2007年10月4日 星期四

Ancient world treasure unearthed

Ancient world treasure unearthed
By David Willey
BBC News, Rome

After seven hot summers of digging, an Italian archaeological team believe they have discovered one of the most important sites of the ancient world.

經過七個酷暑辛苦的挖掘之後,義大利考古隊相信他們已經找到了一處屬於古代世界中最重要的遺址之一。

Fanum Voltumnae, a shrine, marketplace and Etruscan political centre, was situated in the upper part of the Tiber river valley.

Fanum Voltumnae,是座神殿、市集,同時也是Etruscan的政治中心,地處台伯河谷的上游。

It lies at the foot of a huge outcrop of rock, upon which is perched the mediaeval city of Orvieto.

它座落在一個巨大裸露的岩石下方,岩石的上方則盤踞了一座中世紀古城Orvieto。

A walled sanctuary area, 5m-wide (16ft) Etruscan roads, an altar, and the foundations of many Roman buildings that have laid buried for two millennia have been discovered.

截至目前為止的發現有:一個由砌牆圍住的聖殿區、五英呎寬的Etruscan道路、一座祭壇以及埋藏了兩千年多幢羅馬建築的地基。

And as the dig closed for the 2007 season, with tarpaulins being pulled over ruins to protect them from the winter weather, Professor Simonetta Stopponi of Macerata University was upbeat about the site's significance.

2007這一季的挖掘工作業已告終,拉開來的防水布被覆蓋在廢墟上好阻絕冬季惡劣的天氣,這處遺址的重要性令Macerata大學的Simonetta Stopponi教授歡欣不已。

"I am confident that for the first time we have positively identified one of the most important lost sites of the ancient world," she told the BBC.

"這還是頭一次我對我們斷定自己已經發現了古代世界中最重要的遺址之一充滿信心," 她這樣告訴BBC。

Rivalling Rome?

Fanum was already famous in antiquity as a religious shrine and a meeting place where the 12 members of the Etruscan League, a confederation of central Italian cities, used to gather every spring to elect their leader.

Fanum在古代就已經因為是個宗教聖地以及12個Etruscan聯盟成員的聚會場所而聞名於世,這個由義大利中部幾個城市所組成的聯盟,曾定期於每一年的春季聚集在此選出他們的領導人。

In the autumn of 398BC an extraordinary policy meeting was held in Fanum.

在西元前398年的秋天,在Fanum破例召開了一次政策會議。

A Roman army had been besieging the town of Veii, a wealthy member of the Etruscan League, which lay only 16km (10 miles) north of Rome.

被羅馬軍團圍攻的城市Veii是Etruscan聯盟裡最富有的成員,位於羅馬北方16公里處。

The citizens of Veii, exhausted by years of warfare, appealed for help and asked the other members of the league to join them in declaring war on Rome.

Veii城中那些被連年烽火弄得精疲力竭的人民,要求援助並且請求聯盟的其他成員加入對羅馬宣戰的行列。

The gods of the shrine of Fanum were duly consulted, but the vote went against collectively defending Veii.

他們對Fanum神殿的神提出正式的詢問,但投票的結果卻是反對共同捍衛Veii。

Two years later the town fell to Rome.

兩年之後這個城市被羅馬攻陷。

Beginning of the end

It was the beginning of the end for the Etruscan League, all of whose cities eventually fell to Roman invaders.

這種下了Etruscan聯盟走向敗亡的因子,最終,聯盟之下的所有城市全部被羅馬侵略者攻陷。

We know all this ancient history through the Roman historian Livy, who wrote his famous account of the origins of Rome towards the end of the 1st Century BC.

透過羅馬的歷史學家李維,我們才得知道這段古老的歷史。李維寫下了他著名的羅馬記述從羅馬起源一直到西元前一世紀的末了。

Livy mentions Fanum, and stresses its importance no less than five times.

