8,000 Years of London History Discovered Underground

The Crossrail project, an underground railway tunnel, is designed to reduce traffic in London.But the project has also provided Britain’s capital city with a view into its 8,000-year-old history.
交叉铁路轨道工程（一种地铁）旨在缓解伦敦交通压力。不过，该工程还让英国首都目睹了自己8000年的历史。
Jackie Keily is the curator of “The Archaeology of Crossrail” exhibition at the Museum of London Docklands. She says, “The great thing about the Crossrail project is that it’s allowed us to basically sort of take a slice through London.”
杰基·凯利是伦敦道克兰博物馆“交叉铁路考古学”展览馆的馆长。她称，“交叉铁路工程最伟大之处在于，它让我们大体上了解了伦敦。”
The underground project to connect Heathrow airport to the financial district has unearthed over 10,000 artifacts.One of the highlights, Keily says, is a bronze medallion dating from the year 245 AD. During this time, southern Britain was ruled by the Romans.
这项连接希斯罗机场与金融区的地下铁路工程，采掘到了10000多种史前古器物。凯利称，最精彩的是发现了公元245年的铜章。那个时期，罗马人统治了英国南部。
“It’s a medallion that would have been given by the emperor to a high-ranking official, probably in Rome.And it’s quite fascinating that it’s travelled right across the Empire to be here in London.”
“这个铜章可能是罗马皇帝赐给高官的。最吸引人的是，这个铜章居然从罗马帝国来到了伦敦。”
Another interesting find are Roman “hipposandals.”These are metal shoes for pack animals. They were used for animals, such as oxen or horses, as they moved goods around the rain-covered streets of early-day London.
发现的另一件有趣物品是罗马的“马凉鞋。”这种鞋是驮兽穿的金属鞋。伦敦早年，牛或马等动物在被雨淋湿的大街上搬运货物时会穿这种鞋。
Hundreds of human skulls were also found beneath what is now the financial district of London. Did they belong to the losers of gladiator battles at the nearby Roman amphitheater?
伦敦金融区地下也发现了数百个人类头骨。这些人是不是古罗马剧场附近角斗士竞争的失败者？
One very unusual artifact was a skeleton of a woman with her head removed and placed between her leg bones.It is displayed as it was found, buried beneath what is now Liverpool Street station.
一件极不寻常的古物是一名妇女的骨架，她的头放在了腿骨旁。她埋葬了现在的利物浦街车站下面，如今也展览在了这个地方。
The Crossrail also travels through several graveyards, many dating to major disease outbreaks, like the Black Death’ plague of 1348.An estimated 1.5 million people died across Britain because of the plague.
交叉铁路轨道还穿过许多墓地，这些墓地很多还可以追溯到重大疫情爆发的时期，比如1348年的黑死病瘟疫。整个英国死于这场瘟疫的人预估有150万。
There are also lighter aspects of London life on display. A bowling ball was found in the moat of a sixteenth century house.Hundreds of leather shoes have also been unearthed.These are around 500 years old.
展出的史前古器物中，也有很多与伦敦轻松愉悦的伦敦生活有关。16世纪的一间住宅的壕沟里发现了保龄球。出土的还有数百只皮鞋。它们也大概500岁了。
According to Keily, the shoes connect people, in a way, to people in the past.
凯利称，在某种程度上，这些鞋将现在的人与过去的人联系在了一起。
“The earlier shoe at the very bottom has got this really long, elongated, pointed toe.Whereas the ones above are much more like the ones we imagine Henry the Eighth wearing, they’ve got these broad toes.So very fashionable kind of shoes that Londoners were wearing.”
“最下面是早期的鞋，有又长又尖的脚趾。然而，上面这些鞋非常像亨利八世穿的，它们有宽宽的脚趾。因此，伦敦人当时穿的鞋还是很时尚的。”
Despite the detailed archaeological work, construction of Crossrail remains on schedule. The first trains will take passengers through these tunnels in late 2018.
尽管考古工作复杂，但建设交叉铁路轨道工程依旧按时进行。2018年末，第一辆火车将载着乘客穿过这些地道。
I’m Phil Dierking.
菲尔·迪尔金为您报道。