英国 The Guardian和路透社 报导：墨西哥考古人员Sergio Gomez经过六年的考察，在 Teotihuacan 的墨西哥第三大金字塔（羽蛇 Feathered Serpent ）地宫发现 大量水银，分布成河流湖泊状， 可能是帝王墓布置成地下王国，尚未肯定 。金字塔下 60 英尺深处，有3个室，甬道长 300 英尺，有大量玉制文物。加州 Berkeley 分校的考古学家称：墨西哥另有三处考古遗址有水银。 Teotihuacan 是墨西哥著名玛雅古迹，在墨西哥城附近30英里，鼎盛时期为西元 100-700 年，曾有20万居民。过去一直有人怀疑玛雅（Mayan）和奥梅克（Olmec）与中国文化有关。 http://www.theguardian.com/world/2015/apr/24/liquid-mercury-mexican-pyramid-teotihuacan （原文节录） Liquid mercury found under Mexican pyramid could lead to king's tomb Researcherreports ‘large quantities’ of the substance under ruins of Teotihuacan indiscovery that could shed light on city’s mysterious leaders An archaeologist has discoveredliquid mercury at the end of a tunnel beneath a Mexican pyramid, a finding thatcould suggest the existence of a king’s tomb or a ritual chamber far below oneof the most ancient cities of the Americas . Mexican researcher Sergio Gómezannounced on Friday that he had discovered “large quantities” of liquid mercuryin a chamber below the Pyramid of the Feathered Serpent, the third largestpyramid of Teotihuacan, the ruined city in central Mexico . Gómez has spent six years slowlyexcavating the tunnel, which was unsealed in 2003 after 1,800 years. LastNovember, Gómez and a team announced they had found three chambers at thetunnel’s 300ft end, almost 60ft below the temple. Near the entrance of thechambers, they found a trove of strange artifacts : jadestatues, jaguar remains, a box filled with carved shells and rubber balls. Archaeologistswork at a tunnel that may lead to royal tombs at the ancient city ofTeotihuacan, in this May 2011 photo. Photograph: Handout/Reuters Slowly working their way down thebroad, dark and deep corridor beneath the pyramid, battling humidity and nowobliged to wear protective gear against the dangers of mercury poisoning, Gómezand his team are meticulously exploring the three chambers. Mercury is toxic and capable of devastating the humanbody through prolonged exposure; the liquid metal had no apparent practicalpurpose for ancient Mesoamericans. But it has been discovered at other sites.Rosemary Joyce, a professor of anthropology at the University of California,Berkeley, said that archaeologists have found mercury at three other sitesaround Central America. Gómez speculated to Reuters thatthe mercury could be a sign that his team is close to uncovering the firstroyal tomb ever found in Teotihuacan after decades of excavation – andcenturies of mystery surrounding the leadership of the cryptic butwell-preserved city. The mercury may have symbolized anunderworld river or lake, Gómez postulated, an idea that resonated withAnnabeth Headreck, a professor at the University of Denver and the author ofworks on Teotihuacan and Mesoamerican art. The shimmering, reflectivequalities of liquid mercury may have resembled “an underworld river, not thatdifferent from the river Styx,” Headrick said, “if only in the concept thatit’s the entrance to the supernatural world and the entrance to theunderworld.” “Mirrors were considered a way tolook into the supernatural world, they were a way to divine what might happenin the future,” she said. “It could be a sort of river, albeit a prettyspectacular one.” A royal tomb could lend credence to the theory that the city, whichflourished between 100-700AD, was ruled by dynasties in the manner of the Maya,though with far less obvious flair for self-glorification.
标签: 玛雅
