26 SEPTEMBRE 2017 NEWS: Mer Noire - Sabratha - Nonant le Pin - Reims - Iravimangalam - Tappeh Sofalin - Qalatga Darband - Matariya - Sylt -
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MER NOIRE – 
Twenty shipwrecks from the 4th and 5th centuries B.C., have been discovered by a team of international scientists, co-directed by a University of Connecticut nautical archaeologist. The new discoveries bring the total number of wrecks found by the team to more than 60 since the project began in 2015. Recorded with the latest robotic laser scanning, acoustic, and photogrammetric techniques, they represent an unbroken pattern of trade and exchange, warfare, and communication that reaches back into prehistory. The earliest wreck found so far is from the Classical period, from around the 5th to 4th century B.C., said Jonathan Adams, director of the University of Southampton’s Centre for Maritime Archaeology and principal investigator of the scientific team. Ships also have been found from the Roman, Byzantine, and Ottoman periods, spanning two and a half millennia. Some of the wrecks have survived in “incredible condition” because of the anoxic conditions of the Black Sea – the lack of oxygen – below a certain depth, Adams says. Anoxic waters do not support the wood-eating sea creature known as Teredo navalis, or the naval shipworm, which causes the decay of wrecked wooden vessels elsewhere in the world. In the Black Sea, ships lie hundreds or thousands of meters deep with their masts still standing, rudders in place, cargoes of amphorae and ship’s fittings lying on deck, with carvings and tool marks as distinct as the day they were made by the shipwrights. Many of the ships show structural features, fittings, and equipment that are only known from iconography or written descriptions but never seen until now. Batchvarov says an entire 2,000-year-old Roman ship found buried in the seabed with its mast, tillers, and rope still intact is “an incredible find, the first of its kind ever.”
http://today.uconn.edu/2017/09/2000-year-old-ship-found-intact-uconn-expert-colleagues/
LIBYE - 
Sabratha - UNESCO said Thursday that it was informed by several sources that military action is intensifying within and around the Archaeological Site of Sabratha in Libya. The Director-General of UNESCO, Irina Bokova, has called on all parties to cease violence and ensure the protection of Sabratha’s invaluable cultural heritage, including its archaeological museum.
https://www.libyaobserver.ly/culture/unesco-calls-ceasefire-protection-archaeological-sites-sabratha
FRANCE – 
Nonant le Pin - Avant le départ des travaux de réalisation du pont routier sur la voie ferrée Paris-Granville à Nonant-le-Pin (PN 105), des fouilles archéologiques avaient été entreprises au lieu-dit le Noyer sur l’emprise réservée à la construction de la nouvelle route remplaçant le chemin de 40 sous. L’équipe de l’Inrap (Institut national de recherches archéologiques préventives)avait découvert plusieurs tombes. D’après les archéologues, les squelettes mis au jour à l’occasion de ces recherches, il y a un an, laissaient penser à des sépultures de l’époque mérovingienne, mais aucun outil ou ustensile n’avait alors été trouvé. Durant trois semaines, les spécialistes, sous la responsabilité de Raphaëlle Lefebvre, sont revenus explorer une partie de l’emprise qui sera recouverte par la future route. Quarante-cinq nouvelles sépultures ont été découvertes. Nous pouvons maintenant confirmer ce que nous supposions il y a un an, ces squelettes datent du VIIe siècle (après J.-C.) car nous avons trouvé un petit couteau, des épingles à vêtements et une boucle de ceinture. Il s’agit de sépultures chrétiennes, au vu de la position des ossements des bras, croisés sur le bassin ou positionnés le long des corps orientés ouest-est ».Ces fouilles ont permis de découvrir des pratiques funéraires. « Les tombes pouvaient être réutilisées. Les ossements d’un défunt étaient mis en vrac dans un coin de la fosse pour mettre à la place un autre corps, souvent celui d’un enfant. Nous avons aussi découvert des tombes jumelées et des sépultures avec trois inhumations successives ». Comme il y a un an, les ossements ont été transférés à Caen, pour études approfondies. Ces squelettes ont été trouvés à moins de 40 cm de profondeur.
https://actu.fr/normandie/nonant-le-pin_61310/45-nouvelles-sepultures-moyenageuses-decouvertes-nonant-pin-lors-fouilles-archeologiques_11928800.html
FRANCE – 
Reims - Des vestiges de l'époque romaine : c'est ce qui est en train d'être mis au jour sur le site de l'ex Sernam, à Reims. Les fouilles archéologiques ont commencé il y a trois semaines. Pour l'instant, c'est une voie antique de l'époque romaine qui a été découverte « On est tombé sur cette voie, avec des trottoirs, et les murs des habitations qui se trouvaient à côté », explique Régis Bontrond, responsable des opérations pour la période antique du service archéologique du Grand Reims. D’après les spécialistes, il est probable que des maisons seront découvertes sur le site, avec leur décoration intérieure, des peintures murales, des mosaïques, ou encore du mobilier. Ces trésors seront extraits du site par des entreprises spécialisés, étudiés et restaurés, afin d’être présentés au public.
