5 of the Most Interesting Archaeological Artifacts from History历史上最有趣的五件文物

Archaeology is the soul of history since it continuously provides real artifacts and evidence， based on which historical conclusions are drawn. These artifacts are stored and preserved in museums to let people from the present as well as the future know and get fascinated by the real-life sources of the past. Here are 5 such interesting archaeological artifacts from history that are sure to satisfy your curiosity.

考古学源源不断地提供实实在在的文物和证据，为历史结论提供基础，因此它是历史之魂。文物保存在博物馆中，让当代人和子孙后代都能了解过去的真实生活，并为之着迷。以下介绍5件历史上有趣的文物，定能满足你的好奇心。

A sky-blue 2，000-year-old sapphire ring

已有2000年历史的蔚蓝色蓝宝石戒指

The exquisite ring is made up of a single precious stone of sapphire. It is estimated that it belonged to a 37 CE Roman Emperor Caligula. The face engraved inside the ring is of Caligula’s fourth and the last wife， Caesonia.

这枚精美绝伦的戒指由一块蓝宝石制成。据估计，它属于公元37年即位的罗马皇帝卡利古拉。戒指内侧刻有一张人脸，是卡利古拉皇帝的第四任也是最后一任妻子卡索尼娅。

Caesonia was said to be so beautiful that the emperor made her parade naked in front of his friends. Caligula reigned from 37 CE and was assassinated four years later. His wife could not manage to stand the grief and willingly offered her neck to the assassin so he could kill her.

据说卡索尼娅长得实在太美了，卡利古拉皇帝曾让她一丝不挂地在他朋友面前行走，以此炫耀。卡利古拉公元37年即位，4年后被暗杀。卡索尼娅皇后悲痛欲绝，心甘情愿伸出头颈让杀手杀死自己。

Later， the ring became part of the collection of the Earl of Arundel， which had 800 beautifully engraved jewels. The collection was initiated by a politician， George Spencer， also the Fourth Earl of Marlborough. It was sold by John Winston Spencer-Churchill， the Seventh Earl of Marlborough， in 1875 to help raise the funds for the repairing of the Blenheim Palace.

后来，这枚戒指成为阿伦德尔伯爵的藏品——这批藏品共有800件，都是雕刻精美的珠宝，最初由马尔伯勒伯爵四世、政治家乔治·斯宾塞收藏。1875年，为筹集资金修缮布莱尼姆宫，马尔伯勒伯爵七世约翰·温斯顿·斯宾塞-丘吉尔将其售卖。

A four-wheeled ancient Roman carriage made of iron， bronze， and tin

由铁、青铜和锡制造的古罗马四轮车

Archaeologists said that this discovery is huge and exceptional. It is an almost intact chariot found in Italy in an ancient villa at Civita Giuliana which is just 700 meters north of the walls of the volcanic city Pompeii.

考古学家表示，这一发现意义重大、非比寻常。这辆几乎完好无损的四轮车是在意大利奇维塔朱利亚纳城一座古老的庄园中发现的，庄园位于火山城庞贝城墙以北仅700米处。

The chariot had four wheels and was found with its iron components， bronze， tin decorations， mineralized wood remaining， and other organic materials such as floral decoration and ropes. Along with the large carriage， there were skeletons of two men trying to escape the volcanic eruption.

这辆车有四只轮子，出土时还发现有铁质零件、青铜和锡配饰、矿化木质残留物，以及花卉饰品和绳索等其他有机物。大车旁还有两具男性骨骼，看样子两人正想逃离火山爆发。

The chariot was discovered because the first element of the chariot emerged out of the volcanic material and was noticeable. Archaeologists claim that the carriage was perhaps used for the festivals， parades， and sometimes to carry brides to their new homes， unlike the earlier discovered carriages which were being used for daily purposes and carrying agricultural products.

这辆车之所以被发现，是因为它的铁质零件从火山灰烬中显露出来， 被人看到。考古人员称，这辆车也许是用于节日庆典和游行，有时也用来送新娘到夫家，不同于早前发现的一些车子，那些车用于日常活动和运送农产品。

The vehicle is being taken care of in the park by pouring plasters into the cracks to preserve any imprint of organic material.

该车目前保存在庞贝考古园区中，为保护有机物质的痕迹，研究人员在车缝中注入了石膏。

The world’s oldest face cream lotion

世上最古老的面霜

The sealed Roman container with some cream is six centimeters in diameter and was found at a Roman temple complex that is dedicated to the god Mars Camulus in Southwark， London. It was discovered in July 2003 and is speculated to be 2，000 years old. The lid of the small container also has finger marks on it.

这个密封的古罗马面霜盒直径6厘米，内有乳霜，发现于一处古罗马神庙建筑群。这处神庙位于伦敦萨瑟克区，是为卡姆洛斯（相当于古罗马神话中的玛尔斯）而建。面霜盒发现于2003年7月，估计已有2000年历史。小盒盖上还留有指印。

The lotion or the cream had a sulfurous odor. According to the researchers， it was most probably used as cosmetic or ointment. Archaeologists say that discovering such cream is a unique event because this kind of thing does not usually survive in the archaeological record. But the contents of this particular white cream were so well preserved that the team of researchers was able to recreate the cream product using fresh ingredients.

这盒乳霜有一股硫黄味。研究人员认为，它极有可能是用作化妆品或油膏。考古学家表示，这样的乳霜是独一无二的发现，因为考古记载中此类物品通常极少留存。而这盒白色乳霜保存得特别完好，研究团队得以用新鲜配料重新将它制作出来。

The cream is displayed in the museum of London along with the other archaeological discoveries at the temple after conducting the necessary research.

必要的研究结束后，乳霜和在神庙考古发现的其他物品均在伦敦博物馆展览。

The Sword of Goujian made up of bronze， blue crystals， and turquoise decoration

青铜制成、饰有蓝水晶和绿松石的勾践剑

The sword was discovered along the aqueduct of the Zhang River Reservoir in Hubei when an archaeological survey was being carried out at the very place in 1965. There were more than 2，000 findings at the end of the survey， and the Sword of Goujian is one of them. The tomb was underwater for 2，000 years and still， the sword was extremely sharp and was covered with a wooden scabbard.