France's Gergovie plateau continues to reveal its ancient secrets
The task is not easy, as they are not the first to attempt to unearth Gergovie's past. Since 1861, at least four excavation campaigns have taken place, sometimes leaving behind "invasive traces," in the words of Deberge. "That's a handicap we've tried to turn into a strength," he said. Before plunging back into the Gallic era, the archaeologists dedicated two years to studying previous excavations: They mapped them out and conducted archival research to get inside the heads of their predecessors, rediscovering their methods of working and recording results – all while carrying out their own explorations.
The exposed patch of earth shown to journalists that day could be read as "a chronological fresco." From west to east, one moves back in time, from the reign of Augustus (27 BCE to 14 CE), the most recent period of human occupation, to the Gallic period (70 BCE to 50 BCE). "What is interesting about this site is that we can observe the transition from the end of the Iron Age to the Roman period," explained Marion Dacko, a research engineer at the Maison des sciences humaines, a humanities research center in nearby Clermont-Ferrand.
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LeMonde
27-07-2025
- LeMonde
France's Gergovie plateau continues to reveal its ancient secrets
Wearing white T-shirts stamped "INRAP" (for France's National Institute for Preventive Archaeological Research) and work pants stained with earth, about 30 people bustled around the "craftsmen's quarter" site at Gergovie, near Clermont-Ferrand. Those digging, dusting and hauling away buckets of stones and sediment under the morning sun on July 17 were mostly students from universities across France, from first-year undergraduate to master's level. Every summer since 2022, around 20 of them have joined the approximately 1,000-square-meter site "to train in excavation techniques, alongside the theoretical courses they take at their university," explained Yann Deberge, an archaeologist with INRAP and head of the site. This 70-hectare plateau overlooking the valley once served as the capital of the Arverni people. The task is not easy, as they are not the first to attempt to unearth Gergovie's past. Since 1861, at least four excavation campaigns have taken place, sometimes leaving behind "invasive traces," in the words of Deberge. "That's a handicap we've tried to turn into a strength," he said. Before plunging back into the Gallic era, the archaeologists dedicated two years to studying previous excavations: They mapped them out and conducted archival research to get inside the heads of their predecessors, rediscovering their methods of working and recording results – all while carrying out their own explorations. The exposed patch of earth shown to journalists that day could be read as "a chronological fresco." From west to east, one moves back in time, from the reign of Augustus (27 BCE to 14 CE), the most recent period of human occupation, to the Gallic period (70 BCE to 50 BCE). "What is interesting about this site is that we can observe the transition from the end of the Iron Age to the Roman period," explained Marion Dacko, a research engineer at the Maison des sciences humaines, a humanities research center in nearby Clermont-Ferrand.
Euronews
04-07-2025
- Euronews
Rare sword find leads to discovery of Roman-era settlement in England
What began as an extremely rare discovery of two Roman swords by a metal detectorist has led to an enormous Early-Middle Iron Age find in the Cotswolds in south-west England. Archaeological excavations at the site in Gloucestershire have revealed an extensive Roman era settlement from the first and second centuries. The site near Willersey, funded by Historic England and directed jointly with Cotswold Archaeology, suggests possible evidence of a Roman villa, which may also have a pair of flanking wings, one at either end of a central range. Once Historic England has the final report on the archaeological work, it will be able to consider whether to recommend to the UK government that the site be protected as a scheduled monument. Iron Roman cavalry swords The dig follows the discovery of two iron Roman cavalry swords, possibly displaying traces of their scabbards, during a metal detecting rally in the north of the Cotswolds in March 2023. The swords were originally reported to and identified by the Portable Antiquities Scheme, who arranged with the finder, metal detectorist Glenn Manning, and the landowner for them to be donated to the Corinium Museum in Cirencester. The swords were X-rayed at Historic England's science facility at Fort Cumberland in Portsmouth. Analysis of the weapons reveals they were constructed differently: one has evidence of decorative pattern welding running down the centre, whereas the other sword is plain. The pattern-welded sword would have been more expensive to produce and therefore higher status. The swords will be available for the public to see at the Corinium Museum from 2 August. Although historically important, at the time of discovery they were not protected by laws such as the 1996 Treasure Act as no gold or silver were discovered within the assemblage that contained the two iron swords, several copper alloy scabbard fittings and strap fittings and a fragmentary copper alloy bowl. It is believed these long swords or 'spatha' were used by the Romans on horseback from early in the second century AD through to the third century AD. They are contemporary with the villa. How they came to be there though, is currently unknown.
