中國古墓中發現了世界最古老褲子

World's oldest trousers found in ancientChinese graveyard

中國古墓中發現了世界最古老褲子

NEW DELHI: Men started using trousers asfar back as 3000 years ago, new research has found. A pair of trousers wasdiscovered in an ancient graveyard in China's Tarim Basin in Xinjiang on dating showed that it was about 3000 years old making it the oldestspecimen of the trousers ever found.

新德里：一項最新研究發現，3000年前，人們就已經開始穿褲子了。中國新疆塔里木盆地的一處古墓裏發現了一條褲子。碳年份測定法表明這件褲子已經3000年之久，成爲了目前所發現的世界上最古老的褲子。

The researchers, who are from Germany andChina, suggest that the garment was developed to make it riding horses r findings are published in the journAl Quaternary International.

來自德國和中國的研究人員說，製造這件褲子的目的是爲了讓騎馬變得更輕鬆。研究結果發佈在了《國際第四紀》雜誌上。

The Tarim Basin in western China is host tothe famous Yanghai tombs, an ancient burial ground containing over 500 gravesgoing back thousands of years. Researchers found mummified corpses of two adultmales of about 40 years age, both wearing trousers. Carbon dating was used toestablish the age of the garments in the time interval between the 13th and the10th century BCE.

中國西部的塔里木盆地擁有著名的洋海墓地，這是個古老的墳場，裏面包含了500多個墳墓，歷史可追溯到幾千年前。研究人員發現了兩具40來歲的成年男子的木乃伊，都穿着褲子。用碳年份測定法檢測後發現，這兩件褲子生產於公元前13到10世紀之間。

Along with the bodies, a horse bit made ofwood, a whip, a bow and a battle-axe were also found. This suggests that thetwo men were herders and warriors, using horses for getting around. The cut ofthe trousers also indicates that they were designed to be worn by horse backriders.

隨同屍體一起被發現的還有木頭做的馬嚼子，一個馬鞭，一支弓，一把戰斧。這說明這兩名男子是牧人和戰士，利用馬作爲出行工具。這兩件褲子的剪裁也表明了是爲騎馬人專門設計的。

Each pair of trousers was made from threepieces of cloth, one for each leg and a central, crotch piece. Each had a beltmade of strings. The researchers noted that no cutting of cloth was needed aseach cloth piece was shaped on the loom. Each pant leg also had cross stitchingthat appeared to serve a purely decorative function.

每件褲子由三塊布組成，兩塊布構成褲腿，另外一塊布構成中心地帶的胯部。每件褲子都有一條由繩子做成的要帶。研究人員注意到，這些布匹上並沒有出現切割的痕跡，因爲每塊布的形狀都是在織布機上形成的。每條褲腿上還有十字繡，這應該僅僅是爲了裝飾的目的。

"The yarns of the three fabrics andthreads for final sewing match in color and quality, which implies that the weaverand the tailor was the same person or that both cooperated in a highlycoordinated way. The design of the trousers from Yanghai with straight-fittinglegs and a wide crotch-piece seems to be a predecessor of modern ridingtrousers," the researchers write in their paper.

“三塊布匹的紗線和最後的縫線在顏色和質量上都匹配，這表明織工和裁縫是同一人，或者說這兩人配合的非常好。這兩件褲子的褲腿直筒剪裁以及寬胯設計風格貌似是現代騎馬褲的先驅，”研究人員寫到。

Many historians believe that trousers wereinvented as a means of riding horses-riding for a long time can cause skinirritation and discomfort. The trousers worn by horse riders likely migrated toother people, the theory goes, who chose to adopt them for unknown reasons. Itslikely modifications were made because riding pants are not particularlycomfortable for walking or engaging in everyday life. Prior to trousers, peopleof both genders tended to wear tunics, robes, togas, etc. It is also generallybelieved that horse riding by humans began approximately 4000 years ago, whichsuggests trouser wearing began long before the two men in the Yanghai gravesitedonned theirs.

許多歷史學家認爲褲子是以騎馬褲的形式問世的——長時間的騎馬可引發皮膚刺激和不適。有一種理論認爲，這些原先爲騎馬人所穿的褲子後來傳播到了其他人手上，而這些人不知出於何故決定採用這種褲子。人們可能對騎馬褲進行了一定的修改，因爲穿着騎馬褲走路或者做事並不特別舒服。在褲子出現以前，不管男人還是女人，一般都穿束腰外衣，長袍，寬外袍等等。人們還普遍認爲人類在大約4000年前開始騎馬，這表明早在洋海古墓裏的這兩名男子穿褲子之前就已經存在穿褲子行爲了。