埃及古城"迷失珍宝"重现天日

Enormous statues, golden jewellery andhieroglyphic tablets which were feared lost foreverhave been reclaimed from the sea, and are to be puton public display next year in a major exhibition bythe British Museum.

巨大雕像、黄金珠宝以及象形文字碑，这些消失在历史长河中的文物终于从海底世界重现。2016年这些文物将于大英博物馆向公众展出。

The treasures belong to Heracleion and Canopus,cities built on the shifting ground of the Nile delta,which are now buried beneath three metres of silt.Ancient texts record the existence of the settlements, which were the gateway to Egypt beforeAlexandria rose to prominence. But the two trading hubs were lost - literally - to the sands oftime until a chance discovery in 1996.

这些珍宝都属于赫拉克利翁和坎诺浦斯两座古城，这两座古城曾建于尼罗河三角洲地区，现在被埋在3米多深的淤泥之下。古代文献中有关于亚历山大时期前这两座通往埃及城市的记载，随后这两个贸易中心消失，直到1996年才被发现。

Divers in the mouth of the Nile unearthed the treasures, and have spent almost two decadessince painstakingly dredging them out of the deep. Highlights of the collection include a 1.9mheirogylphic tablet inscribed with a royal declaration from Pharaoh Nectanebo I and a 5.4mstatue of Hapy, an Egyptian god who personifies the Nile’s floods.

潜水员在尼罗河河口发现了这些珍宝，经过20多年艰苦打捞，终于将他们从深海淤泥中重现于世。其中引人注目的文物包括一版1.9米高的象形文字碑和一尊高达5.4米的尼罗河神雕像。

The slab, which is 1.9m tall, will be one of the treasures on display at an upcoming BritishMuseum exhibition of underwater treasures. It is inscribed with the decree of i, which levied atax on imports from Greece

其中1.9米高的象形文字碑，即将在大英博物馆展出的水下珍宝之一，上面刻有当时从希腊进口关税的法令条文。

A diver secures a 5.4m statue of Hapy, a divine personification of the Nile floods, to be liftedout of the waters. The colossal red granite carving will one of the exhibition’s centrepieces. Thesix-tonne statue, which dates to the 4th Century BC is the largest known example of a Hapystatue. The thick silt which covered most of the reclaimed artefacts helped preserve them fromcenturies of decay.

一尊高达5.4米的尼罗河神雕像也异常引人注目，潜水员对其进行固定，以便打捞工作的开展。这一巨大的红色花岗岩雕塑也将在展览中展出，雕像重达6吨，可追溯至公元前4世纪，是目前已知最大的神像雕塑。千百年来，海底的厚淤泥对这些文物起到了很好的保护作用，防止其被侵蚀。

The exhibition, called Sunken Cities: Egypt’s Lost World, will run from May to November nextyear. It will combine items from the Museum’s own archives with items on special loan fromEgyptian authorities, who rarely let the artefacts leave their country.

此次展览名为“沉没城市：埃及的迷失世界”，将从2016年5月开始，持续到11月。展品部分将来自大英博物馆的收藏，也有藏品将从埃及当局和博物馆借来，此前埃及鲜有藏品借出。

Around 300 items will be put on display, most of which were pulled from the sunken ruins. Theexhibition will focus on the mingling of cultures in the Nile delta cities, particularly theinteraction between Egypt and Ancient Greece. Other treasures on display will include astatue of Arsinoe II, a queen in the Ptolemaic dynasty which was founded after Alexander theGreat conquered the country.

大约有300多件藏品参展，其中多数是从沉没废墟中打捞出来的。此次展览将重点体现尼罗河地区的文化融合，尤其是希腊和古埃及文化的融合。其他参展藏品包括阿尔西诺伊二世的雕像，亚历山大大帝征服埃及后打造的托勒密王朝女王雕像。