三千年前的古埃及城市重見天日 房間留存各類生活用具

如果想知道幾千年前的祕密，只有考古發掘才能辦到。近日埃及新發掘出一座有三千年歷史的古城，古城中不僅有大型麪包房，街道兩旁的房屋內還留存了陶罐、紡織工具等各種生活用具。

A group of archaeologists has found the largest ancient city ever discovered in Egypt, dating back 3,000 years.

一隊考古學家發現了一座有三千年歷史的埃及古城，是迄今爲止在埃及發現的最大古城。

The city, named "The Rise of Aten," was discovered under the sand on the western bank of Luxor, lead archaeologist Zahi Hawass said in a statement.

首席考古學家札希·哈瓦斯在一份聲明中稱，他們在盧克索西岸的沙灘下發現了這座名爲“太陽神崛起”的城市。

Aten ['etən]: n. 阿託恩（古埃及信奉的太陽神）

It dates to the reign of King Amenhotep III, who ruled Egypt between 1391 and 1353 BCE, according to the statement.

聲明稱，這座古城的年代可以追溯到阿蒙霍特普三世的統治時期，阿蒙霍特普三世是公元前1391年到1353年間統治古埃及的法老。

"It was the largest administrative and industrial settlement in the era of the Egyptian empire," Hawass said.

哈瓦斯說：“該城是埃及帝國時期最大的行政和工業基地。”

Archaeologists found the "city's streets flanked by houses," with intact walls up to 10 feet high and "rooms filled with tools of daily life ... left by the ancient residents as if it were yesterday," such as rings, colored pottery vessels, casting molds to make amulets, pots used to carry meat, and tools for spinning, weaving and metal and glass-making.

考古學家發現“城市街道的兩側房屋林立”，還有高達10英尺（約3米）的完整牆壁，“房間裏裝滿了日常生活用具……都是古代居民留下來的，彷彿昨天還有人住過”。這些用具包括戒指、彩陶容器、製作護身符的壓鑄模具、放肉的罐子，以及紡織、冶金和製造玻璃的工具。

amulet [ˈæmjʊlət]: n. 護身符，避邪物

The team also found a large bakery, "complete with ovens and storage pottery," whose size suggests it was used to cater to a "very large number of workers and employees."

考古隊還發現了一個大型麪包房，“包括烤爐和儲存食物的陶器”，麪包房的規模表明這裏曾經爲“數量龐大的工人和僱員”提供食物。

Other discoveries include the skeleton of a person buried with arms stretched out to the side and rope wrapped around the knees.

其他發現包括一具手臂伸向身體兩側、膝蓋處被繩子纏住的人體骨骼。

"The location and position of this skeleton are rather odd, and more investigations are in progress," according to the statement, which describes it as a "remarkable burial."

聲明稱：“這具人體骨骼的位置和姿勢都相當奇怪，正在進行進一步調查。”該聲明稱之爲“不可思議的埋葬方式。”

"The discovery of this lost city is the second most important archeological discovery since the tomb of Tutankhamun," Betsy Bryan, professor of egyptology at Johns Hopkins University, said in the statement.

約翰斯霍普金斯大學埃及古物學教授貝琪·布賴恩在聲明中稱：“這座失落之城的發現是自圖坦卡蒙陵墓以來第二個最重要的考古發現。”

The team found an inscription dating back to 1337 BCE, which confirms the city was active during the reign of Amenhotep III's son, Akhenaten.

考古隊發現了一段銘文，時間可追溯到公元前1337年，證實這座城市在阿蒙霍特普三世之子阿肯納頓在位期間是活躍的。

Historians believe that one year after the pot was made the city was abandoned and the capital moved to Amarna, 250 miles to the north, but the reasons for doing so remain unknown, according to the statement.

聲明稱，歷史學家認爲，在刻有銘文的罐子製成一年後，這座城市就被廢棄了，首都遷到了該城以北250英里（約400千米）處的阿馬爾那，但是原因未知。

"The discovery of the Lost City not only will give us a rare glimpse into the life of the Ancient Egyptians at the time where the Empire was at his wealthiest but will help us shed light on one of history's greatest mystery: why did Akhenaten and Nefertiti decide to move to Amarna?" Bryan added.

布賴恩補充道：“這種失落之城的發現不僅讓我們有難得的機會一窺埃及帝國最富有時期古埃及人的生活，還有助於破解歷史上最大的謎團之一：爲什麼阿肯納頓和納芙蒂蒂決定遷都到阿馬爾那？”

Nefertiti: 納芙蒂蒂（公元前1370年－前1330年）是埃及法老阿肯納頓的王后。納芙蒂蒂是埃及史上最重要的王后之一，傳說她不但擁有令人驚豔的絕世美貌，也是古埃及歷史中最有權力與地位的女性之一。

The excavation, which began in September 2020, has unearthed most of the southern part of the city. However, the northern region is still to be unearthed.

這次發掘從2020年9月開始，古城的南部大多已出土，不過北部還有待發掘。

A large cemetery and tombs, similar to those in the Valley of Kings, were also uncovered but have not been explored yet.

考古隊還發掘出和帝王穀類似的大型公墓和陵墓，但是尚未進行勘探。

"Only further excavations of the area will reveal what truly happened 3500 years ago," the statement said.

聲明稱：“只有對該地區進行進一步發掘才能揭示3500年前的真相。”