帕米尔拉的状况可能比预期中好

AS IT IS 2016-04-01 Palmyra May Be in Better Condition Than Expected 帕米尔拉的状况可能比预期中好

When the Islamic State militants¹ blew up the Temple of Bel in the ancient city of Palmyra in August 2015, experts feared they would destroy many important artifacts from the first century.

UNESCO considered the 2,000-year-old temple one of the most important buildings of the World Heritage ancient city. The UN called the destruction of the ancient temples and tombs in Palmyra a war crime.

Syrian forces, backed by Russian airstrikes, took back control of Palmyra. Now that the city is open, experts say the artifacts are in better shape than many predicted. They say up to 80 percent of the ancient ruins in Palmyra have survived.

Maamoun Abdulkarim is the Syrian antiquities² director. He was able to investigate the 2,000-year-old ruins for the first time after Syrian forces recaptured the city in late March. The Islamic State militants held the ancient city for about 10 months

He said many artifacts, columns, arches and statues have survived. But there is damage to surrounding streets, baths and fences. The faces of some statues were chiseled⁴ away.

Abdulkarim and a group of experts are looking to restore the ancient structures. He said to Al-Jazeera, "We know the area centimeter-by-centimeter - all we need is the help of the international community."

Looking for international help

In Italy, a former culture minister, Francesco Rutelli, said the artifacts could be restored using three-dimensional, or 3-D, printing. The technology can help re-create damaged structures.

Roger Michel is an American expert from the Institute for Digital Archaeology⁵ in Great Britain. Michel promised that he would show a Temple of Bel arch recreated from a 3-D printing in April.

?Michel said to The Guardian⁶, “my intention is to show Islamic State that anything they can blow up we can rebuild exactly as it was before, and rebuild it again and again.”

Michel explained that 3-D printing can use the same combination of materials – sand, water and sodium⁷ bicarbonate – that ancient builders used to build the temple. It can even use dust left over from buildings destroyed by IS.

One problem the experts will face is the lack of detailed⁸ source material like 3-D images. But they say some of the information can come from two-dimensional photographs.

There is already some video shot by drones and photographs made by satellites. But many of the sites are not yet accessible because of land mines and traps left by IS fighters.

Amr Al Azm is a Middle East History and anthropology⁹ professor in Ohio and used to work for the antiquities department in Syria. He sees a difficult task ahead.

“The Arch of the Triumph — may be repairable because there is more of it left, lying around close by. The Temple of Bel is going to be far more challenging,” he said.

Words in This Story

temple – n. a place for prayer

tomb – n. a burial place

restoration – n. the act or process of returning something to its original condition by repairing it, cleaning it, etc.

drone – n. an aircraft without a pilot on board

dimension – n. the length, width, height, or depth of something : a measurement in one direction (such as the distance from the ceiling to the floor in a room)

chisel³ – v. to cut or shape (something) with a chisel

1 militants   

激进分子，好斗分子( militant的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• The militants have been sporadically fighting the government for years. 几年来，反叛分子一直对政府实施零星的战斗。
• Despite the onslaught, Palestinian militants managed to fire off rockets. 尽管如此，巴勒斯坦的激进分子仍然发射导弹。

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 chisel   

n.凿子；v.用凿子刻，雕，凿

参考例句：

• This chisel is useful for getting into awkward spaces.这凿子在要伸入到犄角儿里时十分有用。
• Camille used a hammer and chisel to carve out a figure from the marble.卡米尔用锤子和凿子将大理石雕刻出一个人像。

4 chiseled   

adj.凿刻的，轮廓分明的v.凿，雕，镌( chisel的过去式 )

参考例句：

• Woltz had chiseled the guy, given him peanuts for the book. 乌尔茨敲了这个作家的竹杠，用了他的书，却只给微不足道的一点点钱。 来自教父部分
• He chiseled the piece of wood into the shape of a head. 他把这块木头凿刻成人头的形状。 来自辞典例句

5 archaeology   

n.考古学

参考例句：

• She teaches archaeology at the university.她在大学里教考古学。
• He displayed interest in archaeology.他对考古学有兴趣。

6 guardian   

n.监护人；守卫者，保护者

参考例句：

• The form must be signed by the child's parents or guardian. 这张表格须由孩子的家长或监护人签字。
• The press is a guardian of the public weal. 报刊是公共福利的卫护者。

7 sodium   

n.（化）钠

参考例句：

• Out over the town the sodium lights were lit.在外面，全城的钠光灯都亮了。
• Common salt is a compound of sodium and chlorine.食盐是钠和氯的复合物。

8 detailed   

adj.详细的，详尽的，极注意细节的，完全的

参考例句：

• He had made a detailed study of the terrain.他对地形作了缜密的研究。
• A detailed list of our publications is available on request.我们的出版物有一份详细的目录备索。

9 anthropology   

n.人类学

参考例句：

• I believe he has started reading up anthropology.我相信他已开始深入研究人类学。
• Social anthropology is centrally concerned with the diversity of culture.社会人类学主要关于文化多样性。