VOA科学技术2023 研究人员发现世界上最古老的符石（在线收听）

Researchers Discover World's Oldest Runestone

研究人员发现世界上最古老的符石

Researchers in Norway say they have found what they believe is the world's oldest runestone – a stone with ancient writing on it.

挪威的研究人员表示，他们发现了他们认为是世界上最古老的符石——一块上面有古代文字的石头。

Runes are the characters in several Germanic alphabets. These characters were used in northern Europe from ancient times until the change to the Latin alphabet. The exact origin of runic writing is unclear.

符文是几种日耳曼字母中的字符。这些字符自古以来一直在北欧使用，直到改用拉丁字母。符文书写的确切起源尚不清楚。

The Norwegian researchers say the writing on the runestone could be up to 2000 years old.

挪威研究人员表示，符石上的文字可能有2000年的历史。

The runestone is square and flat. The runes carved into it may represent the earliest example of recorded words in Scandinavia, the Museum of Cultural History in Oslo said.

符石是方形的，平坦的。奥斯陆文化历史博物馆表示，刻在上面的符文可能是斯堪的纳维亚半岛最早的文字记录。

It said it was "among the oldest runic inscriptions ever found" and "the oldest datable runestone in the world."

它说它是“有史以来发现的最古老的符文铭文之一”，也是“世界上最古老的可记录数据的符石”

Kristel Zilmer is a professor at University of Oslo, of which the museum is part. Zilmer told The Associated Press, "This find will give us a lot of knowledge about the use of runes in the early Iron Age. This may be one of the first attempts to use runes in Norway and Scandinavia on stone."

克里斯特尔·齐默是奥斯陆大学的教授，该博物馆是该大学的一部分。齐默告诉美联社，“这一发现将为我们提供很多关于铁器时代早期使用符文的知识。这可能是挪威和斯堪的纳维亚半岛首次尝试在石头上使用符文。”

Runes have been found on stones and on home goods. Older runes have been found on other objects, also, but not on stone. The oldest known runic writing is on a hair tool made from bone. It was found in Denmark.

在石头和家居用品上发现了符文。在其他物体上也发现了更古老的符文，但石头上没有。已知最古老的符文书写是在骨头制成的发饰上。它是在丹麦发现的。

Zilmer said that the ancient writer might have used a knife or needle to make the runes.

齐默说，这位古代作家可能用刀或针制作了符文。

The runestone was discovered in the fall of 2021 during a dig in Tyrifjord, west of Oslo. The area is known for several major archaeological finds.

这块符石是2021秋季在奥斯陆以西的提利峡湾（Tyrifjord）的一次挖掘中发现的。该地区以几项重大考古发现而闻名。

Zilmer explained that the find was announced late because researchers needed time to study "and date the runestone."

齐默解释说，这一发现宣布得晚，是因为研究人员需要时间来研究“符石”

Measuring 31 centimeters by 32 centimeters, the stone has several kinds of writings. Not all of them make sense. Eight runes on the front of the stone read "idiberug" — which could be the name of an individual or family.

这块石头长31厘米，宽32厘米，有几种文字。并非所有这些都有意义。石头正面的八个符文写着“idiberug”，这可能是个人或家庭的名字。

Zilmer called the discovery "the most sensational thing that I, as an academic, have had." Sensational means causing great excitement.

齐默称这一发现是“我作为一名学者所经历的最轰动的事情”。轰动意味着引起巨大的兴奋。

There is still a lot of research to be done on the rock, named Svingerud stone after where it was found.

对于这块岩石，仍有很多研究要做，这块岩石以其发现的地方命名为Svingerud石。

"Without doubt, we will obtain valuable knowledge about the early history of runic writing," Zilmer added.

齐默补充道：“毫无疑问，我们将获得有关符文写作早期历史的宝贵知识。”。

The Museum of Cultural History is holding a public showing of the runestone for a month. The museum holds Norway's largest collection of historical objects, from ancient times to modern-day.

文化历史博物馆将举行为期一个月的runestone公开展览。该博物馆收藏了挪威从古代到现代最大的历史文物。

Words in This Story

character – n. a symbol (such as a letter or number) that is used in writing or printing

字符--用于书写或印刷的符号（如字母或数字）

origin – n. the point or place where something begins or is created : the source or cause of something

起源--某物开始或产生的地点或地点；某物的来源或原因

carve – v. to cut (something, such as a pattern or design) into a surface

雕刻--切割（某物，如图案或图案）成表面

inscription – n. a word that is cut into a surface

铭文--刻在表面上的单词

obtain – v. to gain or get (something) usually by effort

获得（某物）--通常通过努力获得或得到（某物）