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TURQUIE – Prusias ad Hypium - In a region known by historians as "Prusias ad Hypium" situated in the town of Konuralp in Düzce Province, archaeologists are uncovering an ancient theater, gates with horse figures, city walls, aqueducts and the Roman Bridge. The ancient theater includes a semicircular seating area that measures 100 meters in length and 74 meters in width, known as the "40 Steps," which are ornamented with designs of lion paws and archways and a part of the theater's stage, which survived to the present day. Excavations are ongoing as a team of researchers continue to make amazing discoveries, including a corridor entering the orchestra pit of the ancient theater and a theater entrance that was constructed with great attention to detail. Speaking to Anadolu Agency (AA), Konuralp Museum Director and head of excavations Züleyha Kartal Önemli said that the surviving part of the theater that is subject to archaeological digs is being revealed more day-by-day as a result of this year's excavations. Stressing that excavations focused previously on the West Parados entrance and the uncovering of the first part of a tunnel there, Önemli stated that spectators entered the theater via this tunnel in ancient times, adding that parts of the structure were constructed later. She added that the first part of the orchestra pit has been uncovered by archaeologists. The ancient theater is the only theater to have been excavated in the Black Sea region." Saying that a different structure was built over the theater 150 years after it was completed, Okan said: "Walls featuring the same materials that were used in the theater's construction, as well as architectural pieces, were found. We unearthed part of the theater's walls. After we complete the official permissions and documentation, we will continue to go deeper in these layers. The excavation team has worked devotedly, and they have managed to conduct great work, successfully unearthing an important part of this magnificent structure."Asserting that the theater is located on an area of 15,000 square meters, DU Archaeology Department Assistant Professor Ahmet Bilir said: "The stage building is 50 meters long. On the other hand, the benches measure 75 meters in width and 100 meters in length. From this discovery, we can see that this was a glorious theater." Adding that the city saw its wealthiest economic times during its heyday of the Roman era, Bilir added: "We can understand by examining ancient coins found at the site as well as the descriptions engraved on the coins. Based on these findings, we learned that the city was home to a fertile plain fed by the Melen River. The name of the city also comes from this river. It is not surprising that this large city had such a grand theater. It is located between two ancient metropoles, comparable to Istanbul and Ankara.
https://www.dailysabah.com/history/2017/09/28/ephesus-of-the-black-sea-to-be-excavated
USA – Blacklick Woods - From the ground, it just looks like a small slope at Blacklick Woods Metro Park, hardly noticeable as you walk past, at most maybe 10 inches tall — the height of a pitcher’s mound. Ah, but from the air. From the air a circle is plainly visible. Or it was, back in 1954, when an aerial photo was taken of the property when it was part of a farm and eastern Franklin County was rural. It certainly popped out to David Lamp, a former archaeologist who lives in Lancaster. He was looking at aerial photos earlier this year trying to spot Native American earthworks. “It was one of the first ones I found,” he said. Lamp passed along the photo to local archaeologist Jarrod Burks, who on a hot afternoon Sunday used magnetometers to confirm that a native American earthwork exists in the park, likely about 2,000 years old. “We completed the survey right on top of where we thought the earthwork would be,” said Burks, who works for Ohio Valley Archaeology but voluntarily did the work at the park. How did he determine it was there? By measuring the magnetic content of the soil. Topsoil is more magnetic. And over the centuries, topsoil filled the ditch that ringed the earthwork, likely just inside a 3- to 5-foot circular embankment. Burks estimated the diameter at slightly less than 10 feet, with the structure likely built by the Adena or Hopewell people who once populated Ohio. The Adena people lived in Ohio from 800 B.C. to A.D. 1, while the Hopewell lived in the area from 100 B.C. to A.D. 500. The cultures created the raised mounds as burial sites after cremations, and for ceremonies, often on terraces overlooking rivers. This site is just west of Blacklick Creek.
