In Search of Irish Gold 寻找爱尔兰金库

The ancient landscape of Ireland is steeped in myths and legends. Some go back 3000 years into the mystery of its Bronze Age people. They left behind hoards² of extraordinary work in gold. But nobody knows where they found the precious metal to work with. Somewhere in this landscape, was there a secret source of Bronze Age gold? A hidden mine? I've come to Ireland in search of a lost Eldorado.

For me the mystery of Bronze Age gold begins here at a place called Moher. Back in 1854, they were excavating³ a railway here, between Limerick and Ennis, when they found something quite extraordinary, just up here.

Just about here, their digging revealed a box, covered in rocks. Inside there was a most fantastic hoard¹ of treasure, hundreds of bracelets⁴ and necklaces, all solid gold. Now some of them regrettably but understandably disappeared in workmen's wheelbarrows, but some remains⁵. And this is just one of many such hoards across Ireland.

No one is sure why Bronze Age people buried so much gold, though many people believe they were offerings of appeasement⁶ to the gods. I had to see the gold for myself. So I went to the National Museum in Dublin. There I met the curator of the ancient treasure --Mary Carhill.
So this is the Moher hoard.
I mean it's a staggering quantity of material.
Yes, it is the biggest hoard of gold ever found in Ireland, and it must have been an amazing sight for the railway workers who found it to actually see it there in the ground, hundreds of objects --bracelets and neck ornaments⁷, these collars which you see here, just piled together in one place.

The collection of ancient Irish gold here is quite spectacular. We can only imagine what the elite⁸ of Bronze Age society looked like when adorned⁹ with the elaborate objects that'd been unearthed¹⁰. Mary took me to a secure backroom to see some of the most precious objects.
Goddess


Words and Phrases

Eldorado: (n.) an imaginary place of great wealth and opportunity; sought in South America by 16th-century explorers <西>理想中的黄金国
wheelbarrow: (n.) A one- or two-wheeled vehicle with handles at the rear, used to convey small loads. 手推车

1 hoard   

n./v.窖藏，贮存，囤积

参考例句：

• They have a hoard of food in the basement.地下室里有他们贮藏的食物。
• How many curios do you hoard in your study?你在你书房里聚藏了多少古玩？

2 hoards   

n.（钱财、食物或其他珍贵物品的）储藏，积存( hoard的名词复数 )v.积蓄并储藏（某物）( hoard的第三人称单数 )

参考例句：

• She hoards her money - she never spends it. 她积蓄钱，但从来不花钱。 来自辞典例句
• A squirrel hoards nuts for the winter. 松鼠为过冬贮藏坚果。 来自辞典例句

3 excavating   

v.挖掘( excavate的现在分词 )；开凿；挖出；发掘

参考例句：

• A bulldozer was employed for excavating the foundations of the building. 推土机用来给楼房挖地基。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• A new Danish expedition is again excavating the site in annual summer digs. 一支新的丹麦探险队又在那个遗址上进行一年一度的夏季挖掘。 来自辞典例句

4 bracelets   

n.手镯，臂镯( bracelet的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• The lamplight struck a gleam from her bracelets. 她的手镯在灯光的照射下闪闪发亮。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• On display are earrings, necklaces and bracelets made from jade, amber and amethyst. 展出的有用玉石、琥珀和紫水晶做的耳环、项链和手镯。 来自《简明英汉词典》

5 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。

6 appeasement   

n.平息，满足

参考例句：

• Music is an appeasement to shattered nerves. 音乐可抚慰受重创的神经。
• There can be no appeasement with ruthlessness. 对残暴行为是不能姑息的。 来自演讲部分

7 ornaments   

n.装饰( ornament的名词复数 )；点缀；装饰品；首饰v.装饰，点缀，美化( ornament的第三人称单数 )

参考例句：

• The shelves were chock-a-block with ornaments. 架子上堆满了装饰品。
• Playing the piano sets up resonance in those glass ornaments. 一弹钢琴那些玻璃饰物就会产生共振。 来自《简明英汉词典》

8 elite   

n.精英阶层；实力集团；adj.杰出的，卓越的

参考例句：

• The power elite inside the government is controlling foreign policy.政府内部的一群握有实权的精英控制着对外政策。
• We have a political elite in this country.我们国家有一群政治精英。

9 adorned   

[计]被修饰的

参考例句：

• The walls were adorned with paintings. 墙上装饰了绘画。
• And his coat was adorned with a flamboyant bunch of flowers. 他的外套上面装饰着一束艳丽刺目的鲜花。

10 unearthed   

出土的（考古）

参考例句：

• Many unearthed cultural relics are set forth in the exhibition hall. 展览馆里陈列着许多出土文物。
• Some utensils were in a state of decay when they were unearthed. 有些器皿在出土时已经残破。