英發掘莎翁故居糞池 探究大師生活點滴
Archaeologists believe they are on the cusp of shedding new light on the life of William Shakespeare – by digging up what may have been the playwright’s cesspit.
Experts have begun excavating the ruins of New Place, Shakespeare’s former home in Stratford-upon-Avon, which was demolished 250 years ago.
Although little remains of the property, the team, led by Birmingham Archaeology, believes it has identified a rubbish tip or cesspit used by the 16th century poet.
Fragments of pottery and broken clay pipe have already been retrieved from a muddy hole on the site, which they claim could yield some of the most significant discoveries about Shakespeare in decades.
The dig focuses on three areas of the property, which Shakespeare bought in 1597 when he returned to his home town from London having achieved fame – including the so-called knot garden at the rear of the building.
Dr Diana Owen, Director of the Shakespeare Birthplace Trust, which owns the site, said: “We do not know if the knot garden was an area used by Shakespeare – it may have been a yard simply used by his servants.
“But this could actually yield some fantastic results, especially if it was an area where rubbish was thrown or the cesspit was located.”
Kevin Colls, from Birmingham Archaeology, added: “Through documentary evidence we know Shakespeare lived at New Place but we have very little information regarding the layout of the house and gardens at this time.
“Through archaeological fieldwork, in particular the excavation of structural remains and the recovery of artefacts, we hope to fill in the blanks.
“Even the smallest sherd of broken pottery has the potential for giving us tantalising glimpses into the life of Shakespeare such as what he liked to eat and drink.”
Until October, visitors will be able to watch archaeologists and volunteers at work as they excavate the remains of the house, which was knocked down in 1759.
Experts hope to unearth evidence to support theories that Shakespeare wrote many of his most famous works at the property.
爲進一步探究英國戲劇大師威廉·莎士比亞生活的方方面面，考古學家們日前開始發掘這位劇作家故居的糞坑。
考古學家們開始挖掘的這個名叫“新居”的遺址是莎士比亞在埃文河畔斯特拉福鎮的故居，早在250年前就被拆毀。
儘管現場一片空曠，但伯明翰考古隊相信，他們已經確認莎翁在16世紀曾使用過的垃圾場或糞坑的位置。
目前，考古人員已從現場的一個泥洞中挖出一些陶器碎片和殘破的黏土管，他們稱這些東西可能會引出幾十年來有關莎士比亞的一些最有意義的發現。
這次挖掘主要集中在“新居”的三個地方，其中包括房子後面的“花結園”。“新居”是莎翁功成名就後於1597年從倫敦回到家鄉時購置的。
這處地產的所有者“莎士比亞出生地基金會”主席戴安娜•歐文博士說：“我們不知道莎士比亞是否使用過‘花結園’，可能只是他的僕人們使用過。
“但這的確會引出一些驚人的發現，尤其是如果這裏曾是垃圾場或糞坑所在地。”
伯明翰考古隊的凱文•科爾斯說：“通過文獻上的證據我們知道，莎士比亞曾居住在‘新居’，但我們對於這所房子和花園的佈局知之甚少。
“通過考古隊的實地挖掘，尤其是一些建築殘留物和相關器具，我們希望能填補這一空白。
“即便是最小的陶器碎片都可能成爲我們探究莎士比亞生活點滴的線索，比如他喜歡吃什麼，喝什麼。”
考古學家和志願者們的發掘工作將持續至今年十月份。這處房屋於1759年被拆毀。
專家們希望能通過這次發掘找到有力證據，證明莎士比亞的許多最著名的作品是在這一居所創作的說法。
Vocabulary:
cusp: 交界點，分界線，轉折點，拐點（a country on the cusp of recession 幾近衰退的國家）
cesspit: a covered hole or container in the ground for collecting waste from a building, especially from the toilets （覆蓋的）糞池，污水坑，垃圾坑
excavate: to dig in the ground to look for old buildings or objects that have been buried for a long time; to find something by digging in this way 發掘，挖出（古建築或古物）（The archaeologists excavated a buried city. 考古學家發掘出一個埋在地下的城市。）
rubbish tip: 垃圾場
artefact: an object that is made by a person, especially something of historical or cultural interest 人工製品，手工藝品（尤指有歷史或文化價值的）
sherd: a piece of broken glass, metal, etc. （玻璃、金屬等的）碎片
tantalising: arousing desire or expectation for something unattainable or mockingly out of reach 逗人的；惹弄人的；撩人的
