VOA慢速英语--研究人员研究沙特阿拉伯的古代王国

Researchers Study Ancient Kingdoms in Saudi Arabia

In northwest Saudi Arabia, archaeologists are working to dig up the remains¹ of the ancient and long-forgotten kingdoms of Dadan and Lihyan.

The remains of these kingdoms are in Al Ula, a place known mainly for the tombs of Madain Saleh, a 2,000-year-old city carved into rocks by the Nabateans. The Nabateans were a pre-Islamic Arab people who also built Petra in Jordan.

A team of French and Saudi archaeologists is now digging at five nearby areas related to the Dadanite and Lihyanite civilizations. These were important powers some 2,000 years ago.

Abdulrahman Al-Sohaibani co-leads the Dadan archaeological mission. He said, "It's a project that really tries to unlock the mysteries of (these) civilizations." In this case, unlock is a term that means to find out about something that was unknown.

The Royal Commission for the project notes that Dadan appears in the Bible's Old Testament². The Lihyanite kingdom was one of the largest of its time. It went from Medina in the south to Aqaba in the north.

Lasting³ nearly 900 years, the two kingdoms controlled important trade routes. But very little is known about them. The team is hoping to learn more about their religion, social life and economy.

Jerome Rohmer is a researcher with the French National Center for Scientific Research. Rohmer noted⁴ that previous digs had been limited to a smaller area around the tombs. He added that researchers would like to do a more complete study of the history of the area and "its material culture, its economy."

In Crown Prince Mohammed bin⁵ Salman's push to change Saudi Arabia's economy and society, Al-Ula has gained recognition. The kingdom is hoping for international visitors as it tries to open up to the world and diversify⁶ its economy away from oil.

Al-Ula's development is part of a move to preserve pre-Islamic areas in order to draw in non-Muslim tourists and strengthen national identity.

Words in This Story

kingdom -- n. a country whose ruler is a king or queen

tomb – n. a building or chamber⁷ above or below the ground in which a dead body is kept

carve -- v. to make (something, such as a sculpture or design) by cutting off pieces of the material it is made of

route -- n. a way that someone or something regularly travels along

diversify -- v. to change (something) so that it has more different kinds of people or things

preserve – v. to keep (something) in its original state or in good condition

1 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。

2 testament   

n.遗嘱；证明

参考例句：

• This is his last will and testament.这是他的遗愿和遗嘱。
• It is a testament to the power of political mythology.这说明，编造政治神话可以产生多大的威力。

3 lasting   

adj.永久的，永恒的；vbl.持续，维持

参考例句：

• The lasting war debased the value of the dollar.持久的战争使美元贬值。
• We hope for a lasting settlement of all these troubles.我们希望这些纠纷能获得永久的解决。

4 noted   

adj.著名的，知名的

参考例句：

• The local hotel is noted for its good table.当地的那家酒店以餐食精美而著称。
• Jim is noted for arriving late for work.吉姆上班迟到出了名。

5 bin   

n.箱柜；vt.放入箱内；[计算机] DOS文件名:二进制目标文件

参考例句：

• He emptied several bags of rice into a bin.他把几袋米倒进大箱里。
• He threw the empty bottles in the bin.他把空瓶子扔进垃圾箱。

6 diversify   

v.（使）不同，（使）变得多样化

参考例句：

• Our company is trying to diversify.我们公司正力图往多样化方面发展。
• Hills and woods diversify the landscape.山陵和树木点缀景色。

7 chamber   

n.房间，寝室；会议厅；议院；会所

参考例句：

• For many,the dentist's surgery remains a torture chamber.对许多人来说，牙医的治疗室一直是间受刑室。
• The chamber was ablaze with light.会议厅里灯火辉煌。