十大不可思議的世界地標(上)

The world is filled with ancient monuments built by master craftsmen in order to honor everything from kings and presidents to religious figures. And although most of these landmarks have been carefully studied and researched by scientists and historians, some are simply so old, incomplete, or obscure that we still don't know very much about why they were built or what purpose they served. The following are 10 world landmarks that, whether by intention or simply due to the passage of time, continue to baffle the people who study them.

爲歌頌國王和教主對宗教人士所做之事，工匠大師們建造了遍佈世界各地的古蹟。雖然大多數地標被科學家和歷史學家們仔細研究過，但有些異常古老的，不完全的或模糊不清的，仍舊不知道它們建造的緣由，或是它們被保存下來的目的。下面所說的10個世界地標，無論是故意爲之，或只是因爲時間流逝，一直讓研究人員徒勞無功。

Cahokia Mounds

10.卡霍基亞

Cahokia is the name given to an Indian settlement that exists outside of Collinsville, Illinois. Archeologists estimate that the city was founded sometime around 650 AD, and its complex network of burial grounds and sophisticated landscaping prove that it was once a thriving community. It has been estimated that at its peak the city was home to as many as 40,000 people, which would have made it the most populous settlement in America prior to the arrival of the Europeans. The most notable aspect of Cahokia today are the 80 mounds of earth, some as high as 100 feet, which dot the 2,200-acre site. These helped create a network of plazas throughout the city, and it is believed that important buildings, like the home of the settlement's chief, were built on top of them. The site also features a series of wooden posts that archeologists have dubbed "woodhenge." The posts are said to mark the solstices and equinoxes, and supposedly figured prominently in the community's astronomical mythology.

卡霍基亞，是由現存於伊利諾伊州，科林斯維爾之外的印第安人部落命名的。據歷史學家估計，這座城市大約發現於公元650年，其複雜的墓地佈局和精美的園林設計都證明這裏曾一度是個繁榮的部落。城市的鼎盛時期，約有4萬人在此安家，在歐洲人到來之前，這一度成爲人口最密集的地區。如今的卡霍基亞最值得注意的地方就是地表80個土丘，一些有100英尺高，佔地2200英畝。這些土丘創建了貫穿整座城市的市場網絡。有人認爲，重要的建築物——酋長的家——會建於它們的頂部。這處遺址同樣以一連串的木樁爲特色，歷史學家稱之爲"史前欄杆"。據說這些木樁是用來標記二至點和二分點的，又或許它們已經準確地刻畫出了部落的文學神話。

The Mystery：Although scientists are constantly discovering new information about the Cohokia community, the biggest mystery that remains is which modern Indian tribe is descended from the residents of the ancient city, as well as just what it was that caused them to abandon their settlement.

謎團：雖然科學家們不停地發掘出卡霍基亞部落的最新信息，但遺留至今的最大謎團仍有2個——現今的印第安部落到底哪一個是古代城市居民的後裔？到底是什麼原因導致他們放棄了居住地？

range

9.紐格萊奇墓

Considered to be the oldest and most famous prehistoric site in all of Ireland, Newgrange is a tomb that was built from earth, wood, clay, and stone around 3100 BC, some 1000 years before the construction of the pyramids in Egypt. It consists of a long passage that leads to a cross-shaped chamber that was apparently used as a tomb, as it contains stone basins filled with cremated remains. The most unique feature of Newgrange is its careful and sturdy design, which has helped the structure remain completely waterproof to this day. Most amazing of all, the entrance to the tomb was positioned relative to the sun in such a way that on the winter solstice, the shortest day of the year, the rays from the sun are channeled through the opening and down the nearly 60 foot passageway, where they illuminate the floor of the monument's central room.

