Stonehenge[理工类职称英语教材]
Stonehenge,the mysterious ring of ancient monoliths from the dawn of Britain’s proud civilization,could be the work of a central European immigrant,archaeologists said not long ago in a shock statement.An early Bronze Age archer,whose grave was discovered near the stone circle1 last year,may have helped build the monument. 1 .Or he might have brought up in a region neighboring Switzerland,such as southern Germany or western Austria.
The archer“would have been a very important person in the Stonehenge area,”said Andrew Fitzpatrick,Wessex Archaeology’s project manager.“It is fascinating to think that someone from abroad could have played an important part in the construction of Britain’s most famous archaeological site.”
The 4,000-year-old man was identified as an archer because of the flint arrowheads2found by his body,along with other artifacts belonging to the Beaker Culture3 in the Alps during the Bronze Age. 2 Though it could be coincidence that the man lived close to Stonehenge at about the time the great stones were put in place4,archaeologists suspect that he was involved in constructing the monument.The archer,dubbed“The King of Stonehenge”by the British press,1ived around 2300 B.C.,about the time the great stone circle was formed in Amesbury,120 kilometers southwest of London.
The splendid artifacts found in his grave indicated he was a man of wealth,leading archaeologists to speculate he was an important dignitary involved in the monument’s creation.Stonehenge was built about the time the rich Beaker Culture came to Britain. 3
4 He was strongly built but suffered an accident a few years before his death that severed his left knee cap5.Truman said the cause of death was not known,but it could have been a bone infection caused by his leg injury.
Archaeologists also found the grave of a younger man,aged 20 to 25,nearby. 5 This indicated they were related and were possibly father and son.Tests on the younger man’s tooth enamel showed that he grew up in Britain.The archaeologists thus speculated the archer lived in Britain for many years and had a family,and was not just passing through6.
词汇：
Stonehenge n.(英格兰南部)巨石阵 Alps 阿尔卑斯山
monolith n.独块巨石 Germany 德国
bronze n.青铜 Austria 奥地利
archer n.射手 dignitary n.高贵的人物
Switzerland 瑞士 Celtic adj.凯尔特人的
flint n.燧石 dub v.把……称为
artifact n.史前古器物 sever v.截断,切割
Beaker Culture(青铜器时代)宽口 |
