纪录片《大英博物馆世界简史》 014玉斧（5）

Because, again in the 1970s, a lot of geologists had said...oh...that they would just have used blocks of jadeite or jadetite that had been washed down the mountains in the rivers and in the glacial moraines.

二十世纪七十年代，很多地质学家都认为斧头制作者使用了被溪流与冰河从高山上冲刷下来的玉石块。

But that's not the case.

但事实并非如此。

So, by going much higher up, between 1,800 and 2,400 metres above sea level, they found the chipping floors and the actual source material-with signs of it having been used.

我们爬到更高处，在海拔1800到2400米的地方发现了凿劈石头的场地以及玉石的确切来源，那里还留有人类使用过的痕迹。

"And, in some cases, the raw material exists as very large blocks, isolated blocks in the landscape, and it's quite clear that these were exploited by setting fire against them, and then they would be able to knock off large thermal flakes and then work those up.

有些单独放置的很大的石块明显经过火烧，这是为了让工匠们敲下大块的石片进行加工。

So the sign that's left on the stone, it's a slightly hollow area-a scar as it were-then there are a large number of chips beneath that."

因此，石块上的微微凹陷其实是人类加工的痕迹，下方还有大量的碎片。

By using a scientific technique developed by astronomers, the geological signature of any piece of jade can be precisely identified and matched.

每一块玉石的地质特征都可以进行精确的辨认与比对。

The Petrequins found that the British Museum axe could be confidently linked to the Italian Alps.

彼得勒坎夫妇不止确证了大英博物馆的这把玉斧来自意大利的阿尔卑斯山，

Indeed the readings of the geological signatures not only matched the mountain, but they did so with such accuracy that the very boulder that the axe came from could be identified.

还能根据地质特征准确辨认出它来自哪块石头。

And even more extraordinary, Pierre Petrequin was able to track down a geological sibling for our axe - another jade beauty found in Dorset. Here he is again:

更不可思议的是，他们还找到了我们这把斧头的亲戚，出土于多塞特郡的另一件美丽玉器：

"And in some cases it's possible to say that this particular axe head here is from the same block of raw material as the other one.

坎特伯雷斧头与多塞特斧头的原料来自同一块石头。