29 JUIN 2016 NEWS: Sardis - Illinois - Le Touquet - Kırıkkale -







TURQUIEN 100964 1 Sardis - Columns that one graced Sardis, the capital of the ancient Lydian Kingdom, are getting a clean and polish to bring them back to their original state. Work is continuing in the ancient city of Sardis in the western province of Manisa, where many structures still survive, to unearth a 13-meter arch and streets. Parts of the columns that have lost their original color are being cleaned with special chemicals.  The head of the excavations, Professor Nicholas Dunlop, said the 2016 excavation season recently started in Sardis.  He said the excavations were first initiated in Sardis in 1854, continuing with semi-regularity before finally gaining academic status in 1958. The 5,000-year-old ancient city bears the traces of the Persian, Hellenistic, Greek, Roman and Byzantine cultures, as well as the Lydian Kingdom.  “So far, only 3 percent of the ancient city has been unearthed,” Dunlop said.  A five-year working program has been prepared for the Temple of Artemis, which is ne of the best preserved structures in the ancient city, as well as the bath, Dunlop said. Dunlop said they had entered the second year of the excavations at the entrance part of the city. “We are working in the parts dating from the Roman and Lydian eras,” he said. “We are trying to completely unearth the main gate and streets of the city.” The city’s 13-meter-wide arch was fairly large compared to similar ancient cities, said Dunlop. “During excavations, we surprisingly found the ruins of a monumental Roman-era arch. We think that the blocks on the ground belong to this arch. The widest arch that we have unearthed so far was 9.7 meters. As far as I understand, this is the widest arch, at 13 meters.”


USA1capture2 e1467048976546 Illinois - A group of college students found the remains of an ancient civilization in Central Illinois. In a cornfield near the Sangamon River students from Indiana University helped uncover a Native American village. Experts believe it dates back to the mid 1100’s. Remote sensing allowed them to carefully pinpoint how far this village reaches and also a way to find artifacts. Indiana Archaeology Professor Jeremy Wilson said, “Arrow heads or what we refer to projectile points. Different types of pottery, so from storage pots to cooking pots, to plates and bowls. The same thing you would find in your cupboards today.” Archaeologists say it’s one of the biggest discoveries in the Illinois River Valley.


FRANCE1195703205 b979046238z 1 20160625134923 000 g7c7262m6 1 0 Le Touquet - Sur place, à proximité du Domaine des prés, un œil non aguerri ne verrait qu’une pâture vallonnée. Pourtant, sur ce terrain communal se cache un ouvrage défensif construit au milieu du XVIe siècle. L’un des derniers de ce type en France. Sa particularité ? Il est constitué uniquement de terre et avait vocation à défendre l’ancien château fort (détruit au XIXe siècle) d’une éventuelle attaque anglaise. « Il s’agit d’un ouvrage tenaillé. On trouve ici les prémisses d’une défense moderne qui préfigure l’architecture de Vauban. Les recherches menées depuis un an vont permettre d’apporter des informations sur les guerres du milieu du XVIe siècle. Lors de sa construction, des tonnes de terre ont été amenées sur ce terrain pour mettre en place l’ouvrage » souligne Thomas Byhet, employé au service régional de l’archéologie. Vendredi dernier, il a mis fin à une campagne de fouilles commencée en 2015 qui visait trois objectifs. Dans un premier temps, l’archéologue voulait en savoir plus sur les matériaux utilisés dans l’élaboration de l’ouvrage. Puis, tenter de le dater à l’aide notamment d’objets. Et enfin, savoir s’il y avait eu des occupations antérieures du site.


TURQUIEN 101019 1 Kırıkkale - A Roman-era mosaic, estimated to date back to the 2nd century, has been unearthed in the Central Anatolian province of Kırıkkale’s Delice district.  The excavation field appeared last year after rainfall in a wheat field in the village of Elmalı and the 48-centimeter mosaic was discovered there.  “We don’t know what is underground because it is a wheat field. After the wheat harvest, teams from Ankara will come to the field and make examinations. Rich people in the Roman era used such artworks in their homes. Most of them depict heroes in Greek mythology,” said Kırıkkale Governor Mehmet İlker Haktankaçmaz, visiting the field. The archaeologist of the Museum of Anatolian Civilizations, Mustafa Metin, said they found the mosaic in an area of 48 square meters, 20 square meters of which had been damaged. He added that they believe the mosaic dates back to the 2nd century A.D. “We have unearthed a mosaic floor, which belonged to the feast room of a villa. Orpheus is depicted in the center of the floor. There are also animal figures, which may be figures about hades [the ancient Greek chthonic god of the underworld]. We are still working on the mosaic. The mosaic will be reinforced by teams from Ankara before being moved to Ankara. We plan to display them with other broken pieces,” Metin said.