【英翻】两千年前色雷斯战车背后的故事

来源：Live Science

作者：Owen Jarus

时间：2017年10月13日

翻译：Amy

校对：闰土

整理：曲清

链接：https://www./60678-thracian-chariot-on-reddit-explained.html

考古学家在保加利亚发掘出这架距今约2000年的木质战车，与其同时出土的还有两匹马和一条狗的遗骸，以及一具古代色雷斯贵族的骨骸。（摄影：UBB/Veselin Ignatov）

 

10月13日，一张古代色雷斯（Thracian）战车、两匹马和一条狗遗骸的照片迅速地在Reddit论坛上占据头条并获得了65000多个赞。为何这项发现如此振奋人心？和战车埋葬在一起的人又是谁呢？

来自保加利亚新萨加拉历史博物馆（the Istoricheski muzej Nova Zagora）的Veselin Ignatov带领一组考古学家于2008年发掘出这架2000年前的木质战车。战车上包裹了一层铜，上面的装饰可能取材于色雷斯神话故事，但因年代久远已经难以辨认。人们尚无法确定其确切年代，估算约1800年。

2009年，Ignatov和他的队伍在战车出土地点附近找到一座砖结构墓。男性墓主疑似身着铠甲，并附有一些陪葬品，包括金币、金戒指和带有古希腊神祗厄洛斯【1】图案的银杯。墓主可能是一位贵族，甚至有可能是古色雷斯的一名统治者。古代的色雷斯地区即为现在的保加利亚。

像这样的战车墓在保加利亚十分常见。Ignatov在2007年发表《保加利亚考古新闻》杂志（Archaeologia Bulgarica）的一篇论文中写道，贵族与战车一同下葬的习俗在保加利亚似乎于2500年前便已兴起。他还发现，这种习俗在约1500至2100年前的罗马帝国统治时期尤为风行。

虽然罗马帝国统治下的其他地区也偶尔将贵族葬在战车附近，但是Ignatov认为，这种人车同葬的习俗“在色雷斯最流行，并且存在时间最久”。“战车通常代表了声望、权利与权威”，Ignatov这样写道，所以随葬的战车极有可能供墓主在死后生活中享用。

Ignatov认为，拉着战车的战马可能在埋葬的时候已经被杀死。动物祭品（如猪、狗、羊或鹿）会被用作给神灵的贡品，和祭酒（如葡萄酒）一道用来供奉。而战车本身也很有可能在埋葬之前已被拆除或捣毁，Ignatov写道。

Ignatov提到说，因为战车墓在保加利亚十分常见，大多数时候又带有十分贵重的陪葬品，所以盗墓者会想尽办法找到这些墓穴并盗取文物在黑市上售卖。猖獗的盗墓行为迫使保加利亚考古学家争分夺秒，力图在盗墓者前发掘战车墓。

因为考古学家在盗墓者前发掘了战车墓，人们才得以在博物馆里欣赏这些公开展示的文物，并能在Reddit论坛和其他社交网络上看到它们的照片。

 

注释：

【1】厄洛斯（Eros，希腊语：Έρως，欲望的意思）是希腊神话中爱与情欲之神。他在罗马神话中就是人们比较熟悉的爱神丘比特。

原文

The Story Behind That 2,000-Year-Old Thracian Chariot You Saw on Reddit

Photo: This 2,000-year-old wooden chariot was buried alongside the remains of two horses and a dog, as well as the remains of a nobleman from Thrace, in what is now Bulgaria. Credit: UBB/Veselin Ignatov

The photo of an ancient Thracian chariot alongside the bones of two horses and a dog has quickly risen to the top of Reddit today (Oct. 13), with more than 65,000 likes. But what is so exciting about the discovery, and who was buried within the chariot?

A team of archaeologists led by Veselin Ignatov, of the Istoricheski muzej Nova Zagora, a museum in Bulgaria, discovered the 2,000-year-old wooden chariot in 2008. It was covered in bronze and would have been decorated with scenes from Thracian mythology that are now difficult to see. Its exact age is uncertain and may be closer to 1,800 years old.

In 2009, Ignatov and his team also found a brick tomb, containing the remains of a man dressed in what appears to be armor, near the chariot. The man was buried with several items, including gold coins, gold rings and a silver cup showing a depiction of the Greek god Eros (the Roman equivalent was Cupid). He would have been a nobleman or possibly even a ruler who lived in ancient Thrace, in what is now Bulgaria.

Chariot burials like this are commonly found in Bulgaria. The practice of noblemen being buried near chariots seems to have started in Bulgaria about 2,500 years ago, Ignatov wrote in a paper published in 2007 in the journal Archaeologia Bulgarica. He noted that the practice was especially popular during the time of the Roman Empire, which lasted from roughly 2,100 to 1,500 years ago.

Though the people of some other regions of the Roman Empire also sometimes buried their noblemen near chariots, this practice was 'by far most popular and long-standing in Thrace,' Ignatov wrote in the journal article. 'In all cases, the chariots represent prestige, power and authority,' Ignatov wrote, noting that the chariots were probably intended to be used by the deceased in the afterlife.

At the time of the burial, the horses that pulled the chariot likely would have been killed. Animal offerings such as pigs, dogs, sheep and deer would have been made to the gods, along with libations (such as wine), Ignatov wrote. Sometimes, the chariots themselves were dismantled or smashed apart before being buried, Ignatov wrote.

Because chariot burials are common in Bulgaria, and sometimes have rich burial goods, looters try to find them and sell the artifacts on the black market, Ignatov noted. This means that archaeologists in Bulgaria are often racing to discover and excavate chariot burials before looters find and pillage them.

Since the archaeologists excavated this chariot burial before looters got to it, the artifacts can be displayed publicly in a museum, and pictures showing the chariot burial are being shared publicly on Reddit and other forms of social media.