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Scientists Find Largest, Oldest-Known Mayan Structure

科学家发现已知最大最古老的玛雅建筑

By John Russell
07 June 2020

Scientists have discovered the largest and oldest-known structure that was built by the ancient Mayan people.
科学家发现了古代玛雅人建造的最大、最古老的建筑。

Large and shaped like a rectangle, the structure was built between 2,800 and 3,000 years ago in what is now the Mexican state of Tabasco.
该建筑规模庞大，形状近似矩形，于2800到3000年以前建造在如今墨西哥的塔巴斯科州。

Unlike the large Mayan pyramids built some 1,500 years later, the newly discovered building was made with clay and earth. It was likely used for ceremonies, researchers say.
与建造于大约1500年后的大型玛雅金字塔不同，新发现的建筑物是用粘土和泥土建成的。研究人员表示，它很可能用于各种仪式。

Built near the Guatemalan border, the structure measured nearly 400 meters wide and nearly 1,400 meters long. It stood between 10 and 15 meters high. It had more volume -- the amount of space -- than Egypt's Great Pyramid of Giza.
该建筑建在靠近危地马拉的边境附近，宽约400米，长约1400米。它的高度在10-15米之间。它所占的体积比埃及的吉萨金字塔还要大。

Researchers noted that there were no signs of statues of powerful or wealthy people. This suggests Mayan culture may have had more equality during this period.
研究人员指出，这里没有有权势或是有钱人的雕像的迹象。这表明玛雅文化在此期间可能更具有平等性。

Takeshi Inomata, an archaeologist at the University of Arizona, led the research. The findings were published in the scientific journal Nature.
亚利桑那大学的考古学家野田武领导了这项研究。研究结果发表在科学期刊《自然》上。

Inomata said that because the structure is so large, "it just looks like natural landscape. But its form comes out nicely in lidar," he added.
野田武表示，由于该建筑是如此庞大，“它看起来就像是自然景观。但是它的形状在激光雷达中表现得很清晰。”

Lidar is short for Light Detection and Ranging, a method for measuring distances. It uses a laser and other information collected by flying over an area to create three-dimensional information about a surface's shape.
激光雷达是光探测和测距的缩写，这是一种用于测量距离的方法。它使用激光和在某空域飞行收集到的其它信息来创建表面形状的三维信息。

Some parts of the site are currently covered with cattle ranches. Other parts have trees.
该遗址有一部分目前被牧场覆盖，其它部分则有树。

But in ancient times, Inomata said, the structure was likely used for special events. People probably walked on raised paths and inside the rectangular structure. He said they left symbolic objects behind, such as jade axes.
野田武表示，但是在古代，该建筑物可能被用于特殊活动。人们可能通过凸起的小路走进这个矩形建筑物。他说，他们留下了诸如玉斧之类的象征性物品。

Words in This Story

rectangle – n. an object with four straight sides and four right angles, and opposite sides are of equal length

pyramid – n. a large structure built especially in ancient Egypt that has a square base and four triangular sides which form a point at the top

clay – n. a sticky, fine-grained material

three-dimensional – adj. having length, width, and depth

cattle – n. large animals grown for their meat; cows

ranch – n. a large farm where cattle or other animals are raised

jade – n. a usually green stone that is used for jewelry

axe – n. a tool that usually has a heavy metal blade and a long handle and that is used for chopping wood

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