INDE - Iravimangalam - A very ancient statue of Goddess ‘Badhra Kali’, believed to be about 1,000 years old, has been unearthed from the bed of a channel at a village in the district. The Goddess is seen in a sitting posture after winning a war against a demon and the beautifully carved stone sculpture should be about 1,000 years old, archaeologist V.Narayanamoorthy said today. The statue, measuring 100 cm tall and 137 cm wide, was found at Iravimangalam village. The Goddess is sitting on a block of stone with the left foot stamping the ‘asura’ and the right foot in a squatting position. She is seen holding a skull in one of the arms and a crown on the head. She is also holding a ‘trishul’ on her right hand. A drum, shield and bells are seen in different hands spread out, he said. “The hip had been beautifully carved to look very slender. The expression of anger on the face had been beautifully depicted by the sculptor..it looks very natural,” the archaeologist said.
http://www.india.com/news/agencies/ancient-statue-of-goddess-kali-found-in-tn-village-2497530/
IRAN – 
Tappeh Sofalin - The Public Relations Office of the Research Institute of Cultural Heritage and Tourism (RICHT) quoted Morteza Hesari, the Iranian head of the seventh season of archeological explorations on Tappeh Sofalin announcing this on Sunday as naming several famous ceramics discovered in the explorations such as the fallen edge, pot-shaped, nose-handle (bird like) containers, banchini tray, dual and multiple color containers as the most important findings of that cultural period. In this season of explorations and field studies better understanding of the morphology of the area in the early Elamite period which shows part of the period for the beginning of urban dwelling in Varamin and Pishva regions will be focused by Iranian-German delegation. He referred to the location of the hill, with a span of about 20 hectares, in the northeast of the city of Pishva, in south of Tehran Province, said now due to the housing construction the expansion of the hill has been greatly reduced. He added: “In terms of the geology the ancient Sofalin area has been located on part of the natural hills of the region and has embodied works of the pre-Holocene period layers in itself. Referring to the location of the area in the eastern side of the fertile plain of Varamin and its categorization in terms of archeological “Formation of the area like the Shoghali Hill, Chaltasian and other areas in the region takes advantage of the pattern of proximity to the river (Jajrud branches) and easy access to it, he said.
http://www.irna.ir/en/News/82677138
IRAQ - 
Qalatga Darband - A city thought to have been founded by Alexander the Great has been uncovered by archaeologists in northern Iraq after being lost for more than 2,000 years. The remains of the settlement, known as Qalatga Darband, were identified by archaeologists from the British Museum, using drones equipped with cameras.The images taken were processed, allowing the researchers to identify outlines of a large building hidden beneath grain fields. This enabled them to determine the exact location of the city. With the help of the trainees, the team established that a city dating back to the first or second centuries BCE once lay at the site, most likely built on the route that Alexander took in 331 BC while pursuing Persian king Darius III. The size, complexity and richness of the site surprised researchers. They found statues of Greco-Roman deities and other signs of Greek influence, such as terracotta roof tiles, suggesting to them that Alexander and his followers had founded the city. Various large buildings have also been found, alongside fortified walls and ancient wine presses. "It's early days, but we think it would have been a bustling city on a road from Iraq to Iran. You can imagine people supplying wine to soldiers passing through," MacGinnis said.
EGYPTE – 
Matariya - The Egyptian-German archaeological mission operating in Matariya area discovered on Sunday two toes belonging to the statue of King Psamtik I, which was excavated in March, sources with the Antiquities Ministry told Al-Masry Al-Youm on Monday. The statue was mistaken for King Ramses II in March before the Antiquities Ministry announced it belonged to Psamtik I. The mission also found the statue’s pedestal made of limestone and bearing a hieroglyphic inscription, the sources added, pointing out that the pedestal was partially damaged by groundwater. The mission is keeping quiet on this discovery, hoping to find more remains of the statue, because finding the toes and the pedestal confirmed the possibility of finding the rest of the statue in the same place, according to the sources. The discovered parts so far represent 40 percent of the huge statue, said the sources.
http://www.egyptindependent.com/two-toes-king-psamtik-statue-excavated-matariya/
ALLEMAGNE – 
Sylt - Archaeologists presented the findings - including a ring brooch - discovered on the north German island of Sylt to the public on Monday. In the summer, experts dug up a total of 180 pieces of silver jewellery on Sylt with a total weight of about one kilogram. The pieces included preserved pieces of jewellery such as bracelets, finger rings and a neck ring. Coins and ingots were also found. Decades ago, a farmer had found a ring brooch made of silver on a field in Sylt. In 2015, the farmer’s family bequeathed the piece of jewellery to their family doctor, who then gave it to local archaeologists. After determining the area where the find had been discovered, the archaeologists in Schleswig-Holstein started digging.Among their findings is the needle that matches the ring brooch which initially belonged to the farmer. Experts date it back to the middle of the tenth century.
https://www.thelocal.de/20170925/rare-silver-treasure-from-viking-age-discovered-on-north-sea-island