美国国家公共电台 NPR In Northern Iraq, ISIS Leaves Behind An Archaeological Treasure In Ruins

In Northern Iraq, ISIS Leaves Behind An Archaeological Treasure In Ruins

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Nearly 3,000 years ago, in what is now northern Iraq, the king of the Assyrian Empire built a palace on the top of a hill. Many of its antiquities² were still in place until ISIS took over two years ago and tried to destroy them. The site was recently retaken by the Iraqi army. And NPR's Alice Fordham went to see what's left.

ALICE FORDHAM, BYLINE³: I was lucky enough to visit the remains⁴ of the ancient Assyrian city at Nimrud back in 2010. It was dismal⁵ and cold that day. But the palace was breathtaking. There were wall carvings⁶ of men twice life size with great stone wings and hulking sculptures of a mythical⁷ beast called a lamassu, with a human face, a bull's body, the wings of an eagle.

Last week, Nimrud was retaken from ISIS by the Iraqi army. And it's now possible to get there again. So I arranged a visit with Iraqi archaeologist Layla Salih.

(SOUNDBITE OF CARS DRIVING)

FORDHAM: The trip entails⁸ a lot of waiting around military checkpoints. Chatting in the car, I ask Salih about the first time she visited Nimrud.

LAYLA SALIH: Yeah, the first time - when I was in the secondary school. It could be.

FORDHAM: The secondary school was in Mosul. The 14-year-old Salih was on a field trip.

SALIH: Yeah, it was exciting, really.

FORDHAM: People used to come from all over to see Nimrud. But two years ago, ISIS took over the site. They systematically⁹ destroyed the ancient sculptures and structures using heavy machinery¹⁰, calling them heretical.

(SOUNDBITE OF FOOTSTEPS)

SALIH: (Foreign language spoken).

FORDHAM: Eventually, we arrive at an improvised¹¹ army base in a village where a local man offers to show us the way. We drive through scrubland and then up a hill to the site, once the citadel¹² of a city. You can see the ruins of temples sticking out of the dusty ground. It's windswept and deserted¹³.

(SOUNDBITE OF CLOSING CAR DOORS)

FORDHAM: We stand in front of what was the grand entrance to the palace, which was built with thick walls around a central courtyard. The gateway¹⁴ is now full of rubble¹⁵.

SALIH: I try to keep my tears. But...

FORDHAM: Salih is weeping too much to speak.

SALIH: So sad. Yeah, speechless. Just...

FORDHAM: The lamassus, those winged bulls, are in a broken pile. There are ancient tablets with cuneiform writing lying around in pieces. What archaeologists say was once great about this site is that the palace had been reconstructed, so it was a kind of living museum.

Visitors could imagine entering a palace at the heart of the Assyrian Empire millennia¹⁶ ago. Iraqis often cite this ancient heritage as a huge source of pride.

SALIH: Of course, it's part of their culture and heritage. So I cannot imagine if they see this destruction.

FORDHAM: And Salih is furious that - even now the site has been retaken from ISIS - there's no protection.

SALIH: You see? There is no - any security forces around the city.

FORDHAM: People could loot.

SALIH: Of course. It could be loot.

FORDHAM: We walk through the gateway to look over the courtyard, which is now strewn with shattered masonry¹⁷, picking our way over broken bricks with little bits of ancient reliefs mixed in. And, in fact, Salih says it might still be possible to do some conservation, some reconstruction¹⁸.

SALIH: Actually, I was scared about this. But now we are - we can do something here.

FORDHAM: What can you do?

SALIH: To salvage¹⁹ the site, to do a first aid for some structure and Assyrian relief here.

FORDHAM: No one quite knows when that might start. The area has to be secure first. And as we leave, we can hear battles with ISIS in villages not far away. Alice Fordham, NPR News, Nimrud, northern Iraq.

