VOA科学技术2023 干旱让亚马逊河下的石刻露出（在线收听）

Dry Weather Uncovers Stone Designs under Amazon River

Human faces cut into stone up to 2,000 years ago have again been found on a rocky area along the Amazon River in northern Brazil.

在巴西北部亚马逊河沿岸一处多岩石的区域，人们再次发现了2000多年前在石头上刻下的人脸。

The stone carvings appeared as a result of a big drop in water levels because of dry weather in parts of northern Brazil.

这些石刻是由于巴西北部部分地区的干旱天气导致水位大幅下降而出现的。

People had reported some of the rock carvings before during periods when water levels were low. But now a greater number have been identified. That will help researchers establish the history of the carvings, researcher Jaime de Santana Oliveira said recently.

在水位较低的时期，人们曾报道过一些石刻。但现在已经确认了更多的石刻。研究人员雅伊梅·德桑塔娜·奥利韦拉最近表示，这将有助于研究人员确定这些石刻的历史。

One area shows smooth markings in the rock thought to be where Indigenous people once sharpened their weapons such as arrows and spears before European settlers arrived.

其中一个区域的岩石上有光滑的标记，这被认为是在欧洲定居者到来之前，土著人曾经在这里打磨过箭和矛等武器。

"The engravings are prehistoric, or precolonial. We cannot date them exactly but based on evidence of human occupation of the area, we believe they are about 1,000 to 2,000 years old," Oliveira said.

奥利韦拉表示，“这些雕刻是史前或殖民前时期的，我们无法确定其确切年代，但基于人类在当地活动的证据，我们认为它们约有1000至2000年历史。”

The rocky area is on the north shore of the Amazon near the place where the Rio Negro River joins the Amazon.

该岩石区位于亚马逊北岸，靠近里约内格罗河与亚马逊的交汇处。

Oliveira said the carvings were first seen in 2010, but this year's drought has been more severe than earlier dry periods. The Rio Negro's levels dropped 15 meters since July, uncovering large areas of rocks and sand where there had been no beaches.

奥利韦拉说，这些石刻于2010年首次出现，但今年的干旱比此前的干旱期更为严重。自7月以来，里约内格罗河的水位下降了15米，没有河滩之处露出大片岩石和沙子。

"This time we found not just more carvings, but the sculpture of a human face cut into the rock," said Oliveira, who works for the Brazilian government's National Historic and Artistic Heritage Institute. The organization oversees the care of historic places in Brazil.

就职于巴西政府国家历史和艺术遗产研究所的奥利韦拉说：“这一次我们不仅发现了更多的石刻，还发现了岩石上刻的人脸。”该组织负责监督巴西历史遗迹的保护工作。