令人瞠目結(jié)舌的凱爾特戰(zhàn)士墓中發(fā)現(xiàn)“千年之盾”

令人瞠目結(jié)舌的凱爾特戰(zhàn)士墓中發(fā)現(xiàn)“千年之盾”

Some archaeological finds have to be seen to be believed, and the discovery of the 2,200-year-old grave of a male Celtic warrior has experts very excited indeed – as you'll understand once you take a peek at the haul.

一些考古發(fā)現(xiàn)只有親眼所見才能讓人相信，而一名擁有2200年歷史的凱爾特男性戰(zhàn)士墳?zāi)沟陌l(fā)現(xiàn)確實(shí)讓專家們非常興奮——只要你瞥一眼就會明白這一點(diǎn)。

Among the findings in the grave is an ornate shield described as "the most important British Celtic art object of the millennium" by archaeologist Melanie Giles from the University of Manchester in the UK, as reported by the Independent.

據(jù)《獨(dú)立報(bào)》報(bào)道，在墓穴中發(fā)現(xiàn)的一件華麗的盾牌被英國曼徹斯特大學(xué)的考古學(xué)家梅勒妮·賈爾斯描述為“千年最重要的英國凱爾特藝術(shù)品”。

Made in an early Celtic art style known as La Tène, the shield features an unusual scalloped edge and a triple spiral design called a triskele. The shield also shows organic forms such as mollusc shells, along with signs of having been repaired.

這面盾是早期凱爾特藝術(shù)風(fēng)格的La Tene，其獨(dú)特的扇形邊緣和三螺旋設(shè)計(jì)被稱為三螺旋。盾上還顯示了軟體動物殼等有機(jī)形態(tài)，以及修復(fù)的跡象。

The popular belief is that elaborate metal-faced shields were purely ceremonial, reflecting status, but not used in battle, says archaeologist Paula Ware from the MAP Archaeological Practice in the UK, according to the Yorkshire Post.

據(jù)《約克郡郵報(bào)》報(bào)道，來自英國地圖考古實(shí)踐的考古學(xué)家保拉·威爾說:“人們普遍認(rèn)為，精心制作的金屬面盾牌純粹是用于儀式，反映身份地位，而不是用于戰(zhàn)斗。”

Our investigation challenges this with the evidence of a puncture wound in the shield typical of a sword. Signs of repairs can also be seen, suggesting the shield was not only old but likely to have been well used.

“我們的調(diào)查對這一點(diǎn)提出了質(zhì)疑，證據(jù)顯示盾牌上有一個(gè)典型的劍形刺孔。修復(fù)的跡象也可以看到，表明盾牌不僅是舊的，而且可能已經(jīng)被很好地使用了。”

Measuring 75 centimetres or nearly 30 inches across, the shield would have been crafted by hammering a bronze sheet of metal from underneath. Any leather and wood trappings that once existed on the defensive weapon have since rotted away.

這面盾寬75厘米(近30英寸)，是用鐵錘從下面錘出一塊青銅薄片制成的。任何曾經(jīng)存在于防御武器上的皮革和木頭裝飾都已經(jīng)腐爛了。

Besides the shield, in a rather grim turn the grave also features what looks to be a chariot, complete with horses – though it's not clear if the horses were sacrificed for the purposes of the burial or had already died beforehand.

除了盾牌之外，墳?zāi)惯€出現(xiàn)了一個(gè)相當(dāng)陰森的轉(zhuǎn)折，看上去像是一輛戰(zhàn)車，里面有馬——盡管不清楚這些馬是為了埋葬而犧牲的，還是已經(jīng)死了。

These horses were placed with their hooves on the ground and their rear legs looking as though they would leap out of the grave, Ware explained.

“這些馬的蹄子放在地上，后腿看起來好像要跳出墳?zāi)梗?rdquo;威爾解釋說。

Seeing all this weaponry, a method of transportation, and provisions packed into the grave indicates how seriously Celtic tribes of the time considered the move to the afterlife. The society that this warrior would have lived in would have wanted to give him as much help as possible in whatever came next.

看到所有這些武器，一種運(yùn)輸方式，以及裝在墳?zāi)估锏氖澄铮@表明當(dāng)時(shí)的凱爾特部落是多么認(rèn)真地考慮到來生。這個(gè)戰(zhàn)士所生活的社會會希望在接下來發(fā)生的任何事情上給予他盡可能多的幫助。

The man himself is thought to have been in his late 40s or older when he died, sometime around 320-174 BCE. Nothing like this type of burial has ever been seen in the UK before, although another chariot-and-horse grave was uncovered in Bulgaria in 2013.

據(jù)了解，這名男子死于公元前320-174年左右，當(dāng)時(shí)已近40歲，甚至更老。盡管2013年在保加利亞發(fā)現(xiàn)了另一個(gè)由戰(zhàn)車和戰(zhàn)馬組成的墳?zāi)梗谟郧皬奈匆娺^這樣的埋葬方式。

These latest findings haven't yet appeared in a peer-reviewed paper, but come from a burial site originally uncovered in 2018, near the town of Pocklington, Yorkshire. A red glass brooch and pig remains (another potential animal sacrifice) have also been discovered in the same grave.

這些最新的發(fā)現(xiàn)還沒有發(fā)表在一篇經(jīng)過同行評議的論文中，但是來自于2018年在約克郡Pocklington鎮(zhèn)附近發(fā)現(xiàn)的一處墓地。在同一個(gè)墓穴中還發(fā)現(xiàn)了一個(gè)紅色的玻璃胸針和豬的遺骸(另一個(gè)可能的動物祭品)。

As work continues on the artefacts uncovered from the site, expect to hear more about this ancient warrior and his unusual burial in the months and years to come – there are still plenty of unanswered questions.

隨著發(fā)掘工作的繼續(xù)，在接下來的幾個(gè)月和幾年里，我們將會聽到更多關(guān)于這位古代戰(zhàn)士和他不同尋常的葬禮的消息——仍然有許多未解之謎。

We don't know how the man died, Ware said, according to the Yorkshire Post. "There are some blunt force traumas but they wouldn't have killed him. I don't think he died in battle; it is highly likely he died in old age."

據(jù)《約克郡郵報(bào)》報(bào)道，威爾說:“我們不知道這個(gè)人是怎么死的。”“有一些鈍器造成的創(chuàng)傷，但他們不會殺了他。我不認(rèn)為他是戰(zhàn)死的;他很可能是老死的。”

What his role was I can't tell you. He has collected some nice goodies along the way – he is definitely not run of the mill.

“我不能告訴你他的角色是什么。他一路上收集了一些好東西——他絕對不是普通的人。”