http://www.dispatch.com/news/20170927/ancient-earthwork-discovered-at-blacklick-woods
TURQUIE – Adramyttium - Archaeologists have discovered a second church dating back 1,200 years in the ancient city of Adramyttium in Turkey's northwestern Balıkesir province . The excavation work at the ancient site, which has been ongoing for the past six years, has revealed the second church. An archaeology professor at Mimar Sinan Fine Arts University professor Hüseyin Murat Özgen, who provides scientific counseling for the project, told Anadolu Agency that the project aims to cover all periods in the area, rather than just the Roman era. The researchers have found settlement camps dating back to the Chalcolithic period in Bergaztepe, located above the ancient site, Özgen said. Previously, researchers had discovered an 11th century A.D. church in "Area C" and the newly discovered church, from the 8th century A.D. was also found around the area. The city was significant for Byzantium Empire, Professor Özgü Çömezoğlu from Istanbul University said, noting that findings show the church's apses were decorated with murals. Pieces of kitchen utensils were also found inside the church, Çömezoğlu said. "We believe that the church was used until early 14th century" the professor added. Ancient city of Adramyttium was an ancient city located at the head of the Gulf of Edremit, on the River Caicus in the Plain of Thebe
https://www.dailysabah.com/history/2017/09/27/1200-year-old-church-discovered-in-turkeys-balikesir
CHYPRE – Idalion - The site consists of the excavated part of the administrative centre (palace) of the ancient city-kingdom that functioned during the Cypro-archaic and Cypro-classical period (c. 750-310 B.C.). It was a monumental edifice and its remains are impressively well-preserved. An unusually large olive press installation, storage rooms with large pithoi, the rooms of the guard and monumental wings possibly used by the administrative elite were excavated. A total of almost 800 inscriptions (mainly Phoenician, but also Greek, in the Arcadocypriot dialect) were also recovered within the palace. This is the largest corpus of inscriptions dating to the era of the city-kingdoms ever found in Cyprus and they provide ample documentation pertaining to the political and economic management of Idalion’s catchment area. With the opening of the Archaeological Site of Idalion one of the most important monuments dating to the era of the city-kingdoms will be revealed to the public.
http://famagusta-gazette.com/opening-of-the-archaeological-site-of-idalion-in-cyprus-next-month-p42123-69.htm
FRANCE – Annecy - "Palafittes cela veut dire «champ de pieux»", poursuit Yves Billaud. Au fond du lac d’Annecy, trois zones de ce genre ont été identifiées. Elles font partis des 111 sites palafittiques recensés sur l’ensemble de l’arc alpin et inscrit au patrimoine mondial de l’UNESCO. Ces pieux représentent les vestiges d’habitations de civilisations anciennes construites sur ou au bord des lacs. Le site palafittique du Crêt du Chatillon serait le plus ancien du lac d’Annecy. "Il date du Néolithique moyen soit 3 800 ans avant notre ère", détaille Yves Billaud. Son étude permet aux chercheurs de reconstituer le mode de vie des civilisations ayant vécues là, de comprendre l’organisation des maisons et des villages. "Les spécialistes des sédiments eux replacent ces sites dans l’histoire du lac et c’est là que l’on s’aperçoit que l’histoire de ce lac n’est pas si figée avec un niveau qui est descendu de plus de cinq mètres à certaines périodes." Une conséquence d’un ancien réchauffement climatique. "Il était moins rapide que celui que nous connaissons aujourd'hui, précise Yves Billaud. Mais tout ce travail d’étude du passé peut nous servir pour expliquer le futur." Depuis la fin de la semaine dernière, l’archéologue et son équipe de plongeurs du Département des recherches archéologiques subaquatiques et sous-marines (DRASSM, ministère de la Culture) travaillent dressent un état sanitaire des trois sites annéciens.
https://www.francebleu.fr/infos/sante-sciences/archeologie-tout-savoir-sur-les-sites-palafittiques-du-lac-d-annecy-1506434560