1 browser   

n.浏览者

参考例句：

• View edits in a web browser.在浏览器中看编辑的效果。
• I think my browser has a list of shareware links.我想在浏览器中会有一系列的共享软件链接。

2 antiquities   

n.古老( antiquity的名词复数 )；古迹；古人们；古代的风俗习惯

参考例句：

• There is rest and healing in the contemplation of antiquities. 欣赏古物有休息和疗养之功。 来自辞典例句
• Bertha developed a fine enthusiasm for the antiquities of London. 伯沙对伦敦的古迹产生了很大的热情。 来自辞典例句

3 byline   

n.署名；v.署名

参考例句：

• His byline was absent as well.他的署名也不见了。
• We wish to thank the author of this article which carries no byline.我们要感谢这篇文章的那位没有署名的作者。

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 dismal   

adj.阴沉的，凄凉的，令人忧郁的，差劲的

参考例句：

• That is a rather dismal melody.那是一支相当忧郁的歌曲。
• My prospects of returning to a suitable job are dismal.我重新找到一个合适的工作岗位的希望很渺茫。

6 carvings   

n.雕刻( carving的名词复数 )；雕刻术；雕刻品；雕刻物

参考例句：

• The desk was ornamented with many carvings. 这桌子装饰有很多雕刻物。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• Shell carvings are a specialty of the town. 贝雕是该城的特产。 来自《简明英汉词典》

7 mythical   

adj.神话的；虚构的；想像的

参考例句：

• Undeniably,he is a man of mythical status.不可否认，他是一个神话般的人物。
• Their wealth is merely mythical.他们的财富完全是虚构的。

8 entails   

使…成为必要( entail的第三人称单数 )； 需要； 限定继承； 使必需

参考例句：

• The job entails a lot of hard work. 这工作需要十分艰苦的努力。
• This job entails a lot of hard work. 这项工作需要十分努力。

9 systematically   

adv.有系统地

参考例句：

• This government has systematically run down public services since it took office.这一屆政府自上台以来系统地削减了公共服务。
• The rainforest is being systematically destroyed.雨林正被系统地毀灭。

10 machinery   

n.(总称)机械，机器；机构

参考例句：

• Has the machinery been put up ready for the broadcast?广播器材安装完毕了吗？
• Machinery ought to be well maintained all the time.机器应该随时注意维护。

11 improvised   

a.即席而作的,即兴的

参考例句：

• He improvised a song about the football team's victory. 他即席创作了一首足球队胜利之歌。
• We improvised a tent out of two blankets and some long poles. 我们用两条毛毯和几根长竿搭成一个临时帐蓬。

12 citadel   

n.城堡；堡垒；避难所

参考例句：

• The citadel was solid.城堡是坚固的。
• This citadel is built on high ground for protecting the city.这座城堡建于高处是为保护城市。

13 deserted   

adj.荒芜的，荒废的，无人的，被遗弃的

参考例句：

• The deserted village was filled with a deathly silence.这个荒废的村庄死一般的寂静。
• The enemy chieftain was opposed and deserted by his followers.敌人头目众叛亲离。

14 gateway   

n.大门口，出入口，途径，方法

参考例句：

• Hard work is the gateway to success.努力工作是通往成功之路。
• A man collected tolls at the gateway.一个人在大门口收通行费。

15 rubble   

n.（一堆）碎石，瓦砾

参考例句：

• After the earthquake,it took months to clean up the rubble.地震后，花了数月才清理完瓦砾。
• After the war many cities were full of rubble.战后许多城市到处可见颓垣残壁。

16 millennia   

n.一千年，千禧年

参考例句：

• For two millennia, exogamy was a major transgression for Jews. 两千年来，异族通婚一直是犹太人的一大禁忌。
• In the course of millennia, the dinosaurs died out. 在几千年的时间里，恐龙逐渐死绝了。

17 masonry   

n.砖土建筑；砖石

参考例句：

• Masonry is a careful skill.砖石工艺是一种精心的技艺。
• The masonry of the old building began to crumble.旧楼房的砖石结构开始崩落。

18 reconstruction   

n.重建，再现，复原

参考例句：

• The country faces a huge task of national reconstruction following the war.战后，该国面临着重建家园的艰巨任务。
• In the period of reconstruction,technique decides everything.在重建时期，技术决定一切。

19 salvage   

v.救助，营救，援救；n.救助，营救

参考例句：

• All attempts to salvage the wrecked ship failed.抢救失事船只的一切努力都失败了。
• The salvage was piled upon the pier.抢救出的财产被堆放在码头上。