26 JUIN 2015 NEWS: Kofu - Prague - Tokat - Lake Champlain - Tucson - Biripada - Masol -
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JAPON – 
Kofu - A piece of ninth-century earthenware excavated in Kofu at the ruins of an ancient village has been found to feature a drawing that may show cormorant fishing, the Yamanashi Prefectural Museum has announced. According to the Fuefuki-based museum, the earthenware — found in the Sotochudai ruins, which date back to a span of time from the Kofun period (ca 300-ca 710) to the Heian period (eighth-12th century) — shows pictures of cormorants believed to be diving into the water and catching a fish. It is said that local people usually fished with the assistance of cormorants in the Fuefukigawa river near the village ruins during the Kamakura period in the late 12th century to the early 14th century. A curator at the museum said the earthenware indicates that fishing using the birds had already started in the region before the Kamakura period. Excavated in 1993, the disc-shaped earthenware with a handgrip-like piece on the central part is about 16 centimeters in diameter, and researchers believe that it was used as the lid of a vessel for eating. Pictures on the reverse display up to nine cormorants, with lines carved using an implement with a spatulate tip. Fishermen are not seen in the drawing, but examination conducted by experts in April this year indicated the possibility that it describes the sequence of a cormorant’s actions in fishing — diving into water, catching a fish, returning to the water’s surface and so on. Nowadays, people in the Isawa district of Fuefuki engage in cormorant fishing in the summer. The unearthed lid will be on display at the museum through July 6.
https://heritageofjapan.wordpress.com/
Rep. TCHEQUE – 
Prague - Les équipes de l'Institut d'Archéologie de République tchèque ont découvert en novembre et décembre derniers deux tombes contenant les dépouilles de membres de la classe dirigeante de la culture Bylany à Letnany, à Prague. La culture Bylany est associée au site archéologique de Bylany, près de Kutna Hora, dont l'excavation a commencé dans les années 1950. Ce site est un lieu sédentarisation des premières populations agricoles d'Europe centrale et un des lieux privilégiés de l'étude de la culture de la poterie linéaire (LBK – Linearbandkeramik). Les deux tombes découvertes sont datées du début de l'Age de fer (8ème-7ème siècles avant J.-C.) et font de Letnany le deuxième lieu de la capitale dans lequel a été découvert un chariot funéraire, typique de la culture Bylany, le premier ayant été découvert à Bubenec en 1907. La première tombe présente en effet les restes d'un véhicule en bois, sur lequel reposait la dépouille. La fosse rectangulaire de 3 sur 5 mètres contient à chaque angle les restes de quatre roues ferrées et ornementées, ainsi que des chaines en bronze et des éléments décoratifs d'un harnais de cheval. Les archéologues y ont également trouvé 21 récipients en céramique caractéristique de la techniques Bylany. La poterie était en effet produite à la main à partir de petit boudins d'argile dressés en spirale afin de créer le récipient sans utiliser de tour de potier. Enfin, ont également été trouvés des morceaux de boeuf, de chèvre et de cochon, probablement originellement empalés sur un pieu en fer. Le squelette princier de la seconde tombe ne reposait pas sur un chariot, mais un joug en bois et des composants de harnais équestre en bronze, ornés, y étaient également déposés. A droite de la dépouille ont été retrouvés des récipients peints ou décorés au graphite et derrière eux des restes animaliers. Enfin, l'ensemble funéraire comprenait également une lance en fer et des bracelets en bronze. Les éléments en bois, comme par exemple le chariot, ont été conservés, notamment au contact des objets en métal. Les squelettes ont été identifiés comme appartenant à la classe dirigeante par le mode de sépulture et également grâce aux bijoux qu'ils portaient, comme des bagues en bronze et une en ambre
http://www.bulletins-electroniques.com/actualites/78739.htm
TURQUIE – 
Tokat Castle - The first 30 meters of a hidden tunnel, known as Ceylanyolu, which was discovered during restoration work on Tokat Castle in the northern Anatolian province of Tokat, has been opened. The tunnel is estimated to be 350 meters long. Provincial Culture and Tourism Director Abdurrahman Akyüz said they were excited to find the end of the hidden tunnel. The restoration work was started in 2009 with the aim of opening the castle to tourism. Some restoration was completed the following year before work again resumed in 2014. As part of the project, the bastions of the castle, which were used for defense in the Seljuk and Ottoman eras, were reinforced. Food preparation areas, a military shelter, a secret tunnel to the Pervane Bath in the city center and two dungeons were found during the restoration conducted under the supervision of three archaeologists. It has been claimed that Wallachian Prince Vlad III “The Impaler,” who was also known as Dracula and lived between 1431 and 1476, was held captive in one of the these dungeons during the early 15th century. Akyüz said the tunnel went through the city center, and added, “We are excavating the tunnel with the museum. We have made progress. Since it has an angle of 45 degrees, it is hard to remove stones and earth. We think that this tunnel was closed in the past to prevent possible danger.”
