Researchers Find 2,700-Year-Old ’Governor Seal’ In Jerusalem
研究者在耶路撒冷发现2700年前的“总督印章”
Archaeologists in Israel have recovered a seal impression that they say confirms the existence of Jerusalem governors identified in ancient religious writings.
以色列考古学家发现一枚印章，他们说这印证了古老宗教文献中对于耶路撒冷总督存在的记载。
The researchers say the impression was discovered in an archaeological project in the Western Wall plaza of Jerusalem.
研究者称，这枚印章是在一位考古学家在耶路撒冷西墙广场中的项目中发现。
The small clay object has a message written in the ancient Hebrew language.It says ’Belonging to the governor of the city.’
这枚黏土制作的小东西上用古希伯来语写着一段信息，说的是“归属城市总督”。
The archaeologists say the impression could have been placed on shipments from the city leader to another leader or important person.
考古学家们说，这枚印章很有可能是放在了船运中，由城市领导人传给另一个城市领导人或其他重要人士。
For historians, the discovery from the First Temple-period of Jerusalem is evidence that the city had a governor at least 2,700 years ago.
对于历史学家来说，从耶路撒冷第一圣殿时期发现的这个东西可以证明这座城市至少2700年前就有总督。
A Jerusalem governor is identified two times in The Bible, the holy book of Judaism and Christianity.Until now, there has never been any historical evidence of such a position.
耶路撒冷总督曾两次出现在《圣经》中，《圣经》是犹太教和基督教的圣书。在这之前，一直都没有历史证据可以证明有这样一个职位存在。
Shlomit Weksler-Bdolah is with Israel’s Antiquity Authority.She says this is the first time that researchers have found evidence of the governor in an archeological dig around a structure from 2,700 years ago.
什洛米特·韦克斯勒·波多拉赫是以色列文物管理局的工作人员。她说，这是研究者第一次在2700年前的建筑物周围，一个考古挖掘坑中发现总督存在的证据。
The seal impression shows two men facing each other and wearing striped clothing.They are holding a round object between them, which might be the moon.
该印章上画的是两个面对面穿条纹衣服的男人。中间拿着一个圆形物品，似乎是月亮。
Weksler-Bdolah says the meaning of the image is unclear.Archaeologists know that the moon was considered an object of worship in neighboring cultures.Yet this does not explain why the image would show the governor of Jerusalem in what appears to be a position of worship, showing respect to the moon.
韦克斯勒·波多拉赫称这个形象的含义还不清楚。考古学家认为月亮在邻近文化中是一个受人崇拜的事物。然而这并不能解释为什么这个形象意味着耶路撒冷总督处在一个很令人崇拜的位置，表达着对月亮的尊敬。
The archeologists discovered the clay object some time last year while they were examining dirt from the dig in Jerusalem’s Old City.
考古学家是去年在耶路撒冷老城检测挖掘地的土壤时发现的这个粘土印章。
The seal impression does not have the name of Jerusalem on it.Yet archaeologists say the area where the impression was found proves that it shows a Jerusalem governor.They say it also proves that the city has been an important center of a Jewish state for around 3,000 years.
