27 FEVRIER 2018: Moshav Hayogev - Aberdeen - Hyderabad - Uitenhage -
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ISRAEL – 
Moshav Hayogev - A gardener weeding a lot in northern Israel has found a bronze ring from the Middle Ages bearing the image of St. Nicholas, the bishop of ancient Myra, Turkey, and the inspiration behind the tradition of Santa Claus. Nothing quite like it has been found in Israel before. The ring was not discovered in situ, which means its provenance has to remain a mystery. The ring was examined by the IAA’s Dr. Yana Tchekhanovets, an expert on Byzantine-era archaeology. The superbly preserved artifact bears the image of a bald man bearing a stick, whom Tchekhanovets believes represents St. Nicholas holding a bishop’s staff. It could date to any time between the 12th and 15th centuries, which were times of upheaval in the Holy Land. In other words, this ring of St. Nicholas – assuming that’s who really is shown – could date from an era of Islamic control over the Holy Land. In other words, this ring of St. Nicholas – assuming that’s who really is shown – could date from an era of Islamic control over the Holy Land. Nicholas was the patron saint of wayfarers, including pilgrims and sailors in the eastern Christian world, Tchekhanovets explains. Christian pilgrims coming from all over the Byzantine Empire – including Turkey, the Balkans, Greece and Russia – would often wear icons of Nicholas to hopefully ward off trouble, she says: This ring could well have belonged to a pilgrim.
ROYAUME UNI – 
Aberdeen - Artefacts dug up during excavations on the Aberdeen bypass have revealed glimpses into the last 15,000 years in the North-east – and raised questions over the area’s past. A number of “fascinating discoveries” have been uncovered during archaeological works carried out during the construction of the project. These have included Roman bread ovens, prehistoric roundhouses and a cremation complex. Bruce Mann, archaeologist for Aberdeenshire Council, said: “There has been a range of fascinating discoveries from the archaeological works carried out on site. “Some raise more questions than they answer about what we thought we knew about the North-east. “For instance, a very unexpected discovery was the presence of Roman activity at Milltimber, likely dating from around 83/84 AD. “Ninety bread ovens were uncovered, which were probably constructed by the Roman army at a time of invasion led by the Roman General Agricola. “However, no evidence of an associated camp was found, which is unusual for these types of features. “We can only speculate as to why the ovens were at this specific location, and what it says about what was happening in the area at the time.” There was also “a near unprecedented body of evidence” of stone tool production dating between about 13,000BC and 10,000BC at Milltimber which pushes back the region’s understanding of human activity in the North-east of Scotland by several hundred years. The same site also revealed spreads of flints along with large pits dating between 10,000BC to 4,100BC that could have been used by hunter-gatherers to trap deer, elks or aurochs – an ancestor of bisons. A structure dating between 7,000BC to 6,700BC was also found at standing stones, in the hills to the west of Dyce. This tent-like shelter was likely only used for a few nights by a small group of people while they collected nuts, berries and tubers or hunted animals in the immediate area. Bruce added: “Bronze Age activity was identified from Nether Beanshill in the form of a roundhouse and contemporary cremation complex dating from around 1,600 to 1,250BC. “The burial comprised of an urn in which the cremated remains of an individual in their 20s had been placed. This urn was placed in a pit which was then marked by a horseshoe-shaped arrangement of timber posts. “Two other similar burials were covered by miniature mounds and surrounded by small ditches.” Although artefacts of a wide range of dates, materials and types were discovered across the scheme, a particularly well-preserved Beaker period pot found in a post-hole at Milltimber was a highlight of the excavation. The pot was completely intact when it was found and dates to between 2,400BC to around 2,200/2,000BC. Other excavations include a small hub of Iron Age activity at Goval dating from around the first and second centuries AD where a roundhouse of around 10m in diameter was found which would have provided space to live comfortably. The roundhouse was built of vertical wooden posts supporting a large conical thatched roof.
