Egypt unveils 'one of a kind' 4,400-year-old tomb of ancient high priest

埃及揭开了一座4400年前古代大祭司墓的神秘面纱

Egyptian archaeologists have discovered the tomb of a priest decorated with hieroglyphs and statues dating back more than 4,400 years in a pyramid complex.

埃及考古学家在一座金字塔群中发现了一座距今4400多年的祭司墓，墓葬装饰着象形文字和雕像。

The private tomb belonging to 'Wahtye', a high priest who served during the fifth dynasty reign of King Neferirkare, was unearthed today in a buried ridge at the ancient necropolis of Saqqara, south of the capital Cairo.

今日，在开罗南部古老的塞加拉墓地的一处陪葬山脊上，发掘了一座属于“瓦提耶”大祭司的私人墓葬。瓦提耶在古埃及第五王朝尼夫里尔卡尔法老期间任职。

His brightly painted tomb is decorated with scenes showing the royal priest alongside his mother, wife and other members of his family, the Egyptian antiquities ministry said.

It also contains more than a dozen niches and 24 colourful statues of the cleric and members of his family.

埃及文物部称，色彩鲜艳的墓葬展示了这位皇室祭司与母亲、妻子和其他家人在一起的画面。此外还包括十几个壁龛和24座祭司及其家人的彩色雕像。

The tomb dates from the rule of Neferirkare Kakai, the third king of the Fifth Dynasty of the Old Kingdom.

这座古墓可以追溯到古埃及第五王朝的第三位法老尼夫里尔卡尔统治时期。

The 33 ft (ten metres) long, 9.8 ft (three metres) wide tomb has just under three metres high walls which are decorated with hieroglyphs and statues of pharaohs.

这座墓穴长33英尺(10米)，宽9.8英尺(3米)，高不到3米，墙壁上装饰着象形文字和法老雕像。

The tomb was untouched and unlooted, Mostafa Waziri, secretary-general of the Supreme Council of Antiquities, told reporters at the site today.

He described the find as 'one of a kind in the last decades' as the tomb was unique due to the type of statues and its near perfect condition.

埃及最高文物委员会秘书长穆斯塔法•瓦兹瑞今天在现场对记者表示，古墓没有遭到破坏，也没有遭到洗劫。鉴于其雕像类型和近乎完美的保存状态，他认为这一发现是“过去几十年里独一无二的”。

Archaeologists removed a last layer of debris from the tomb on Thursday and found five shafts inside.

周四，考古学家从古墓中移出最后一层残骸，在里面发现了五个竖井。

The tomb has only partially been uncovered and officials expect more discoveries when archaeologists excavate the site further in coming months early next year and even as early as tomorrow.

目前，这座古墓只有部分被发掘。考古学家将在未来几个月进一步挖掘该遗址，预计届时将会有更多发现。

One of the shafts was unsealed with nothing inside, but the other four were sealed.

其中一个竖井没有封住，其余四个都封住了。

Waziri was hopeful about one shaft in particular would reveal more secrets, adding: 'I can imagine that all of the objects can be found in this area.

'This shaft should lead to a coffin or a sarcophagus of the owner of the tomb.

'The colour is almost intact even though the tomb is almost 4,400 years old.'

瓦兹瑞认为有望在其中一个竖井发掘更多的秘密，他补充说:“我可以想象所有的物件都能在这个区域找到。这个竖井应该通向墓主的棺材或石棺。尽管这座坟墓有4400年的历史，但它的颜色几乎完好无损。”

In November archaeology officials announced the discovery in Saqqara of seven sarcophagi, some dating back more than 6,000 years, during excavation work started in April by the same archaeological mission.

Three of those tombs contained mummified cats and scarabs - an ancient Egyptian  gem cut in the shape of the beetle.

在11月，考古官员宣布，同一考古小组于四月展开的挖掘任务中，在塞加拉发现了7个石棺，其中一些石棺的历史可以追溯到6000多年前。其中三个坟墓里有木乃伊猫和圣甲虫——一种切成甲虫形状的古埃及宝石。

The Saqqara necropolis south of Cairo is home to the famous Djoser pyramid, a more than 4,600-year-old construction which dominates the site and was the country's first stone monument.