Livy提及了Fanum,並且不下五次強調它的重要性。

But he failed to mention where Fanum was situated, and after the fall of Rome, all memory of its exact location was lost.

但是他卻沒能說出Fanum地處何處,而羅馬滅亡後,所有對這個城市確切地點的記憶也隨之被抹去。

The sacred zone is being systematically dug up by an enthusiastic team of young archaeologists wielding picks, shovels and trowels.

目前這個聖域正被一個由年輕考古學家所組成的熱情團隊,揮舞著十字鎬及大小鏟子進行有系統的挖掘。

They come from America, Mexico and Spain as well as from Italy.

考古學家們來自美國、墨西哥、西班牙和義大利。

For 2,000 years, from the 5th Century BC until the 15th Century AD, large numbers of people used to gather at Fanum every spring.

兩千年以來,從西元前五世紀一直到公元十五世紀,為數眾多的人曾經常於每年的春季聚集在Fanum。

In Etruscan times it was a place for the political leaders of central Italy to take stock of military and civil affairs, and to pray to their gods.

在Etruscan的時代,它是一個義大利中部各政治領袖用來做軍情、或民情的研判,以及向他們的神求告的地方。

Later, under the Romans, according to researchers, Fanum continued as the site of an important annual spring fair.

之後,在羅馬的統治下,根據研究顯示,Fanum依舊是一個重要的年度春季集市的場所。

Athletes took part in public games, and priests and politicians mingled with crowds of ordinary people who came to buy and sell livestock and agricultural products.

運動員參加公眾運動會,祭司與政治家也夾雜在一般平民中前來販售或添購牲口和農產品。

As recently as the 19th Century there was a cattle market held here. The area is still known locally as Campo della Fiera, or Fair Field.

19世紀的近代,這裡還曾有個牛隻交易市場。這個地區在當地還是大眾所認為的Campo della Fiera,也就是市集場。

Early foundations

A first Christian church was built on the site as early as the 4th Century. You can see part of its patterned stonework floor.

早在公元四世紀,這裡建起了第一座基督教堂。你可以看到它部份拼花石製地板。

The foundations of a later 12th Century church dedicated to Saint Peter have also been laid bare.

公元12世紀的晚期一座獻給聖彼得的教堂,殘存的地基同樣也裸露在外。

Following the Black Death, the 14th Century plague, and perhaps because of it, the church was abandoned and left to ruins.

公元14世紀的瘟疫黑死病過後,或許因為如此,整座教堂被棄置並任其毀壞。

Funds for the dig have come in part from an Italian bank, the Monte Dei Paschi of Siena, in part from the EU, and in part from the local regional government.

挖掘工作所需的資金部份來自義大利銀行Monte Dei Paschi of Siena、部份來自歐盟、部份則是來自當地地方政府。

Absolute certainty that this was the site of Fanum can only come with the discovery of written inscriptions dedicated to the Etruscan god Voltumna, the most important deity worshipped by the inhabitants of this part of Italy.

一旦發現了刻有獻給Etruscan主神Voltumna的銘文,就百分之百可以確定這個地點就是Fanum。Voltumna[1]是居住在義大利這一帶的居民所崇敬的主要神祇。

So far only votive objects such as small bronze statues, or pieces of painted terracotta roof tiles from the temples have been dug up, nothing written.

目前為止,出土的只有幾尊小青銅像或神殿屋頂部份上了顏色的赤陶瓷磚,沒有任何的文字。

But Professor Stoppani says she is 99% sure that the site has yet to give up the last remains of ancient Fanum.

但Stoppani教授說她99%肯定這個地方還留有古代Fanum的遺物仍未出土。

She plans to continue the dig next year.

她計劃著接續進行明年的挖掘工作。


Story from BBC NEWS:
http://news.bbc.co.uk/go/pr/fr/-/2/hi/europe/7028330.stm
Published: 2007/10/04 16:47:03 GMT
© BBC MMVII

[1]陰間或大地之神

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