http://www.hurriyetdailynews.com/Default.aspx?pageID=238&nid=84537&NewsCatID=375
USA – 
Lake Champlain - Bubbles surfaced as two sleek black forms emerged from Lake Champlain. Wetsuit-clad Grace Tsai raised her arms with a victorious splash, clipboard in hand. She and fellow diver Carrigan Miller hit the shores of Shelburne Bay with exactly the information they went down into its murky depths to find. “We were recording the stringers which are the longitudinal timbers that go along steamboats,” Tsai said. “We were recording the bolts, how thick they were, and general dimension.” Sunken steamboats rest in Shelburne Bay off of General Greene Road, once known as the Shelburne Shipyard. They were built there, and after their time of service, retired in place. Wrecks explored have been identified as the Winooski built in 1832, the Burlington built in 1837, and the Whitehall built in 1838. They are fully exposed, meaning only a thin layer of sediment needs to be brushed off before the work begins. Valuables were fully stripped from the ships when they retired. Anything of monetary worth has already been removed. The treasures Kennedy hopes to find live within the construction of these vessels.
http://shelburnenews.com/?p=22451
USA – 
Tucson - Planting holes from an old orchard, a 1930s engine block and an 1861 Sonoran coin are among the artifacts uncovered during an archaeological study at the site where a new downtown hotel will be built. The site was a house in 1883, livery stables in 1908, and an auto shop in 1917. There were stores and restaurants there in the ’30s and the Flamingo Night Club in the ’40s. It’s been a parking lot since the ’50s.
INDE – Biripada - Six idols of Jain Tirthankaras measuring four to 10 inches in height and weighing one to three kg were found in a farm of Biripada village under Ambadola police limits on Monday. On receiving the information, Rayagada SP Siba Subramani reached the spot along with Muniguda Tehsildar Tapan Satapathy on Tuesday and took possession of the idols from the villagers who found those while digging the soil. The administration has informed the Archaeological Survey of India officials and cordoned the spot.
http://www.newindianexpress.com/states/odisha/Six-Jain-Idols-Found/2015/06/25/article2884996.ece?
INDE – Masol - An international team of experts studying pre-history are excited about a 50-hectare site in a village in Punjab as it could well be the oldest in terms of discovery of pre-historic fauna. Believe it or not, ancient ancestors of hippos were residents of this site in Mohali's Masol village 2.6 million years ago. The study is being conducted jointly by scientists from France and India. In fact, more than 2,000 fossils of different herbivores, including Stegodon, an ancient elephant with tusks up to four metres, and Sivatherium, a giant giraffe, were dug up from Masol which is surrounded by Shivalik hills. The study adds that before this find, the oldest sites were in the Rift Valley of Ethiopia dating back to 2.58 million years. The team has also found 14 fossils of Leptobos, pre-historic ancestors of modern-day cows that weighed up to 320kg. These rare fossils, excavated between September 2009 and March 2015, were bubble-wrapped and dispatched to a French lab recently. The experts say that the animals may have made this region their home because of the abundance of water here. "These ranges between river Ravi and Yamuna are composed of the Shivalik's formations and animals used to come and graze in these areas," it says.