开罗南部的塞加拉墓地是著名的左塞王金字塔的所在地，这座有着4600多年历史的建筑占据了整个遗址，是该国第一座石头纪念碑。

The tomb, built by the master architect Imhotep for the Pharoah Djoser, stood 62 metres (203 feet) tall originally and is considered the oldest building in the world built entirely of stone.

这座古墓由建筑师伊姆霍太普为法老左塞王建造，最初高62米(203英尺)，被认为是世界上最古老的全石建筑。

Antiquities Minister Khaled el-Enany said: 'Today we are announcing the last discovery of the year 2018, it's a new discovery, it's a private tomb.

'It is exceptionally well preserved, coloured, with sculpture inside. It belongs to a high official priest... (and) is more than 4,400 years old.'

文物部长卡勒德·埃尔-埃纳尼表示:“今天我们在此宣布2018年的最后一个发现，这是一个新发现，是一座私人墓穴，保存得特别好，色彩鲜艳，里面有雕塑。这座墓属于一位大祭司，有超过4400年的历史。”

Antiquities minister Khaled al-Anani announced the find, just west of Cairo, which is also home to the famed Step Pyramid.

这一墓葬在开罗以西发掘，这里也是著名的阶梯金字塔的所在地。

The Fifth Dynasty ruled Egypt from about 2,500 BC to 2,350 BC, not long after the great pyramid of Giza was built.

古埃及第五王朝大约从公元前2500年到公元前2350年，在吉萨大金字塔建成后不久。

Ancient Egyptians mummified humans to preserve their bodies for the afterlife, while animal mummies were used as religious offerings.

古埃及人制作木乃伊是为了给来世保存尸体，而动物木乃伊则被用作宗教祭品。

Egypt has revealed over a dozen ancient discoveries this year.

The country hopes the finds will brighten its image abroad and revive interest among travellers who once flocked to its iconic pharaonic temples and pyramids but who fled after the 2011 political uprising.

埃及今年发现了十几个古迹。埃及希望这些发现能提升其在国外的形象，并重新引起游客的兴趣。这些游客曾蜂拥至埃及标志性的法老神庙和金字塔，但在2011年的政治起义后游客都避之不及。

In recent years, Egypt has heavily promoted new archaeological finds to international media and diplomats in the hope of attracting more visitors to the country.

近年来，埃及大力向国际媒体和外交人员宣传新的考古发现，希望以此吸引更多的游客来埃及。

The vital tourism sector has suffered from the years of political turmoil since the 2011 uprising.

自2011年起义以来，至关重要的旅游业遭受到多年政治动荡的影响。

英国每日邮报读者评论：

译文来源：三泰虎 http://www.santaihu.com/46697.html   译者：Jessica.Wu

外文：https://www.dailymail.co.uk

Chazisback, London, United Kingdom, 1 hour ago

And not one smartphone, lovely

怎么没有智能手机

Johnny Carsón, THE TONIGHT SHOW, United States, 2 hours ago

The graffiti 'Nancy Pelosi was here' was found scrawled on the tomb.

墓碑上潦草地写着“南希•佩洛西到此一游”。（南希•佩洛西，美国民*党议员）

Kiernan, Manchester, United Kingdom, 3 hours ago

I hope it doesn¿t take 3000 years to debunk todays religious beliefs.

我希望不出三千年就能揭穿今天的宗教信仰。

Joul, Aswan, Egypt, 3 hours ago

in Egypt The police do not kill us in the streets Students do not carry weapons in schools The United States is the worst place in the world

在埃及，警察不会在街上开枪杀人，学生不会带武器去学校。美国才是是世界上最糟糕的地方。

Joul, Aswan, Egypt, 4 hours ago

Not worse than the UK, the poorest country in the West

不比英国差，英国是西方最穷的国家。

thirkell, Gold Coast Qld, Australia, 6 hours ago

Amazing and wonderful that there are still things to discover on this place we call earth

令人惊奇的是，在这个地球上仍然有许多东西有待发现。

Prof. Hudson McLean, London, United Kingdom, 7 hours ago

Visit the tomb and on the way out end up in prison. Not worth the risk.

参观完这个坟墓，出来就得进监狱，不值得冒这个险。