VOA标准英语2010年-Archaeologists Discover Most Valuable

Excavations² at Tel Kedesh, Israel, under the auspices³ of the University of Michigan and University of Minnesota, have discovered a gold coin which is the oldest to date in the country. Scientists believe it was minted in Alexandria around 191 BC and bears the name of Arsino? II Philadephus, the wife of Ptolemy II Philadephus

Archaeologists working in northern Israel say they have unearthed⁴ the heaviest and most valuable gold coin ever found in the country. The 2,200-year-old coin is thought to have been minted by the ancient Egyptian ruler Ptolemy V.  It was uncovered at Tel Kedesh, near the border with Lebanon. Scientists say it was minted in Alexandria around 191 BC and bears the name of Arsino? II Philadephus, the wife of Ptolemy II Philadephus.

Arsino? II was married at age 15 to one of Alexander the Great's generals, Lysimachus, the king of Thrace.  After Lysimachus' death she married her brother, Ptolemy II, who established a cult⁵ in her honor.

 Donald T. Ariel, head of the coin department at the Israel Antiquities⁶ Authority, told the Associated Press this coin is only the second Ptolemaic coin ever found in Israel.  "It must have been equivalent to half a year or a year's salary in one coin," Ariel says.

Ariel notes the coin has ceremonial or symbolic⁷ significance and was probably meant to be used in a temple dedicated⁸ to Queen Arison?.  He adds that although the inscription⁹ on the coin identifies the queen as Arsino? Philadelphus, sometimes coins from this era actually depict¹⁰ cryptic¹¹ portraits of the reigning¹² queens. That would mean the woman represented on the Tel Kedesh coin may actually be Cleopatra I, daughter of Antiochus III, whose marriage to Ptolemy V in 193 BC sealed the formal end of the Fifth Syrian War.

A map showing the approximate location of Tel Kedesh, where the Ptolemaic coin was found

The excavations at Tel Kedesh are under the auspices of the University of Michigan and University of Minnesota.  Since the digging started in 1997, workers have uncovered a large Persian-Hellenistic administrative¹³ building, complete with reception halls, dining facilities, store rooms and an archive.

Sharon Herbert, Director of the Kelsey Museum in Michigan and one of the directors of the excavation¹, says finding this type of coin is extremely rare, particularly because it is gold.

Andrea Berlin of Boston University is a co-director of the dig at Tel Kedesh. She says the coin could represent a ceremonial gift between the ancient Egyptian empire and the Seleucids of Syria.

"What this really had to have commemorated¹⁴ was not just something official and ceremonial but also deeply political because hegemony of the region we now know of today as Israel, Jordan, and Lebanon all transferred from Egyptian hegemony to Syrian hegemony," Berlin says.

Sharon Herbert says it is no coincidence that the region around Tel Kedesh continues to be a site of conflict, including a clash between Israeli troops and Lebanese soldiers when Israel cut a tree in Lebanese territory.

"Some things never change," Herbert says, "this is a border area.  It was a border area under the Egyptian pharaohs; it was a border area in Hellenistic Greece. It's a border area today. Its fate is to pass back and forth¹⁵ among stronger kingdoms."

Sharon Herbert says her team is going to spend the next three years cataloging and publishing a book about their work on the building at Tel Kedesh. The digging has stopped for now, but Herbert says her team plans to return to the site once their work is published.

1 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。

2 excavations   

n.挖掘( excavation的名词复数 )；开凿；开凿的洞穴（或山路等）；（发掘出来的）古迹

参考例句：

• The excavations are open to the public. 发掘现场对公众开放。
• This year's excavations may reveal ancient artifacts. 今年的挖掘可能会发现史前古器物。 来自辞典例句

3 auspices   

n.资助，赞助

参考例句：

• The association is under the auspices of Word Bank.这个组织是在世界银行的赞助下办的。
• The examination was held under the auspices of the government.这次考试是由政府主办的。

4 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。

5 cult   

n.异教，邪教；时尚，狂热的崇拜

参考例句：

• Her books aren't bestsellers,but they have a certain cult following.她的书算不上畅销书，但有一定的崇拜者。
• The cult of sun worship is probably the most primitive one.太阳崇拜仪式或许是最为原始的一种。

6 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

7 symbolic   

adj.象征性的，符号的，象征主义的

参考例句：

• It is symbolic of the fighting spirit of modern womanhood.它象征着现代妇女的战斗精神。
• The Christian ceremony of baptism is a symbolic act.基督教的洗礼仪式是一种象征性的做法。

8 dedicated   

adj.一心一意的；献身的；热诚的

参考例句：

• He dedicated his life to the cause of education.他献身于教育事业。
• His whole energies are dedicated to improve the design.他的全部精力都放在改进这项设计上了。

9 inscription   

n.（尤指石块上的）刻印文字，铭文，碑文

参考例句：

• The inscription has worn away and can no longer be read.铭文已磨损，无法辨认了。
• He chiselled an inscription on the marble.他在大理石上刻碑文。

10 depict   

vt.描画，描绘；描写，描述

参考例句：

• I don't care to see plays or films that depict murders or violence.我不喜欢看描写谋杀或暴力的戏剧或电影。
• Children's books often depict farmyard animals as gentle,lovable creatures.儿童图书常常把农场的动物描写得温和而可爱。

11 cryptic   

adj.秘密的，神秘的，含义模糊的

参考例句：

• She made a cryptic comment about how the film mirrored her life.她隐晦地表示说这部电影是她人生的写照。
• The new insurance policy is written without cryptic or mysterious terms.新的保险单在编写时没有隐秘条款或秘密条款。

12 reigning   

adj.统治的，起支配作用的

参考例句：

• The sky was dark, stars were twinkling high above, night was reigning, and everything was sunk in silken silence. 天很黑，星很繁，夜阑人静。
• Led by Huang Chao, they brought down the reigning house after 300 years' rule. 在黄巢的带领下，他们推翻了统治了三百年的王朝。

13 administrative   

adj.行政的，管理的

参考例句：

• The administrative burden must be lifted from local government.必须解除地方政府的行政负担。
• He regarded all these administrative details as beneath his notice.他认为行政管理上的这些琐事都不值一顾。

14 commemorated   

v.纪念，庆祝( commemorate的过去式和过去分词 )

参考例句：

• Lincoln commemorated the soldiers killed in the battle in his address. 林肯在演说中表扬阵亡将士。 来自辞典例句
• You'll be commemorated for killing a spy, and be specially discharged. 你们每杀一个间谍将会被记录到特殊档案。 来自电影对白

15 forth   

adv.向前；向外，往外

参考例句：

• The wind moved the trees gently back and forth.风吹得树轻轻地来回摇晃。
• He gave forth a series of works in rapid succession.他很快连续发表了一系列的作品。