INDE – Hyderabad - The usual process of digging the ground to erect iron pillars and raise a building, by the family of of K Anand of Dabeerpura, led to the unearthing of a five-foot iron object that resembled a canon. “The weight of the object is over 400 kg and its actual nature can only be ascertained when the archaeology department conducts its study,” said V Shravan Kumar, SI of Dabeerpura police station. “The weight of the object is over 400 kg and its actual nature can only be ascertained when the archaeology department conducts its study,” said V Shravan Kumar, SI of Dabeerpura police station. “The weight of the object is over 400 kg and its actual nature can only be ascertained when the archaeology department conducts its study,” said V Shravan Kumar, SI of Dabeerpura police station. Meanwhile, historians observe that the iron object in its shape that is evident looks like a canon could have been of the 17th century. “The base is bigger and the mouth is smaller, a usual trajectory that a canon ball passes through,” Md Shafiullah, a city-based historian and member of Deccan Heritage Trust, who saw the canon said. “The canon might be of Asaf Jahi period,” he added. The make of it is not European, it looks like an Indian made canon. The particular area, after Golconda, is an important place from where the city was defended during 17th century,” said Anuradha Reddy, Co-Convenor, Indian National Trust for Art and Cultural Heritage (INTACH).
AFRIQUE DU SUD – Uitenhage - Samples of ancient wood believed to have historical importance on a global scale have been uncovered at an archaeological dig site near Uitenhage. The wood, estimated to be at least 300 000 years old, is the latest discovery by archaeologists from various universities around the world.This includes La Trobe University and the University of Adelaide, both in Australia, as well as Wits University and the University of Cape Town. The team also worked with colleagues from Grahamstown’s Albany Museum and Cape Town’s Iziko Museum. In November, the team uncovered various stone tools, presumed to be from the Early and Middle Stone Age, while digging at Amanzi Springs. The well-preserved tree stumps found earlier this month earmarked the site as only one of two places in Africa where stone tools and wood were found together. The other site is Kalambo Falls in Zambia. Project leader professor Andy Herries, of Melbourne’s La Trobe University, said the find was extremely rare.“We’re still not sure how [the wood and the stone tools] are associated, because in archaeology we deal with 10% of what was once there.“But we suddenly have a shot at finding something to tell about the missing part [after the Middle Stone Age],” he said. The Middle Stone Age is characterised by stone tools, but there is no clear evidence yet of these tools being mounted on wood. “What we want is to show an actual interaction between the wood and the stone,” he said.“This could be in the form of residue on the stone tools to show they were used to cut wood, or that the wood was worked and shaped into a tool. “If we are very lucky, we’ll find [a stone tool] half [placed] on wood – which is unlikely, but this setting gives us the potential to find it,” Herries said.The site has already delivered a wealth of artefacts, including Acheulean hand axes and cleavers. These stone tools, between 300 000 and 1.8 million years old, are characterised by oval or pear-shaped hand axes and cleavers. Smaller tools for specific tasks associated with the Middle Stone Age were also uncovered by Ray Inskeep and Hilary Deacon during a previous dig at the same site in the 1960s.“We’re very lucky because Deacon was incredibly thorough,” Herries said.“We’ve used [the] original notes and photos for 3D plotting [of his excavation] and dug just a bit deeper than the sterile layers he found.“Some of the tools we’ve found are still sharp and fresh, as if they were used just yesterday.“I can’t stress how rare it is to find tools [from different periods] layered in sequence like this.” Wits archaeologist Dr Matt Caruana said the team hoped to date the site, and the artefacts found there, to raise its scientific significance.“We’re starting to understand the behaviour [of our predecessors] – not just what is left behind, but why and how tools were made.“That is the insight we are hoping to gain,” Caruana said. With the excavation concluded last week, the next step would be to date sediment samples.Herries said new dating methods were constantly being developed, and he hoped the process would be quicker than the seven years taken up by the finds from Kalambo Falls.
http://www.heraldlive.co.za/news/2018/02/26/stone-age-discoveries-near-uitenhage/