紐格萊奇墓被視爲愛爾蘭最古老最著名的史前遺址。它是一個由泥土、木材、黏土和石頭建造的墳墓，建造於公元前3100年前，比埃及金字塔還早了1000年。它內含一條長通道，通向一間十字形房間，裏面有一個盛滿骨灰的石盆，顯然是被用作墓室。紐格萊奇墓最大的特點是它精巧而堅固的設計，使墓室直到現在還能完全防水。最奇特的是，冬至時，陽光可以從墓室入口的上方天窗照射進來，佈滿將近60英尺的通道，照亮古蹟中的中心房間。

The Mystery：Archeologists know Newgrange was used as a tomb, but why and for who still remains a mystery. The painstaking design needed to guarantee that the yearly solstice event occurs suggests that the site was held in high regard, but other than the obvious hypothesis that the sun featured prominently in the mythology of the builders, scientists are at a loss to describe the true reason for Newgrange's construction.

謎團：歷史學家們知道紐格萊奇墓曾用做墓室，但爲誰所用，爲何而建仍舊是個謎團。爲了確保每年冬至日出現奇觀，需要高難度的設計，表明建造過程中墓室受到了高度重視。除了對建築師所刻畫出的，神話中的太陽，有明顯的假設，科學家們依舊對紐格萊奇墓建造的真正原因困惑不解。

Yonaguni Monument

8.與那國島遺址

Of all the famous monuments in Japan, perhaps none is more perplexing than Yonaguni, an underwater rock formation that lies off the coast of the Ryuku Islands. It was discovered in 1987 by a group of divers who were there to observe Hammerhead sharks, and it immediately sparked a huge amount of debate in the Japanese scientific community. The monument is made up of a series of striking rock formations including massive platforms, carved steps, and huge stone pillars that lie at depths of 5-40 meters. There is a triangular formation that has become known as "the turtle" for its unique shape, as well as a long, straight wall that borders one of the larger platforms. The currents in the area are known for being particularly treacherous, but this has not stopped the Yonaguni monument from becoming one of the most popular diving locations in all of Japan.

日本著名的遺址中，沒有一個像與那國島的遺址那樣令人費解——一個位於琉球羣島海岸下的岩層。它於1987年被觀察錘頭鯊的潛水隊發現，很快引發了日本科學界的衆多爭論。遺蹟位於海淵5-40米處，由巨大的岩層組成，包括巨大的平臺，雕有花紋的臺階和巨大的石柱。遺蹟中有一個三角形的構造，因其獨特的海龜造型而爲人所知。同樣的深度，有一個巨大的平臺，與之相鄰的是一堵豎牆。即便這片地方被認爲是危險區域，但仍舊是日本最受歡迎的潛水地之一。

The Mystery：The ongoing debate surrounding Yonaguni centers on one key subject: is the monument a natural phenomenon, or is it man-made? Scientists have long argued that millennia of strong currents and erosion have carved the formations out of the ocean floor, and they point to the fact that the monument is all one piece of solid rock as proof that it was not assembled by a builder. Others, though, point to the many straight edges, square corners and 90-degree angles of the formation as proof that it's artificial. They often cite one formation in particular, a section of rock that resembles a crude carving of a human face, as evidence. If they are right, then an even more interesting mystery presents itself: who constructed the Yonaguni Monument, and for what purpose?

謎團：無休止的爭論都圍繞一個重要主題——這個遺蹟是自然現象還是人爲建造？科學家們進行了長久的爭論，一些人認爲是水流的沖刷和腐蝕使海平面上的結構發生改變，他們還指出，這些遺蹟均由一片岩層構成，並不是建造者組裝得到的。另一些人則認爲，這些直邊、尖角和結構上的90度角度都證實是人爲建造的。他們經常用一個特殊的形狀作爲例子——一個岩石的截面像是用原油雕刻出的人臉。如果假設是正確的，那麼更有趣的謎團出現了——是誰建造的與那國島海底地形？到底是出於何種目的？

Nazca Lines

7.納斯卡線條

The Nazca lines are a series of designs and pictographs carved into the ground in the Nazca Desert, a dry plateau located in Peru. They cover an area of some 50 miles, and were supposedly created between 200 BC and 700 AD by the Nazca Indians, who designed them by scraping away the copper colored rocks of the desert floor to expose the lighter-colored earth beneath. The lines have managed to remain intact for hundreds of years thanks to the region's arid climate, which sees it receive little rain or wind throughout the year. Some of the lines span distances of 600 feet, and they depict everything from simple designs and shapes to characterizations of plants, insects, and animals.