Euronews
21-04-2025
- Euronews
3,400-year-old Egyptian town with links to King Tutankhamun unearthed near Alexandria
ADVERTISEMENT A French team of archaeologists have made a remarkable discovery - the ruins of a 3,400-year-old Egyptian town near the modern-day city of Alexandria, that was possibly built by the legendary King Tutankhamun's father, Akhenaten. Detailed in a new study published in Antiquity , the mud-brick ruins are believed to date back to Egypt's 18th Dynasty (circa 1550–1292 BCE), a period known for its wealth, power, and dramatic shifts in religious ideology. The site, known as Kom el-Nugus, lies 27 miles west of Alexandria, perched on a rocky ledge between the Mediterranean Sea and Lake Mariout. Although excavations began in 2013, it was long assumed that the area had only been settled during the Hellenistic period, when the Greeks arrived around 332 BCE. 'The discovery of New Kingdom remains at the site was a great surprise,' lead archaeologist Sylvain Dhennin of the University of Lyon and the French National Centre for Scientific Research told the New Scientist . 'This discovery completely revises the history of Egypt's western frontier in the New Kingdom.' The ancient settlement likely dates back to Egypt's 18th Dynasty (around 1550–1292 BCE). Credit: Cambridge University Press A stone block featuring Ra-Horakhty, the god of the rising sun, from the temple of Ramesses II. Credit: Cambridge Core Among the most noteworthy finds found during the excavation were amphora jar fragments stamped with the name Merytaton, who was believed to the eldest daughter of revolutionary pharaoh Akhenaten and his queen, Nefertiti - and thus making her the sister or half-sister of Tutankhamun. The markings indicate the settlement could have been a wine production facility that may have been dedicated to her, suggesting that royal branding and product endorsements existed in ancient Egypt. "The presence of this stamp probably indicates the production of wine belonging to a royal estate" study author Sylvain Dhennin, an archaeologist with the French National Center for Scientific Research (CNRS), told Live Science . "The vineyards on the margins of Egypt were probably protected by the military and formed part of a pioneering front to occupy this region towards the desert." Other discoveries include fragments of a stele bearing the cartouches of Pharaoh Seti II (r. 1203–1197 BCE), and architectural remnants linked to a temple honouring Ramesses II - a ruler often speculated to be the pharaoh of the biblical Exodus. While the full scale of the settlement remains unknown, the presence of a meticulously designed street, cleverly sloped to drain water and protect buildings from erosion, points to a town of significant size and sophistication. Related Archaeologists unearth 3,200-year-old tomb linked to ancient Egypt's military elite The Bashiri mystery: A 2,300-year-old Egyptian mummy that no archaeologist dares to open Other recent ancient Egyptian discoveries The discovery of the settlement adds to a series of major Egyptian archaeological finds this year. Just last month, archaeologists unearthed the tomb of Pharaoh Thutmose II - the first pharaonic burial site found since Tutankhamun's in 1922. Discovered by a joint British-Egyptian team led by Dr Piers Litherland, the tomb was hidden away in the Western Valleys of the Theban Necropolis, near Luxor. The exterior of Thutmose II's tomb, discovered in the Western Valleys of the Theban Necropolis, near Luxor. Credit: Wikimedia Commons/Amel Eweida/New Kingdom Research Foundation Mohamed Ismail Khaled, the secretary general of Egypt's Supreme Court of Antiquities, said in a statement that the discovery was 'one of the most significant archeological breakthroughs in recent years.' Days later, the same team announced they may have located a second tomb belonging to Thutmose II, buried 23 metres beneath a carefully disguised mound of rubble, limestone, ash, and mud plaster. Litherland believes the tomb could contain the pharaoh's mummified remains and grave goods. 'The best candidate for what is hidden underneath this enormously expensive, in terms of effort, pile is the second tomb of Thutmose II,' he told The Observer. And earlier this year, a French-Swiss archaeological team in Egypt made another remarkable discovery - the tomb of a high-ranking wizard-doctor who served the pharaohs some 4,000 years ago. Inscriptions identify the tomb's owner as Tetinebefou, a celebrated doctor during the reign of King Pepi II (circa 2305–2118 BC).
