2008-12-08 古罗马帝国的“宝石”

Archeologists are hoping to attract tourists to one of the jewels of the Roman Empire. Viminacium was the most important city in the Roman province of Upper Moesia. The city was located in what is today, Serbia. It's believed the Romans first conquered the area during the 1st century BC, after long wars waged against the indigenous¹ population.

Now centuries later, Kostolac, a small Serbian town on the Danube, stands where Viminacium used to be. Archeologists have excavated² parts of this ancient site, unlocking some of the history of the Roman ruin.

Vinimacium represents one of the most important jewels, something that our country brought to life and something which is in a chain, 600 kilometers’ long. In that chain, there are 10 places similar to this.

We can say that Vinimacium is one of the great archeological places. It lies on 1,100 acres. One and a half million people lived in the town, equivalent to today's proportions. It had temples, squares, theaters, streets, public baths, amphitheatres, everything that a city had at that time.

The baths are typical Roman buildings constructed as public establishments, which not only provided relaxation³, but were centers for social activities. 

The remains⁴ of fresco⁵ paintings testify to the luxurious⁶ nature of this establishment. Korac’s excavation⁷ team has not only discovered the ancient baths, but the northern gate of the military camp, mausoleums where Roman emperors were buried in an amphitheatre. Korac is promoting the site as a tourist destination, which he believes will help protect Vinimacium, a cultural heritage which he says has to live.

1 indigenous   

adj.土产的，土生土长的，本地的

参考例句：

• Each country has its own indigenous cultural tradition.每个国家都有自己本土的文化传统。
• Indians were the indigenous inhabitants of America.印第安人是美洲的土著居民。

2 excavated   

v.挖掘( excavate的过去式和过去分词 )；开凿；挖出；发掘

参考例句：

• The site has been excavated by archaeologists. 这个遗址已被考古学家发掘出来。
• The archaeologists excavated an ancient fortress. 考古学家们发掘出一个古堡。 来自《简明英汉词典》

3 relaxation   

n.松弛，放松；休息；消遣；娱乐

参考例句：

• The minister has consistently opposed any relaxation in the law.部长一向反对法律上的任何放宽。
• She listens to classical music for relaxation.她听古典音乐放松。

4 remains   

n.剩余物，残留物；遗体，遗迹

参考例句：

• He ate the remains of food hungrily.他狼吞虎咽地吃剩余的食物。
• The remains of the meal were fed to the dog.残羹剩饭喂狗了。

5 fresco   

n.壁画；vt.作壁画于

参考例句：

• This huge fresco is extremely clear and just like nature itself.It is very harmonious.这一巨幅壁画，清晰有致且又浑然天成，十分和谐。
• So it is quite necessary to study the influence of visual thinking over fresco.因此，研究视觉思维对壁画的影响和作用是十分必要的。

6 luxurious   

adj.精美而昂贵的；豪华的

参考例句：

• This is a luxurious car complete with air conditioning and telephone.这是一辆附有空调设备和电话的豪华轿车。
• The rich man lives in luxurious surroundings.这位富人生活在奢侈的环境中。

7 excavation   

n.挖掘，发掘；被挖掘之地

参考例句：

• The bad weather has hung up the work of excavation.天气不好耽误了挖掘工作。
• The excavation exposed some ancient ruins.这次挖掘暴露出一些古遗迹。