納斯卡線條是由一系列的圖案和象形文字組成的，刻畫在祕魯乾燥高原上的納斯卡荒原上，覆蓋了約50英里的地域。據推測，它在公元前200年到公元700年由納斯卡印第安人創建，他們刮除荒原上深銅色的岩石表面，露出下方淺色的地表來表現圖案，這些圖案被幹燥、少雨、少風的氣候完整地保存了百年。一些線的間隔長度達到600尺。建造者們用簡潔的設計來表示一切，並且用圖案來表現昆蟲和動物的特性。

The Mystery：Scientists know who made the Nazca Lines and how they did it, but they still don't know why. The most popular and reasonable hypothesis is that the lines must have figured in the Nazca people's religious beliefs, and that they made the designs as offerings to the gods, who would've been able to see them from the heavens. Still, other scientists argue that the lines are evidence of massive looms that the Nazcas used to make textiles, and one investigator has even made the preposterous claim that they are the remnants of ancient airfields used by a vanished, technologically advanced society.

謎團：科學家們知道是誰畫出的納斯卡線條，並知道它們是怎樣做出來的，但是仍舊不知道爲何要畫這些圖。最普遍也是最合理的假設是這些圖案表現出了納斯卡人的宗教信仰，他們畫圖案是爲了向俯察他們的上帝做禱告。當然，另一些科學家認爲，這些線條是納斯卡人使用大量紡織機紡織過的證據。有一位觀察者甚至做過一個可笑論述——納斯卡是技術先進卻已銷聲匿跡的社會，用過的古代飛機場的遺留物。

ck Circle

6.戈瑟克圓圈

One of the most mysterious landmarks in Germany is the Goseck Circle, a monument made out of earth, gravel, and wooden palisades that is regarded as the earliest example of a primitive "solar observatory." The circle consists of a series of circular ditches surrounded by palisade walls (which have since been reconstructed) that house a raised mound of dirt in the center. The palisades have three openings, or gates, that point southeast, southwest, and north. It is believed that the monument was built around 4900 BC by Neolithic peoples, and that the three openings correspond to the direction from which the sun rises on the winter solstice.

戈瑟克圓圈是德國最神祕的地標，由土壤、碎石和木製欄杆組成，被認爲是古老的太陽天文臺的最早標誌。圓圈由圍繞在欄杆牆的一系列環形溝壑組成（已重建），中間有一個土堆，欄杆有三個開口或是大門，指向東南、西南和北方。該遺蹟由新石器時代的人建於公元前4900年，三個開口都和冬至時太陽升起的方向一致。

The Mystery：The monument's careful construction has led many scientists to believe that the Goseck Circle was built to serve as some kind of primitive solar or lunar calendar, but its exact use is still a source of debate. Evidence has shown that a so-called "solar cult" was widespread in ancient Europe. This has led to speculation that the Circle was used in some kind of ritual, perhaps even in conjunction with human sacrifice. This hypothesis has yet to be proven, but archeologists have uncovered several human bones, including a headless skeleton, just outside the palisade walls.

謎團：遺蹟精巧的構造使科學家們相信戈瑟克圓圈被用於指導農業活動，但是它真實的用途仍舊是爭論的源頭。證據表明所謂的"太陽祭祀"在古歐洲廣爲流傳，同時也引發了一種推測——這些圓圈曾用於部分祭祀，甚至和活人祭祀一同使用。這種假設有待證明，但歷史學家們發掘出幾個人類遺骨，包括在柵欄牆之外的無頭骨架。

翻譯:漫小颯 來源：前十網