27 JUIN 2017 NEWS: Michilimackinac - Perperikon - Narmetta / Palamakula - Olmeto - Valines - Mauriac - Termessos - Machu Picchu - Dalt -
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USA – 
Michilimackinac - In 1779, during the height of the Revolutionary War, British soldiers commanding the fort of Michilimackinac in Michigan began to worry that the post was vulnerable to naval attacks by American rebels. Over the course of the next two years, they dismantled the fort and moved all the people who lived there to nearby Mackinac Island. As Brandon Champion reports for Michigan Live, archaeologists recently discovered an object that was left behind during the mass relocation: an intact, 250-year-old lock. Found in the root cellar of a fur trader’s house, the lock appears to have been attached to a small chest or trunk. Lynn Evans, curator of archaeology at Mackinac State Historic Parks, tells Champion that the piece was likely used sometime between 1760 and 1770. It is caked with mud and grime, but an ornate design is nevertheless visible.
http://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/lock-dating-revolutionary-war-period-found-michigan-fort-180963822/
BULGARIE - Perperikon - Archaeologists expect to discover an episcopal palace, a big monastery and other religious buildings in the southern sector of the archaeological complex of Perperikon, in Eastern Rhodope. A large basilica, the largest in the Rhodope until now, was discovered last year, while this season the team will be working in the area around it, as it cannot stand alone. Undoubtedly this cathedral from 5-6 century was an episcopal church, Prof. Ovcharov said. He promised interesting news from Perperikon in the next weeks.
INDE – 
Narmetta / Palamakula - The recent discoveries by the Department of Archaeology and Museums after the Megalithic excavations in Jangaon and Siddipet districts in Telangana will provide a unique and new dimension to the narrative of that period in the state. Two simultaneous excavations started in March this year - Narmetta in Jangaon and Palamakula in Siddipet - are not just rare but also have several ‘firsts’ to the department’s credit. The excavation from the Megalithic period - 1500 BC to 500 AD - throw light on the artistic and aesthetic sense of that era. The excavation in Narmetta, that is widely popular for the Kolanupaka temple, a religious destination of the Jains, led to the finding of what is being considered as the biggest capstone ever discovered in South India, according to the Department officials. “It is the biggest and also unique as it was arranged in an anthropomorphic manner where only the body weighs 42 tonnes. Another piece of the capstone is in the form of a human head. This is the first time in the Department’s history that we have unearthed something like this,” informed NR Visalatchy, director. This apart, over 22 stone pieces, the highest till date, which are predicted to have been dismantled from a neck piece, were also excavated. The consistency of these diamond-shaped pieces in their precise and uniform cutting points to the artistic sense of people of that era, said the director. Fire stands, uniquely heavy bottomed and with holes to let out smoke, were also discovered at Narmetta. Meanwhile, the discovery of a cist grave, made out of four stone slabs, with another cist within, at Palamakula village reiterates the belief of life after death of the Megalithic people. Bones and a human skull were found buried in it. “The careful arrangement of a cist within a cist and bone remnants is also a first time discovery and it signifies that extra care was taken in case of the burial,” pointed the director. Pre-mended pottery, where broken pots stuck together with some kind of adhesive and buried back again, were also excavated.
FRANCE – 
Olmeto - Un éperon rocheux surplombant le golfe du Valinco. Au Monti Barbatu, commune d'Olmeto, des étudiants en archéologie tentent de mettre à jour ce qui fut un village il y a environ 6.000 ans. Des restes de fortifications renseignent les archéologues sur l'âge du bronze, mais des ruines d'une église médiévale indiquent aussi que la présence humaine s'est étalée sur plusieurs millénaires. Les hommes des époques successives ont réemployés les matériaux présents sur place, ce qui complique la tâche des chercheurs. Avant d'arriver à une couche homogène, il faut creuser. "Des couches du néolithique ont été prises à l'époque médiévale pour refaire des niveaux. Ils ne sont pas très intéressants à étudier parce que comme tout est mélangé, nous n'avons pas de bonnes infos sur la chronologie des objets et des couches. On essaie donc d'aller vite pour avoir des niveaux bien en place et bien délimités au niveau des chronologies", explique Arthur Leck, doctorant en archéologie. Plusieurs objets ont été mis à jour comme un morceau d'obsidienne qui provient très probablement de Sardaigne. Mais les chercheurs nourrissent l'espoir de faire des découvertes plus importantes. "Il y a eu plusieurs villages superposées au fur et à mesure au niveau des millénaires", indique Kevin Pech-Quilichini. Le site pourrait délivrer des informations sur l'habitat mais aussi peut-être, sur le culte des morts. C'est du moins ce que laisse supposer une certaine disposition des pierres en contrebas. Le chantier est ouvert jusqu'au 30 juin. C'est la deuxième fois qu'une fouille est menée au Monti Barbatu. Si des éléments suffisamment intéressants y sont découverts, une troisième campagne pourrait être financée.
