Every day people joined archaeologists and artists in finding some of the year’s most dramatic discoveries. Below are some examples of 2023.
“Naughty pupils” — ancient punishment method resurfaces
Archaeologists discovered 18,000 ink-carved pieces of pottery — known as “ostraca” — at the site of Athribis early this year, and among them were hundreds of fragments (碎片) with a single symbol repeated front and back.
Those scribbles (潦草的文字) are evidence of “naughty pupils” being made to write lines, according to researchers at Germany’s University of Tuebingen. The fragments also included receipts, school texts, trade information and lists of names.
Van Gogh peers out in hidden portraits
There is one more known Van Gogh’s self-portrait in the world, and it was hidden behind a painting of a peasant woman. People made the discovery when they took an X-ray of one of his portraits from 1885 and discovered-the artist’s own image behind layers of cardboard and glue. While X-rays often reveal how artists changed their compositions, the full self-portrait of Van Gogh came as a huge surprise, who was known to reuse canvases (画布) to save money.
Another treasure collection from Sanxingdui
The Sanxingdui archaeological site has produced thousands of relics. The latest discovery, reported by Chinese state media in June includes 3,155 objects, a turtle shell-shaped box and a sacrificial altar among them. A team has been digging six places of the site, turning up more than 13,000 objects so far. Last year, the relics they uncovered included a golden mask, ivory artifacts (手工艺品) and a jade knife. The Sanxingdui culture still remains mysterious, as it left behind no written records or human remains, though many believe it to be part of the ancient kingdom of Shu, which ruled along the upper stream of the Yangtze River until it was conquered in 316 BC.
【小题1】What made the researchers link the discovery with an ancient punishment?| A．Hundreds of fragment. | B．The repeated symbol. |
| C．The mark of ink. | D．Lists of names. |
| A．It was hidden behind a peasant woman. |
| B．The X-ray discovered the composition of the cardboard. |
| C．Van Gogh hid his self-portrait in this way to save money. |
| D．Van Gogh in the self-portrait looks outside. |
| A．An artificial altar. | B．A jade knife. |
| C．Human remains. | D．A turtle shell-shaped box. |
