图坦卡蒙的秘密

by Jennie Cohen

三千年前，图坦卡蒙仅仅统治了古埃及十年，在历史上并不出名。然而三千年后，英国人霍华德·卡特（Howard Carter）在图坦卡蒙墓穴内挖掘出近五千件珍贵陪葬品，震惊了西方世界。由于几个最早进入坟墓的人突然死亡，被媒体大肆渲染成“法老的诅咒”，图坦卡蒙的名字在西方更为家喻户晓。近年来，研究人员对图坦卡蒙做了大量分析，破解了很多关于这位法老的秘密，让我们一起看看背后的真相吧。（CE：Teens分别在2008年2月号和2011年5月号的“探索区”介绍过图坦卡蒙，有兴趣的同学可以查阅。）

Ninety years ago， the British archaeologist[考古学家] Howard Carter opened the sealed doorway to the treasure-filled burial chamber[房间] of Tutankhamen in Egypts Valley of the Kings. King Tuts tomb and the riches it contained would fuel a worldwide obsession[着魔] with ancient Egypt and the long-dead ruler， who reigned[统治] for just one decade some 3，300 years ago. Follow us to explore five surprising facts about the teenage pharaoh[法老] and his final resting place.

九十年前，英国考古学家霍华德·卡特在埃及的帝王谷打开了那扇密封的大门，进入装满珍宝的图坦卡蒙墓室。图坦卡蒙的陵墓以及里面的财宝令全世界人迷上了古埃及以及这位逝去已久的统治者，而图坦卡蒙只在大约三千三百年前统治了埃及十年而已。跟随我们的脚步，发掘有关这位年轻法老及其安息地的惊人事实吧。

1. There is no curse[诅咒]of King Tut.

1.“法老的诅咒”纯属子虚乌有。

When Carter first entered King Tuts tomb in November 1922， his financial backer[支持者] George Herbert—a wealthy aristocrat[贵族] with a passion for Egyptology—was at his side. Four months later， Herbert died of apparent[显然的] blood poisoning from a mosquito[蚊子] bite. Newspapers speculated[推测] that the Englishman had fallen victim[受害人] to a “mummys curse.” Rumors[流言] flew anew after the sudden deaths of others who had visited the Valley of the Kings. It turns out， however， that frenzied[狂热的] journalists made up the story. In 2002， scientists examined the survival[生存] rates of 44 Westerners who had been in Egypt during Carters excavation[挖掘]， concluding that they were not at elevated[提升] risk of dying early.

1922年11月，当卡特首次进入图坦卡蒙的陵墓时，资助其考古活动的乔治·赫伯特（一位热衷于埃及古物学的有钱贵族）就在他身旁。四个月后，赫伯特死于由蚊叮引发的败血症，症状明显。报纸纷纷推断这位英国人是“木乃伊诅咒”下的受害者。在其他到过帝王谷的人突然死亡之后，谣言再次满天飞。然而，原来只是狂热的记者捏造了这个故事。2002年，科学家们检查了44名在卡特发掘陵墓期间到访埃及的西方人士的生存率，结论是他们的早卒率没有高于正常范围。

2. King Tuts death was probably accidental.

2. 图坦卡蒙可能死于意外。

For years， it was speculated that King Tuts death at age 19 was caused by a blow to the head， inflicted[造成]， perhaps， by a rival[竞争者]. More recently， however， experts have determined that the damage to his mummys skull occurred after death， either during the embalming[用防腐剂来处理（尸体）] process[过程] or at the hands of Carters crew. So how did the boy king die？ In 2005， a study showed that he broke his leg and developed an infection in the wound shortly before death. According to one theory， the pharaoh sustained[遭受] the injury by falling from his chariot[战车] during a hunt. Meanwhile， DNA testing in 2010 suggested that Tutankhamen had malaria[疟疾]， which might have exacerbated[恶化] a leg infection or caused him to fall in the first place. However， other theories about King Tuts death still abound[充满].

