23 MAI 2017 NEWS: Lincoln - Moscou - Yeşilova Höyük - Beg er Vil - Anse - Lille - Yinshan
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ROYAUME UNI – 
Lincoln - A medieval brewery has been discovered by archaeologists along the route of Lincoln Eastern Bypass. When this area was stripped of its plough soil several months ago a large area of rubble was found, and it quickly became clear that this was the remains of a complex of buildings with a long history - well over 800 years. The site was littered with thousands of artefacts such as pottery, animal bone, and roof tile, and it told the archaeologists that the buildings were mainly in use during medieval times (c.1000-500 years ago). The team was faced with the complicated job of making sense of many overlapping and intercutting foundations of walls and floors, yards and cellars, intercut with drains, wells and rubbish pits. We know from church records that in the twelfth century the monks of Kirkstead Abbey founded a grange near Washingborough, where they farmed the land and raised sheep. The archaeologists are confident that these buildings were part of the monastic grange. Among the more puzzling finds was a pair of rectangular structures with sloping sides of stepped-out limestones. But what were they used for? One clue is in the smoke-blackened floor and flue (gap in the stones) on one side: the likely explanation is that hot air from a fire passed into this space, gently warming a wooden floor above, and that the buildings were malt kilns, where barley was turned slowly into malt, to be brewed into beer.
http://www.lincolnshirelive.co.uk/medieval-brewery-used-by-monks-discovered-by-archaeologists-on-the-outskirts-of-lincoln/story-30346623-detail/story.html
RUSSIE – 
Moscou - Archaeological experts have discovered the stone foundation and a brick arch of a 17th century white stone bridge at Slavyanskaya Square in downtown Moscow. According to the statement, for a long time, the bridge was believed to have been lost, while the discovery was mentioned only once in a document dating back almost 400 years. The bridge, leading to downtown Moscow through the Varvarskaya Tower of the Kitai-Gorod wall, was used until the 1820s. During the reign of Alexander I, the moat surrounding the Kitai-Gorod was filled, while the wall was no longer viewed as a defense facility.
http://tass.com/society/946916
TURQUIE – 
Yeşilova Höyük - Archaeologists have discovered an ancient settlement consisting of "luxurious" houses during excavations in Yassıtepe, which is connected to Yeşilova Höyük (tumulus) in Bornova district of Turkey's western Izmir province. Head of the excavation committee, Dr. Zafer Derin told Anadolu Agency that by studying maps from 1923, archaeologists were able to determine that there was likely an ancient settlement in the region. In 2010, excavations at Yeşilova Höyük, which is the first known prehistoric settlement in the Izmir region, expanded to begin work at the Yassıtepe site."We have discovered 10 settlements built on top of one another. The top settlement is from the Trojan period. We can almost say that we are digging up a little Trojan city," Derin said. Derin added that the long, thin metal and bronze axes and stone tools, as well as pottery discovered at the site were in line with artifacts associated with Troy. Derin emphasized that the houses were not considered individually when the settlements were being built, but that the whole space had been designed using an urban planning infrastructure on a single plane, with each house having an area of 75-80 square meters. "Luxury life began here 5,000 years ago. The pottery they produced is of extremely high quality," Derin explained, adding, "The people who lived here stored their grains and liquids both on the ground and under the soil. They took advantage of all possibilities to make life the most convenient and comfortable for them." Excavations also revealed empty spaces in front of the home foundations, which served as a type of patio for residents to sit, talk and pass the time.
FRANCE – 
Beg-er-Vil - Les fouilleurs de Beg-er-Vil ont repris, la semaine dernière, leurs investigations pour trouver de l’ADN sur le site mésolithique. « Cette année, nous allons faire des analyses micromorphologiques pour essayer de comprendre la dynamique de formation des niveaux. Une spécialiste planche d’ores et déjà sur ce sujet, avec les prélèvements de 2014, 2015, et 2016 », informe l’archéologue Grégor Marchand, directeur du chantier de Beg-er-Vil, qui compte réaliser un maximum de prélèvements lors de cette campagne. Ce lundi 22 mai 2017, l’équipe de chercheurs et d’étudiants en archéologie ouvre le foyer. La semaine suivante, la maison sera totalement dégagée afin d’effectuer le scan 3D pour une modélisation. D’ici fin juin, le site regroupant habitat des nomades chasseurs-cueilleurs, ayant vécu 8 000 ans avant notre ère, et amas coquillier sera modélisé et sondé.
http://www.ouest-france.fr/bretagne/quiberon-56170/quiberon-des-recherches-d-adn-vont-etre-realisees-beg-er-vil-5007947
FRANCE – 
Anse - C’est une belle surprise qu’a eu une équipe de huit archéologues en fouillant un terrain à Anse. Ce ne sont pas moins de 140 sépultures qu’ils ont retrouvé de mars à avril 2017, à 300 mètres de l’église, entre la route de Villefranche et le chemin de la Roseraie. Ce cimetière était rattaché au prieuré Saint-Romain, construit au Ve siècle, qui accueillit huit conciles et fut détruit au XVIIIe siècle. Ces trouvailles ne sont pas les premières à Anse, commune dans laquelle furent retrouvées une mosaïque romaine, la stèle de la jeune Proba, et des bâtiments datant du 1er siècle avant J-C.
