VOA标准英语10月-Georgia - At Crossroads Throughout History

A brief war with Russia two months ago thrust the small Caucasus nation of Georgia into the international limelight again and sparked sharp exchanges between Moscow and the West. Georgia has been at a strategic crossroads throughout history and remains¹ so today, a fact that has often fueled conflict, but also trade and wealth. VOA's Sonja Pace reports from Dmanisi in southwestern Georgia.

Nowadays, it's a sleepy hamlet nestled deep in the Georgian countryside. But Dmanisi wasn't always like this.

A walk up a steep hillside reveals some of its long hidden treasures. Dmanisi was once an important gateway² for travelers and traders, and even our prehistoric³ ancestors found it a good place to stay.
　

People look at the site of an archeological dig in Dmanisi some 90 km outside Tbilisi, Georgia, 02 Jan 2008

Archeologist Jimsher Chkhrimiani has been working here for the past nine years and has uncovered some surprising secrets.

"In these layers of rock, we found remains that are older than 1.7 million years," he said. "We found at least five individuals. It's significant because these are the oldest human ancestors found outside of Africa."

The discovery of ancient human skeletons and largely intact skulls⁴ put Dmanisi on the archeological map.

David Lordkipanidze is General Director of the Georgian National Museum in Tbilisi. He says very primitive⁵ human ancestors are believed to have migrated from Africa, much earlier than previously⁶ thought, and they came through Georgia before traveling onward⁷.

"These finds are the missing link connecting Asia, Europe and Africa," said Lordkipanidze.

But nearly two million years ago was just the beginning for Dmanisi. It remained important throughout the Bronze Age and in medieval times, as the ruins of ramparts and watch towers on the hilltop can attest⁸.

Ancient migration⁹ routes turned into trade routes.

And for centuries, rulers from within those same walls controlled trade to and from China, Persia and Byzantium, and they collected customs duties for it all as archeologist Chkhrimiani explains.

"This was the intersection¹⁰ of two big routes," he said. "People used to call it 'the camel route,' which went south through the mountains through Armenia and the Middle East. The other route went to western Georgia, to Byzantium and to the sea. Dmanisi owed its success to the Silk Road."

Back then, archeologists say, Dmanisi was a multi-ethnic, multi-religious town of some 10,000 inhabitants - an important stop on the Silk Road.

Today, wealth lies in oil and gas. And again, Georgia is a major transit¹¹ point.

Lawrence Sheets, senior Caucasus analyst¹² for the International Crisis Group, says that is crucial for Georgia today. "These transit routes are very important because this is a small country of four million people," he said. "It's a largely agrarian¹³ economy, not an industrial economy and it relies very heavily on trade through Georgia [and trade in general].

Some say, Georgia's position between two continents - Europe and Asia - enhances its strategic importance, but also makes it vulnerable to big power rivalries¹⁴. One example - the brief war Georgia fought in August with neighboring Russia over the breakaway Georgian enclave of South Ossetia.

Georgians are well aware of their place in history, as a young woman is quick to point out. "Let me remind you that we are the first Europeans," she said. "We always looked westward¹⁵."

There is obvious pride that this was a crucial transit point for early humans over the vast Caucasus mountain range.

Paleoanthropologist David Lordkipanidze says it's part of Georgia's identity. "Georgia was always on the crossroads -- in prehistoric times, in historical times," he said. "If we look back on the archeological record, Georgia always had a place, the role of the connection [between] East-West. I'm sure Georgia will continue to play this role in the future too."

Back in Dmanisi, archeologists have uncovered a historical treasure trove¹⁶.

But for modern day Georgia, the question is how it will navigate¹⁷ its position as a crossroads to shape its future.