FRANCE – 
Valines - Parmi les fosses et les fossés (essentiellement contemporains) mis au jour, une petite fosse a livré du charbon de bois et 4 éclats de silex dont un chauffé (néolithiques ou protohistoriques) et un fossé a livré un petit tesson protohistorique. Deux sondages profonds ont permis d’observer l’existence d’un très probable paléosol du Pléistocène moyen
Rapport de Diagnostic (Cécile Brouillard, 2016)
https://www.associationciras.fr/2017/06/22/diagnostic-%C3%A0-valines-c%C3%A9cile-brouillard-2016/
FRANCE – 
Mauriac - «Ce que nous avons trouvé va dans le sens que nos précédentes observations », déclare Philippe Arnaud, de l'INRAP. Les archéologues, qui n'avaient pas eu le temps de procéder aux 8 points de sondage prévus au cours de leur première intervention, ont poursuivi en creusant le long de la basilique, près du monument aux morts, sur les places du Palais et Gambetta. Dans le premier cas, c'est sans surprise qu'ils ont retrouvé plusieurs squelettes, confirmant la présence du cimetière sur l'ensemble du site. « Sous la place du Palais, nous avons trouvé une tombe en pierre », poursuit Philippe Arnaud. Ce qui permet de supposer une datation : fin XIII e ou début XIV e, puisque ce type de dispositif funéraire était alors de mode, pour les riches défunts. Le principe : un coffre en pierres contenant le corps, recouvert d'une dalle. Place Gambetta, en revanche, point de traces de cimetière mais un niveau vaseux, détecté à 2,50 m de profondeur, qui pourrait avoir été un fossé. « Nous avons également découvert le socle d'une stèle ». Très certainement celui du monument aux morts de 1870, démonté en 1965. Les sondages réalisés près du « Poilu » laissent, pour l'instant, leur part de doute. Des fondations ont, en effet, été mises au jour. « Elles peuvent provenir de l'église abbatiale Saint-Pierre ou de l'ancienne halle, qui abritait également une auberge », suggère prudemment l'archéologue.
TURQUIE - 
Termessos - A 2,300-year-old ancient road has been unearthed in the ancient city of Termessos in the southern province of Antalya. The ancient city is known as one of the cities that Alexander the Great failed to conquer. Located on a natural platform on top of the 1,665-meter-high Güllük Mount, Termessos is 30 kilometers away from the city center. No excavation works have yet been carried out in the ancient city, which still maintains its magnificent structure. Stating that he was very excited about the newly found road, Antalya Surveying and Monuments Director Cemil Karabayram said they believe the road between Termessos and Attaleia (the ancient name of Antalya) may have been used since the prehistoric era. “This city has been protected very well but unfortunately no archaeological excavations have been carried out in the city. We have initiated works in the city walls and found a big main road extending to the south. This find is very important as we also found staircases and passing routes.
PEROU – 
Machu Picchu - Researchers from Machu Picchu Archaeological Park found a stone paved floor and a vessel for rituals. A group of archaeologists working in Machu Picchu, located in Cusco, today showed one of their most recent finds in the Inca citadel. In a passage behind the “water mirrors” (recinto de espejos de agua), researchers at the Ministry of Culture have revealed a stone paved floor and, at one of its corners, a vessel that would have been used to make offerings. “It seems that all the [found] fragments are part of the same vessel. At first glance [it is] a type of pot with a pointed base. When an offering was made, a ritual burning was performed, which is also evidenced in the lithic remains,” José Bastante, one of the archaeologists in charge of the research, told El Comercio. The researcher also pointed out that a follow-up analysis will be done to accurately determine the century in which the ritual was performed. The discovery of these archaeological remains occurs after a month of excavations in the place.
CHINE – Dalt - Excavation has begun at the site of a 1,000-year-old city in northwest China's Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region. The excavation will continue for more than two months, while archeologists conduct a thorough investigation using modern technology, said Dang Zhihao, associate researcher with the regional institute of cultural relics and archaeology. The city, known as Dalt and believed to have been built in Song (960-1279) or Yuan (1271-1368) dynasties, was discovered in 1985, when a farmer unearthed a silver coin while ploughing a field. Archeologists identified the Persian word "bolat", which means steel, on the coin. Another villager found a piece of ancient steel weighing about 120 kilograms nearby in 1991, leading many to believe that Dalt was the "steel city" Bolat recorded in contemporary books. The city lies on the Silk Road, with routes to Kazakhstan, Russia, and central Asia. According to a book written by Liu Yu during the Yuan Dynasty, the city was prosperous and "a large number of houses had colored glaze as the windows." Dang told Xinhua that an initial excavation last year in an area of about 200 square meters unearthed several hundred relics made of pottery, bronze, and stone.
http://en.people.cn/n3/2017/0621/c90000-9231402.html