http://lepatriote.fr/des-tombes-vieilles-de-1500-ans-decouvertes-en-beaujolais-2893.html
FRANCE – 
Lille - Le sous-sol de l’avenue du Peuple-Belge n’en finit plus de livrer tous ses secrets. Ici, la terre y est riche de l’histoire de la ville. Autour de la motte médiévale de la Treille, ce sont l’hospice Comtesse, la collégiale Saint-Pierre ou la première église Saint-Étienne qui ont bâti la mémoire urbanistique de Lille. Du château de Courtrai, il ne subsiste rien excepté des gravures et des toiles.L’antique bâtisse fait pourtant parfois encore parler d’elle. Ce fut le cas en 1992 à l’occasion de la réalisation du parking souterrain de l’avenue du Peuple-Belge. D’autres chantiers précédents avaient eux aussi permis aux archéologues de retrouver d’autres vestiges. Cette fois, c’est l’arrivée du futur restaurant le Cerisier qui a dévoilé une nouvelle section du château. Des fouilles préventives avaient levé le voile. « Il existe aussi des plans du site, ici nous sommes sur une partie des lignes des anciennes fortifications médiévales », explique Baptiste Marchand. L’archéologue estime qu’il s’agit d’une découverte importante, qui permettra d’enrichir les connaissances. C’est en 1298 que le roi de France, Philippe le Bel, fait élever le château de Courtrai. Nous sommes alors quelques mois après le siège de Lille, qui a vu la victoire des Français sur le comte de Flandre, Guy de Dampierre. L’édifice, particulièrement massif, comprend deux entrées, une chapelle et dix-huit tours. Comme l’écrit l’historien Gilles Blieck dans une étude particulièrement documentée, il est une petite citadelle avant l’heure. Il a un double objectif : surveiller la ville et ses habitants et devenir une place forte pour contrer les attaques flamandes. Redevenue pleinement flamande dès 1369 avec les comtes de Bourgogne, Lille a Philippe le Bon comme nouveau seigneur. Celui-ci décide de se faire bâtir une demeure plus raffinée que le château de Courtrai. Du coup, il élève le Palais Rihour dont il subsiste la petite partie qui abrite aujourd’hui l’office de tourisme. Le château demeure jusqu’à l’arrivée de Philippe II d’Espagne. La ville compte de plus en plus d’habitants et l’empereur habsbourgeois entreprend de l’aérer au-delà de ses remparts médiévaux. Le château de Courtrai est démembré à partir de 1577. Le reste de ses fortifications sera également abattu à partir de 1617.
CHINE - Yinshan Mountains - After two years of research, archaeologists Friday confirmed astronomical engravings had been found on a 2,000-year-old rock carving in north China's Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region. The five holes spanning a distance of 1,000 meters were found in moorstone rocks in Yinshan Mountains in the regional capital Hohhot, said Wu Jiacai, archaeologist with Inner Mongolia Normal University. Yinshan Mountains are famous for a large cluster of ancient rock paintings, and the carvings were found when archaeologists surveyed the area in 2015. The 2-to-7-cm-deep holes, with diameters between 6 and 10 cm, form a string similar to a pearl necklace. "When realized the holes were manmade, we began to investigate their meanings," Wu recalled. Archeologists used micro-erosion, a dating analysis technique, to confirm the holes were made during the late Warring States Period (475-221 B.C.) and discovered they represented Venus, Jupiter, Mercury, Mars and Saturn. The formation of the five holes, for example, the curve formed and the distances between them, resembled the estimated position of the five planets in 204 B.C., archaeologists deducted. The rocks used were also different in color and texture. For example, "Mars" was carved on a red rock, while "Mercury" was located near a creek. "The carving was in fact an astronomical recording by our ancestors," said Wu. Historical information suggests Modu, leader of the Xiongnu, defeated his enemies in 204 B.C., and the planets were likely to have been carved that spring at the foot of the mountain where he prayed, according to Wu. The Xiongnu were a nomadic tribe which occupied a vast territory located in and around today's Mongolia and north China. They founded their first empire in the third Century B.C. and were eventually conquered during the Han Dynasty (206 B.C.-220 A.D.). "The carving not only shows the positional information of the five planets but also reveals characteristics of each, which will help us study ancient astronomic understanding," said Wu.
http://news.xinhuanet.com/english/2017-05/19/c_136299149.htm
INDE – 
Govindapur - In a major breakthrough in field of research by Utkal University, the students have discovered an ancient idol of Lord Buddha with seven-head snake from Govindapur area near Banapur in Khurda district of Odisha. While 80 percent of the five-foot statue was buried in soil, the face of Lord Buddha with seven-head snake was found outside the ground. The 1400-year-old idol was first found by Utkal University student Dakhineswar Jena of Department of Ancient Indian History, Culture and Archaeology beneath a banyan tree.
http://odishasuntimes.com/2017/05/17/1400-year-old-buddha-idol-unearthed-in-odisha/