1 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。

2 gateway   

n.大门口，出入口，途径，方法

参考例句：

• Hard work is the gateway to success.努力工作是通往成功之路。
• A man collected tolls at the gateway.一个人在大门口收通行费。

3 prehistoric   

adj.（有记载的）历史以前的，史前的，古老的

参考例句：

• They have found prehistoric remains.他们发现了史前遗迹。
• It was rather like an exhibition of prehistoric electronic equipment.这儿倒像是在展览古老的电子设备。

4 skulls   

颅骨( skull的名词复数 )； 脑袋； 脑子； 脑瓜

参考例句：

• One of the women's skulls found exceeds in capacity that of the average man of today. 现已发现的女性颅骨中，其中有一个的脑容量超过了今天的普通男子。
• We could make a whole plain white with skulls in the moonlight! 我们便能令月光下的平原变白，遍布白色的骷髅！

5 primitive   

adj.原始的；简单的；n.原(始)人，原始事物

参考例句：

• It is a primitive instinct to flee a place of danger.逃离危险的地方是一种原始本能。
• His book describes the march of the civilization of a primitive society.他的著作描述了一个原始社会的开化过程。

6 previously   

adv.以前，先前（地）

参考例句：

• The bicycle tyre blew out at a previously damaged point.自行车胎在以前损坏过的地方又爆开了。
• Let me digress for a moment and explain what had happened previously.让我岔开一会儿，解释原先发生了什么。

7 onward   

adj.向前的，前进的；adv.向前，前进，在先

参考例句：

• The Yellow River surges onward like ten thousand horses galloping.黄河以万马奔腾之势滚滚向前。
• He followed in the steps of forerunners and marched onward.他跟随着先辈的足迹前进。

8 attest   

vt.证明，证实；表明

参考例句：

• I can attest to the absolute truth of his statement. 我可以证实他的话是千真万确的。
• These ruins sufficiently attest the former grandeur of the place. 这些遗迹充分证明此处昔日的宏伟。

9 migration   

n.迁移，移居，（鸟类等的）迁徙

参考例句：

• Swallows begin their migration south in autumn.燕子在秋季开始向南方迁移。
• He described the vernal migration of birds in detail.他详细地描述了鸟的春季移居。

10 intersection   

n.交集，十字路口，交叉点；[计算机] 交集

参考例句：

• There is a stop sign at an intersection.在交叉路口处有停车标志。
• Bridges are used to avoid the intersection of a railway and a highway.桥用来避免铁路和公路直接交叉。

11 transit   

n.经过，运输；vt.穿越，旋转；vi.越过

参考例句：

• His luggage was lost in transit.他的行李在运送中丢失。
• The canal can transit a total of 50 ships daily.这条运河每天能通过50条船。

12 analyst   

n.分析家，化验员；心理分析学家

参考例句：

• What can you contribute to the position of a market analyst?你有什么技能可有助于市场分析员的职务？
• The analyst is required to interpolate values between standards.分析人员需要在这些标准中插入一些值。

13 agrarian   

adj.土地的，农村的，农业的

参考例句：

• People are leaving an agrarian way of life to go to the city.人们正在放弃农业生活方式而转向城市。
• This was a feature of agrarian development in Britain.这是大不列颠土地所有制发展的一个特征。

14 rivalries   

n.敌对，竞争，对抗( rivalry的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• The new government was torn by rivalries. 新政府由于各派对立而四分五裂。 来自辞典例句
• Rivalries could bring about pain and hatred or give rise to fighting. 竞争会带来痛苦、仇恨，或者引起争斗。 来自互联网

15 westward   

n.西方，西部；adj.西方的，向西的；adv.向西

参考例句：

• We live on the westward slope of the hill.我们住在这座山的西山坡。
• Explore westward or wherever.向西或到什么别的地方去勘探。

16 trove   

n.被发现的东西，收藏的东西

参考例句：

• He assembled a rich trove of Chinese porcelain.他收集了一批中国瓷器。
• The gallery is a treasure trove of medieval art.这个画廊是中世纪艺术的宝库。

17 navigate   

v.航行，飞行；导航，领航

参考例句：

• He was the first man to navigate the Atlantic by air.他是第一个飞越大西洋的人。
• Such boats can navigate on the Nile.这种船可以在尼罗河上航行。