The Sanxingdui Ruins site in Sichuan province is generally considered one of most important archaeological sites along the upper reaches of the Yangtze River.
人們普遍認為，四川省三星堆遺址是長江上游最重要的考古遺址之一。

Six pits were newly discovered in the site, according to a news conference in Chengdu on March 20. According to Xinhua, these pits date back 3,200 to 4,000 years and include over 500 artifacts.
據(jù)3月20日成都召開的一場新聞發(fā)布會通報，三星堆遺址新發(fā)現(xiàn)六個“祭祀坑”。據(jù)新華社消息，這些“祭祀坑”可追溯到3200-4000年前，出土文物500余件。

“Thanks to the new discoveries, we’ve basically figured out the layout of the sacrificial zone of the Sanxingdui site,” said Lei Yu, a researcher at the Sichuan Provincial Cultural Relics and Archaeology Research Institute, who heads the ongoing excavation.
“基于此次新發(fā)現(xiàn)，我們已經(jīng)基本掌握了三星堆遺址祭祀?yún)^(qū)的布局，”四川省文物考古研究院研究員、三星堆遺址考古工作站站長雷雨表示。

The about 12-square-kilometer site was discovered in 1929, and major breakthroughs were made in 1986 with the discovery of two pits believed to be for sacrificial ceremonies. The pits were accidentally uncovered by local farmers digging up earth to make bricks.
1929年，這個占地約12平方公里的遺址被發(fā)現(xiàn)，1986年考古工作獲重大突破，發(fā)現(xiàn)兩個疑似祭祀儀式場所的坑。這兩個坑為當(dāng)?shù)剞r(nóng)民燒磚挖土?xí)r意外發(fā)現(xiàn)。

Over 1,000 artifacts were found at that time, including elaborately decorated bronzeware, face masks and “divine trees” – bronze sculptures of trees with their stretching branches.
當(dāng)時，出土文物1000余件，其中包括制作精美的青銅器、面具、枝干遒勁的青銅神樹。

Lei pointed out that there were many similarities among the recently discovered pits and the two found in 1986, in terms of the types of artifacts unearthed. Divine trees and bronze masks were found once again.
雷雨指出，新發(fā)現(xiàn)的坑與1986年發(fā)現(xiàn)的兩個相比，在出土文物種類上存在很多相似之處。神樹和青銅面具再次被發(fā)現(xiàn)。

The recent discoveries further confirm the theory that the pits were used for sacrificial purposes, as many of the items found had been smashed and burned before being buried.
此次新發(fā)現(xiàn)進一步證實了這些坑是用于祭祀的推論，因為發(fā)現(xiàn)很多物品在填埋前已被粉碎和焚燒。

Nevertheless, some new types of artifacts have been unearthed. For example, in the No 3 pit, archaeologists found two square zun jars, a typical ancient Chinese bronze ritual vessel for holding water or wine, according to Lei. Such artifacts were not found in 1986. Some of the bronzeware items have been decorated with dragon and ox patterns.
盡管如此，仍有新種類的文物出土。比如，在3號坑中，考古學(xué)家發(fā)現(xiàn)了兩個方尊，這是典型的中國古代盛水盛酒的青銅禮器，雷雨表示。1986年沒有發(fā)現(xiàn)此類文物。部分青銅器飾有龍、牛圖案。

In the No 6 pit, a 1.5-meter-long and 40-centimeter-wide wooden box covered in cinnabar has brought a new mystery. A plan to open it is still being drafted.
在6號坑中，一個1.5米長，0.4米寬，表面有朱砂痕跡的木箱帶來新謎團。開箱方案仍在起草。

Other important items include decorative gold items in the shape of birds, ivory and bone carvings, silk and cong – a jade artifact originating from the 5,000-year-old World Heritage Site Liangzhu Archaeological Ruins in Zhejiang province, about 1,800 kilometers away.
其他重要文物還包括：鳥形金飾片，象牙及牙雕，絲綢和玉琮。玉琮源自擁有5000年歷史的浙江省良渚古城遺址，該遺址擁有被列入世界遺產(chǎn)名錄，距三星堆遺址1800公里。

“These artifacts show the Sanxingdui site had a close connection with Central China, but it also marks an original ancient civilization (in Sichuan) with strong creativity,” said Chen Xiandan, a member of the project who also took part in the 1986 excavation.
“這些文物顯示了三星堆遺址與中原文化有著密切聯(lián)系，也標(biāo)志著一個極富創(chuàng)造力的（在四川的）原始古老文明，”參與此次及1986年三星堆考古挖掘的成員陳顯丹透露。

以上文章內(nèi)容選自《21世紀(jì)學(xué)生英文報高中版》，詳情請見《21世紀(jì)學(xué)生英文報高中版》高三744期