VOA文化艺术2024--Ancient Statue of Emperor Constantine Rebuilt in Rome

Ancient Statue of Emperor Constantine Rebuilt in Rome

　　Emperor Constantine the First was an ancient Roman ruler who welcomed Christianity. He helped spread the religion throughout the Roman Empire.

　　Recently, a large, rebuilt statue of Constantine was introduced to the public in Rome.

　　Officials revealed the 13-meter copy of the statue that Constantine had built for himself. Special technology known as 3D modelling permitted the statue's makers¹ to create the work from scans of the nine large original marble body parts that remain.

　　The result: a large statue of the seated emperor. Constantine is wearing special clothing and holding a scepter and orb². He looks over Rome from a side garden of the Capitoline Museums.

　　The rebuilt statue is close to the area where the original pieces of Constantine's giant feet, hands and head are kept. Artists in Rome created the original about 1,700 years ago.

　　Rebuilt to its original form, the statue creates wonder in people who see it. This feeling is just what Constantine wanted from his subjects, officials said at the statue's public introduction.

　　"In this statue there's not just beauty, there's the violence of power," said Salvatore Settis of the Fondazione Prada, the cultural and educational arm of the fashion house which financed the project.

　　Officials did not say how much the project cost. But the Factum Foundation created the statue. The group is a nonprofit based in Madrid. It creates special digital copies of the world's famous cultural objects.

　　"This whole dynamic about how you use technology to transform our understanding of and the importance of cultural heritage is the core mission of Factum Foundation," said the group's founder³ Adam Lowe.

　　The statue is made from several materials. The body includes resin⁴, polyurethane and marble powder. Gold leaf and plaster make up the special clothing that goes over the body.

　　A second version of the statue is to be put in place in northeast England. That is where Constantine guarded defenses known as Hadrian's Wall before being crowned emperor in Rome.

　　Words in This Story

　　scan –n. a copy or image of something that is made by a machine, and which contains data for use in study or reproduction

　　original -- adj. made or produced first

　　scepter – n. a long, decorated stick that is carried by a leader (such as a king or queen)

　　orb – n. a gold ball with a cross on top that is carried by a leader (such as a king or queen)

　　dynamic -- n. something that causes change or growth in something else

　　transform – v. to change something in a complete way

1 makers   

n.制造者，制造商（maker的复数形式）

参考例句：

• The makers of the product assured us that there had been no sacrifice of quality. 这一产品的制造商向我们保证说他们没有牺牲质量。
• The makers are about to launch out a new product. 制造商们马上要生产一种新产品。 来自《简明英汉词典》

2 orb   

n.太阳；星球；v.弄圆；成球形

参考例句：

• The blue heaven,holding its one golden orb,poured down a crystal wash of warm light.蓝蓝的天空托着金色的太阳，洒下一片水晶般明亮温暖的光辉。
• It is an emanation from the distant orb of immortal light.它是从远处那个发出不灭之光的天体上放射出来的。

3 Founder   

n.创始者，缔造者

参考例句：

• He was extolled as the founder of their Florentine school.他被称颂为佛罗伦萨画派的鼻祖。
• According to the old tradition,Romulus was the founder of Rome.按照古老的传说，罗穆卢斯是古罗马的建国者。

4 resin   

n.树脂，松香，树脂制品；vt.涂树脂

参考例句：

• This allyl type resin is a highly transparent, colourless material.这种烯丙基型的树脂是一种高度透明的、无色材料。
• This is referred to as a thixotropic property of the resin.这种特性叫做树脂的触变性。