多年来，人们猜测19岁的图坦卡蒙是因为头部受到打击致死，而这个重击可能是竞争对手谋划的。然而到了近期，专家认定木乃伊头骨的破损是在图坦卡蒙死后造成的——可能是对尸体进行防腐处理的过程中产生的，或是卡特的随同人员造成的。那么，这位年轻的法老因何而死？2005年，一项研究显示他在死前不久曾断过腿，伤口受到感染。根据其中一种理论，这位法老在一次打猎中从战车上摔了下来，因此受伤。另外，2010年的DNA测试结果显示图坦卡蒙患有疟疾，这个病可能使他的腿伤恶化，或者就是导致他摔倒的原因。然而，关于图坦卡蒙之死的其他理论依然比比皆是。

3. Tutankhamen was likely the product of incest[近亲交配].

3. 图坦卡蒙很可能是近亲通婚的产物。

In 2010， researchers， performing DNA analyses on the remains[遗体] of King Tut and his relatives， made a shocking announcement. The boy king， they believed， was the product of incest between the pharaoh Akhenaten注 and one of his sisters. Inbreeding[近亲交配] was rampant[猖獗的] among ancient Egyptian royals， who saw themselves as descendants[后裔] of the gods and hoped to maintain pure bloodlines. Experts think this trend contributed to higher incidences[发生（率）] of congenital defects[先天性缺陷]—such as King Tuts cleft palate[颚裂] and club foot[畸形足]—among rulers.

2010年，研究人员对图坦卡蒙及其亲属的遗骸进行了DNA分析，结果很惊人。他们相信，这位年轻的国王是法老阿肯那顿和他的一个妹妹所生。近亲生育在古埃及王室十分盛行。王室成员认为自己是神的后代，所以希望保持血统的纯正。专家认为这种潮流造成统治者患有先天性缺陷的几率较高，如图坦卡蒙就有腭裂和畸形足。

4. King Tut wasnt buried alone. 4. 图坦卡蒙并非单独下葬。

As Carter explored further into Tutankhamens tomb， he discovered a treasury room filled with priceless funerary[埋葬的] objects， including gold figurines[小雕像]， ritual[仪式的] jewelry， small boats representing[象征] the journey to the netherworld[阴间] and a shrine[圣骨匣] for the pharaohs organs[器官]. The chamber also held two smaller coffins[棺材] that contained two fetuses[胎儿]. Recent DNA tests suggest that one of the mummies is that of Tutankhamens stillborn[死胎的] daughter and that the other was likely his child as well.

随着卡特进一步深入图坦卡蒙的陵墓，他发现了一个宝库，里面布满陪葬的无价之宝，包括金雕像、用于祭祀的珠宝、代表通向阴间之旅的小船，以及用来装法老器官的小匣子。墓室里还有两个小一些的棺木，里面装的是两个胎儿（的遗体）。近期的DNA测试显示，其中一具木乃伊为图坦卡蒙胎死腹中的女儿，另一具很可能也是他的孩子。

5. Three millennia[一千年] after his death， the once-obscure[不引人注意的] Tutankhamen became all the rage[风行一时的事物].

5. 在死后三千年，图坦卡蒙这位当时名不见经传的法老风靡世界。

For several years following Carters discovery， no ruler was more popular than Egypts boy king. Formerly a minor footnote in the tome of Egyptian history， Tutankhamen took the world by storm. Women donned[穿上] snake bracelets[手镯] and gold dresses inspired by his iconic mask； mummies haunted[时常出现] the silver screen. “Tutmania，” as it was known， once again swept[席卷] the United States when a collection of objects from the pharaohs tomb toured the country from 1977 to 1979. The craze reached such a fever pitch[高度，极点] that comedian Steve Martin mocked[嘲笑] it in his 1978 song “King Tut.”

卡特发现图坦卡蒙陵墓之后的数年里，没有哪个统治者比这位埃及小国王更受欢迎。图坦卡蒙以前只是埃及历史里的一个小小注脚，自那时起却在世界范围内掀起一阵热潮。女人们穿戴起由图坦卡蒙标志性面具启发而设计出的蛇形手镯和金衣衫；大银幕上的木乃伊此起彼伏。1977年至1979年，当一组法老陵墓的物件在美国巡回展出时，人称“图坦卡蒙热”的现象卷土重来。这股狂热持续不退，喜剧演员史蒂夫·马丁在1978年甚至写了《图坦卡蒙》一曲嘲笑这一现象。