Michael Chugani 褚简宁 - A treasure trove｜又中又英

When I worked in London years ago, I spent the weekends visiting places such as Trafalgar Square, Piccadilly Circus, and Hyde Park. One of the most interesting places I visited was the British Museum. Built in 1753, this museum contains a treasure trove of over eight million historical items that cover two million years of human history. The sculptures, statues, Egyptian mummies, and other things tell the story of human culture from the beginning to the present. A treasure trove is large collection of valuable things. A mummy means mother, but an Egyptian mummy is a dead body that is prevented from decaying with chemicals and wrapped in cloth.

Some of the most popular items in the British Museum are the Parthenon Sculptures, also known as the Elgin Marbles, a collection of classical Greek marble sculptures dating back to the 5th century BC. The letters “BC” mean Before Christ, or the years before the birth of Jesus Christ. AD means the years after the death of Christ. Most items in the British Museum　are looted (stolen) from colonized countries in the British Empire. Greece has for decades demanded the return of the sculptures. A Greek newspaper last week revealed the chairman of the British Museum had secretly discussed with the Greek prime minister to return the sculptures.

Lord Elgin, a British soldier and diplomat, took the Parthenon Sculptures from Athens in the early 19th century. That’s why the sculptures are also called the Elgin Marbles. The British government bought the sculptures in 1816 and put them in the British Museum. The Parthenon Sculptures are part of Greece’s ancient history. Britain should return this looted treasure.
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我多年前在伦敦工作时，会用各个周末去游览不同的地方，例如特拉法加广场、皮卡迪利圆环及海德公园等。其中一个我到访过最有趣的地方是大英博物馆。这间博物馆于一七五三年建成，包含超过八百万件历史文物的宝库（treasure trove），横跨二百万年人类历史。那些雕塑、雕像、埃及木乃伊（Egyptian mummy），还有许多其他物件尽在诉说人类文化自盘古初开至今天的故事。A treasure trove就是汇集大量珍贵物品的宝库。A mummy是妈咪，但Egyptian mummy则是指埃及木乃伊，就是用化学物料防止腐化、以布包裹的尸体。

大英博物馆内其中一样最吸引民众的文物是巴特农石雕，又称为额尔金石雕，它是一组古希腊时期的大理石石雕，年份可追溯至公元前（BC）五世纪。BC是指「主前」Before Christ，耶稣出生前的年份；AD则是「主后」、公元后，耶稣基督死后的年份。大英博物馆大部份的文物都是大英帝国时期从其殖民的国家掠夺（looted）回来的。数十年来，希腊一直要求英国归还石雕。上星期有一份希腊报章披露，大英博物馆主席已秘密跟希腊总理商讨归还石雕事宜。

于十九世纪初，一位英国军人与外交官额尔金伯爵，从雅典取走了巴特农石雕，因此那些雕塑也被称为额尔金大理石雕。英国政府于一八一六年购买了这些石雕，并置藏于大英博物馆内。巴特农石雕是希腊古史的一部份，英国好应归还这件掠夺（looted）得来的宝物。
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中译：七刻
Michael Chugani 褚简宁