VOA慢速英语--日本集体墓穴的遗骸或因19世纪的瘟疫

Workers have unearthed¹ the remains² of more than 1,500 people in western Japan. Archeologists report finding evidence that many of those individuals died of disease, possibly in an epidemic³.

The burial ground is thought to date back to the 1850s. It is being dug up for a development project in the city of Osaka.

Officials at Osaka's City Cultural Properties Association have studied the remains. They said many of the individuals were likely in their 30s or small children when they died.

The Umeda Grave is one of seven historical burial grounds in Osaka. It was discovered near a main train station as part of a redevelopment project that began in September 2019.

In an earlier study, workers dug up hundreds of similar remains in surrounding areas, said Yoji Hirata, an official at Osaka's Cultural Properties Association.

"It was our first historical discovery of a burial site in Osaka," Hirata said. "The findings will provide details of burial traditions of ordinary people back then."

In the earlier find, many remains showed signs of disease in the hands and feet. The discovery of additional, similar remains suggests the 19th century mass grave was used for victims of an epidemic in the area, Hirata said.

All the remains have been removed from the work area. Experts hope to examine them and other objects to learn more details about the deaths. Some experts have suggested that the epidemic could have involved syphilis, which was widespread during the time in populated areas.

Many of the remains were in small round holes, where bodies appeared to have been buried on top of each other. Researchers found coffins⁵ containing more than one skeleton, a sign that many epidemic victims were buried together, Hirata said.

Reuters news agency says researchers discovered about 350 small graves. They also found the remains of animals including four piglets, horses and cats, city officials said. Researchers also unearthed money, Buddhist⁶ jewelry⁷ and dolls that were believed to have been buried with the dead.

Hirata said experts plan to prepare a report with their findings by the end of next year. The burial ground sits in what used to be a farming area near the city's famous Osaka Castle. It was one of seven major cemeteries⁸ in the city.

People used to visit the cemeteries to pray for their ancestors during Japan's mid-summer Bon season under Buddhist tradition.

I'm Bryan Lynn.

Words in This Story

epidemic – n. when a large number of people get the same disease over the same period of time

ordinary – adj. not special, different, or unusual in any way

coffin⁴ – n. a box used to bury dead people in

doll – n. a child's toy that looks like a small person

cemetery⁹ – n. a place where dead people are buried

1 unearthed   

出土的（考古）

参考例句：

• Many unearthed cultural relics are set forth in the exhibition hall. 展览馆里陈列着许多出土文物。
• Some utensils were in a state of decay when they were unearthed. 有些器皿在出土时已经残破。

2 remains   

n.剩余物，残留物；遗体，遗迹

参考例句：

• He ate the remains of food hungrily.他狼吞虎咽地吃剩余的食物。
• The remains of the meal were fed to the dog.残羹剩饭喂狗了。

3 epidemic   

n.流行病；盛行；adj.流行性的，流传极广的

参考例句：

• That kind of epidemic disease has long been stamped out.那种传染病早已绝迹。
• The authorities tried to localise the epidemic.当局试图把流行病限制在局部范围。

4 coffin   

n.棺材，灵柩

参考例句：

• When one's coffin is covered,all discussion about him can be settled.盖棺论定。
• The coffin was placed in the grave.那口棺材已安放到坟墓里去了。

5 coffins   

n.棺材( coffin的名词复数 )；使某人早亡[死，完蛋，垮台等]之物

参考例句：

• The shop was close and hot, and the atmosphere seemed tainted with the smell of coffins. 店堂里相当闷热，空气仿佛被棺木的味儿污染了。 来自辞典例句
• Donate some coffins to the temple, equal to the number of deaths. 到寺庙里，捐赠棺材盒给这些死者吧。 来自电影对白

6 Buddhist   

adj./n.佛教的，佛教徒

参考例句：

• The old lady fell down in adoration before Buddhist images.那老太太在佛像面前顶礼膜拜。
• In the eye of the Buddhist,every worldly affair is vain.在佛教徒的眼里，人世上一切事情都是空的。

7 jewelry   

n.（jewllery）（总称）珠宝

参考例句：

• The burglars walked off with all my jewelry.夜盗偷走了我的全部珠宝。
• Jewelry and lace are mostly feminine belongings.珠宝和花边多数是女性用品。

8 cemeteries   

n.（非教堂的）墓地，公墓( cemetery的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• It's morbid to dwell on cemeteries and such like. 不厌其烦地谈论墓地以及诸如此类的事是一种病态。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• In other districts the proximity of cemeteries seemed to aggravate the disease. 在其它地区里，邻近墓地的地方，时疫大概都要严重些。 来自辞典例句

9 cemetery   

n.坟墓，墓地，坟场

参考例句：

• He was buried in the cemetery.他被葬在公墓。
• His remains were interred in the cemetery.他的遗体葬在墓地。