VOA文化艺术2022--大英博物馆历代探索巨石阵

British Museum Explores Stonehenge through the Ages

A new show at the British Museum in London explores the mystery of Stonehenge, the famous ancient circle of stones in southern England.

The huge stones are believed to have been put in place between 5,000 and 3,500 years ago. The purpose of the circle is still debated. Was Stonehenge meant as a sun dial, a burial ground, a memorial or something else?

Neil Wilkin is the lead curator of the show called The World of Stonehenge. "We all feel we know Stonehenge," he said. "We visit as schoolchildren or bring our kids to see it. But often we don't know much, or feel like we don't know much, about the world, the people who built the monument and who came to worship at the monument."

The World of Stonehenge exhibition brings together more than 430 objects from across Europe to explore the monument's creators and their world. It was a time of radical¹ change that saw technological² developments, major migrations⁴ and social change.

The people who built the first part of Stonehenge — with stones moved 250 kilometers from Wales — were followed by Bronze Age farmers, traders and warriors⁵ who were connected to continental⁶ Europe.

At first, Stonehenge was a cemetery⁷. It holds the burned remains⁸ of up to 200 men, women and children.

Wilkin said, "People often ask, is it like the Pyramids? But there's no pharaoh in the middle of this monument."

Later, the first bluestones were placed in a ring of 4-meter-tall standing⁹ stones with lintels across their tops. Much of that structure still stands. Wilkin said the monument became a place for honoring ancestors and for ceremonies.

One of the very first objects visitors to the show see is an ancient cup shaped to look like Stonehenge.

"It's almost like a prehistoric¹⁰ souvenir," said project curator Jennifer Wexler.

There are many other interesting images in the exhibition, from a wall covered in Neolithic¹¹ stone cutting tools to finely made gold hats and jewelry¹².

Stonehenge was not the only circular "henge" monument built in ancient Britain. The British Museum show also looks at Seahenge, a circle of wood posts put up 4,000 years ago. The structure was uncovered by the waves on an English beach in 1998.

Like Stonehenge, it is believed to have been lined up with the sun, which was central to the lives and beliefs of these ancient people. Experts say Stonehenge is lined up with sunrise and sunset, respectively, at the summer and winter solstices. Those are the days with the most and the least daylight of the year.

The show's starring piece is a 3,600-year-old Nebra Sky Disc, a bronze circle with gold signs representing the sun, moon and stars. It is believed to be the oldest surviving map of the sky. The disc was found in 1999 in eastern Germany, but the gold comes from Cornwall in southwest England.

"There is a really large amount of mobility¹³ and migration³ at this time." Wilkin said.

In time, that mobility pushed out the Stone Age culture that built Stonehenge. Metalworking immigrants from Europe brought social and technological change.

Metal meant people could carry important symbols with them, lessening¹⁴ the need for stone monuments like Stonehenge. Wilkin said the show aims to demonstrate the human side of the change from the Neolithic era to the Bronze Age.

"We've known about that as a technological change," he said. "But what we've been able to do in the show, I think, is to show that it had a big impact on people's beliefs, and how they saw their identities."

Words in This Story

curator –n. a person who is in charge of a museum or a similar organization

worship –v. to show respect and love for God or for a god especially by praying, having religious services

cemetery –n. a place where dead people are buried

pharaoh –n. a ruler of ancient Egypt

lintel –n. a piece of wood or stone that lies across the top of a door or window and holds the weight of the structure above it

souvenir –n. something that is kept as a reminder¹⁵ of a place you have visited, an event you have been to

mobility –n. the ability to move or in place or in society

impact –n. influence; the ability to affect something

1 radical   

n.激进份子，原子团，根号；adj.根本的，激进的，彻底的

参考例句：

• The patient got a radical cure in the hospital.病人在医院得到了根治。
• She is radical in her demands.她的要求十分偏激。

2 technological   

adj.技术的；工艺的

参考例句：

• A successful company must keep up with the pace of technological change.一家成功的公司必须得跟上技术变革的步伐。
• Today,the pace of life is increasing with technological advancements.当今， 随着科技进步，生活节奏不断增快。

3 migration   

n.迁移，移居，（鸟类等的）迁徙

参考例句：

• Swallows begin their migration south in autumn.燕子在秋季开始向南方迁移。
• He described the vernal migration of birds in detail.他详细地描述了鸟的春季移居。

4 migrations   

n.迁移，移居( migration的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• It foundered during the turmoils accompanying the Great Migrations. 它在随着民族大迁徙而出现的混乱中崩溃。 来自辞典例句
• Birds also have built-in timepieces which send them off on fall and spring migrations. 鸟类也有天生的时间感应器指导它们秋春迁移。 来自互联网

5 warriors   

武士，勇士，战士( warrior的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• I like reading the stories ofancient warriors. 我喜欢读有关古代武士的故事。
• The warriors speared the man to death. 武士们把那个男子戳死了。

6 continental   

adj.大陆的，大陆性的，欧洲大陆的

参考例句：

• A continental climate is different from an insular one.大陆性气候不同于岛屿气候。
• The most ancient parts of the continental crust are 4000 million years old.大陆地壳最古老的部分有40亿年历史。

7 cemetery   

n.坟墓，墓地，坟场

参考例句：

• He was buried in the cemetery.他被葬在公墓。
• His remains were interred in the cemetery.他的遗体葬在墓地。

8 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。

9 standing   

n.持续，地位；adj.永久的，不动的，直立的，不流动的

参考例句：

• After the earthquake only a few houses were left standing.地震过后只有几幢房屋还立着。
• They're standing out against any change in the law.他们坚决反对对法律做任何修改。

10 prehistoric   

adj.（有记载的）历史以前的，史前的，古老的

参考例句：

• They have found prehistoric remains.他们发现了史前遗迹。
• It was rather like an exhibition of prehistoric electronic equipment.这儿倒像是在展览古老的电子设备。

11 neolithic   

adj.新石器时代的

参考例句：

• Cattle were first domesticated in Neolithic times.新石器时代有人开始驯养牛。
• The monument was Stone Age or Neolithic.该纪念碑是属于石器时代或新石器时代的。

12 jewelry   

n.（jewllery）（总称）珠宝

参考例句：

• The burglars walked off with all my jewelry.夜盗偷走了我的全部珠宝。
• Jewelry and lace are mostly feminine belongings.珠宝和花边多数是女性用品。

13 mobility   

n.可动性，变动性，情感不定

参考例句：

• The difference in regional house prices acts as an obstacle to mobility of labour.不同地区房价的差异阻碍了劳动力的流动。
• Mobility is very important in guerrilla warfare.机动性在游击战中至关重要。

14 lessening   

减轻，减少，变小

参考例句：

• So however much he earned, she spent it, her demands growing and lessening with his income. 祥子挣多少，她花多少，她的要求随着他的钱涨落。 来自汉英文学 - 骆驼祥子
• The talks have resulted in a lessening of suspicion. 谈话消减了彼此的怀疑。

15 reminder   

n.提醒物，纪念品；暗示，提示

参考例句：

• I have had another reminder from the library.我又收到图书馆的催还单。
• It always took a final reminder to get her to pay her share of the rent.总是得发给她一份最后催缴通知，她才付应该交的房租。