sud-est ; suite à ces éruptions, des nuages de cendres et de poussière ont tellement assombri l'atmosphère que les récoltes ont été compromises pendant de nombreuses années, faisant sévir la famine.
RUSSIE – 
Khakassia - The remains of a woman buried with a rich array of heavy bronze jewelry have been unearthed in what is now the Republic of Khakassia, southern Siberia. The intact grave was discovered in the Askiz-17 burial ground and dates to the 8-10th century B.C. She was found in a small, relatively shallow burial pit attached to the western side of a stone mound . The woman was placed in a supine position with her head in a southeastern orientation.. Animal remains — the shoulder blade and front leg of a large horned mammal — were tidily placed to the side of her left foot as funerary offerings. The broken blade of a bronze knife was laid next to them. A large round pottery vessel with an ornamented rim was placed next to her head. It is in fragments, smashed over time by the stone filling of the burial pit. A large bronze bracelet with checkered ornament was placed above her wrist, four fingers of her left hand had large bronze rings, each with two pearl-shaped bronze decorations. By her right elbow archeologists found a round bronze plate, 9 centimetre in diameter, and 8 small bronze buttons.
http://www.thehistoryblog.com/archives/62271
CANADA - Lockport - A First Nation chief said the discovery of human remains at the St. Andrews Lock and Dam site in Lockport, Man. is further evidence of the dark history between Indigenous People and colonial policy. The statement said the skeletal remains of a teenager were discovered first, along with artifacts like bison bones and birch bark. “It is clear from the burial site that this young person was loved and honoured at the time of their death,” Chief Hudson wrote. Peguis First Nation said initial investigations suggest the person had tuberculosis.
CHINE – 
Kangjiashimenji - The Kangjiashimenji Petroglyphs are bas-relief carvings that are thought to have been created between 3,000 and 4,000 years ago. Petroglyphs, or ancient rock carvings, have been found across the globe, but what makes the Kangjiashimenji Petroglyphs special is that they are graphically sexual. Discovered in the late 1980s by Chinese archaeologist Wang Binghua, the petroglyphs depict elaborate copulation and fertility rituals, queer sex, and gender non-conforming figures. According to the International Business Times, researchers have interpreted the carvings as featuring trans people because of the traditionally male and female characteristics of the figures. For example, the “female” carvings had shapelier legs and wear headdresses and jewellery, which the “male” ones had thinner legs, huge penises and no adornments. However, a third group is shown with erect phalluses, while also wearing feminine headdresses, leading researchers to believe they were either gender non-conforming, non-binary or transgender. In one scene, figures dance in a circle around a gender non-conforming figure as they prepare to have sex with a woman. In another, a male is seen embracing another male, while a third masturbates alone. Other men with erections appear to be dancing with a gender non-conforming figure.
