28 JUIN 2013 NEWS: Rome - Satgarah - Lima River - Isle of Man - Tolède -
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ITALIE – 
Rome - An important new archaeological site was unveiled in Rome today. Located inside the area that belongs to the Basilica of St Paul’s Outside the Walls and its adjoining Benedictine Monastery, extensive digs have revealed what used to be the pumpkin patch tended to by the Benedictine Monks, and show that what today is a complex made up of the Basilica, Bell Tower, Cloister and adjoining Monastery, was once a much larger settlement with a sanctuary for the poor, a well, tower and housing for some 200 people. While the meticulous work of archaeologists has revealed the layout of the ground and the kind of buildings that surrounded the ancient Basilica of St Paul’s outside the Walls, more than 15,000 ceramic fragments, sculptures and coins give an idea of what the people of the time and their everyday lives, were like. After a brief welcome speech by Cardinal James Harvey, Archpriest of the Basilica of St Paul, members of the Vatican Museums-backed team who have been collaborating with members of the Pontifical Institute of Christian Archaeology and of Rome’s La Sapienza University, spoke about the importance of the new archaeological site. Six years of hard work on the part of a team of archaeologists, engineers, historians and experts in restoration has revealed what had been a missing link in the history of the city of Rome. In particular it shines the light on the time of Pope John VIII whose chief aim during his pontificate was to defend the Roman state and the authority of the Holy See at Rome from the Saracens. As Professor Lucrezia Spera of the Pontifical Institute of Christian Archaeology revealed, although there are many literary sources detailing events and costumes of the Early Middle Ages in the city of Rome, until now there were no consistent archaeological remains bearing witness to the period between the 8th and 9th century AD.
http://www.indcatholicnews.com/news.php?viewStory=22836
PAKISTAN – 
Satgarah - The Punjab government has decided to conserve and restore the Satgarah Fort built by Maharaja Ranjeet Singh around 180 years ago in Okara and tomb of Baloch chieftain and folk hero Mir Chakar Khan Rind that existed there over two centuries before the fort construction by the Sikh ruler. The historic village of Satgarah, located some 17 kilometres from Okara city, is famous for the tomb of great Baloch folk hero, Mir Chakar Khan Rind (1468-1565), and the fort built by Maharaja Ranjeet Singh some 180 years ago, says concept paper prepared by Punjab archaeology department. Mir Chakar Khan, the Baloch chieftain of Rind tribe, left Balochistan after incessant feuds with Lashari tribe and settled in the precincts of present day Okara in 1518 as a foothold for his campaigning against the then rulers of Multan. He cooperated with Mughal emperor Humayun against Sher Shah Soori and gained power and respect in the area. He is said to have built a fort and a mosque near the existing village Satgarah. Locals believe that the site of existing village was used as a Baloch graveyard and Mir Chakar Khan was buried there in 1565 in a tomb built by him. Later in 1830, Maharaja Ranjeet Singh, during his own wars for Multan, built a fort on the site of Baloch graveyard. He demolished the roof of Mir’s tomb, desecrated the grave and used it as one of the bastion for his fort. The Sikh fort still stands, however, in very dilapidated condition. The tomb was excavated and restored in 1960 by the then Multan commissioner Atta Muhammad Khan Leghari and was given in the custody of archaeology department. Despite having been restored in 2007 again under the supervision of a provincial committee, it is still in a dilapidated condition. The plastering and other improvements brought about then did not follow the original architectural scheme which led to the defacing of architectural and historical value of the monument.
http://pakobserver.net/detailnews.asp?id=211053
PORTUGAL – Lima River- Cartagena’s national sub-aquatic archaeology museum (Arqua) has finished restoring two Portuguese canoes from the 10th century and is to put them on display before returning them to Portugal. Arqua said on Monday that one of the canoes would be put on display on Tuesday, before coming back to Lisbon’s national archaeology museum. The canoes were restored on the request of the Portuguese government and are to be part of an exhibition on nautical and underwater objects at the Portuguese museum, according to Spanish news agency EPE. The canoes were discovered in the river Lima in 1985 and were submersed in water and chemicals in Lisbon to avoid deterioration. Carbon dating said the canoes were built around the 10th or 11th centuries. The restoration process included consolidating the wood and freeze-drying the structures, just like granulated coffee, so they did not suffer any negative effects. Arqua has the second largest freeze-drying machine in Europe.
ROYAUME UNI – 
Isle of Man - Three pieces of Viking silver dating back 1,000 years, discovered using a metal detector in the Isle of Man, have been declared treasure trove. An inquest heard the three items, found by Seth Crowe in a field in Andreas in April, date back to between 930 and 1080 AD. Archaeologists believe the two silver ingots and brooch fragment contain more than 60% silver. The Vikings flourished on the Isle of Man and much of their influence is still evident today. This is the latest of a number of Viking finds in recent years and illustrates how the Isle of Man could have once acted as a 'clearing house' for deals in goods and wealth and been at the centre of Viking trade routes.
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-europe-isle-of-man-23067227
ESPAGNE – Tolède - A Spanish historian who identified and catalogued 107 tombs in a 13th-century Jewish cemetery in Toledo said the remains were “well preserved.” The cemetery was partially unearthed in 2008, but the delineation and archaeological study of the graves was only recently completed, according to the Spanish news agency, EFE. The archaeologist leading the excavations, Arturo Ruiz Taboada, told EFE earlier this month that the people buried in the 107 Jewish tombs were “well preserved” and deposited unusually deep in the ground, some over 9 feet from ground level. The identity of many of those buried at the site remains unknown. The deep burial may have been to ensure that the Jews were not buried with the remains of others, Jews and non-Jews alike, who had been buried in the area, Taboada told the news agency.Taboada said that some burial plots contained whole families, including several tombs where mothers were buried with newborn infants. Toledo was a major center of Jewish life before the expulsion of Spain’s Jewish communities in 1492 .