Shipwreck finds earliest astrolabe 沉船中发现世上最早航海星盘

Shipwreck finds earliest astrolabe 沉船中发现世上最早航海星盘

一个从一艘沉船中挖掘出的史前器物可能是目前世上发现的最早用于导航的工具。海洋考古学家说这个物体是一个“星盘”，海员在航行中用它测量太阳的高度，以确定所在位置。这个星盘是在1503年在印度洋暴风雪期间沉没的一艘葡萄牙船舰中找到的。请听报道。

The slim bronze disc was discovered during the excavation of the Esmeralda shipwreck – a Portuguese vessel that was exploring the Indian Ocean when it sank in a storm in 1503.

The object is decorated with a royal coat of arms, but laser scanning also revealed faint etchings around its edges, each separated by five degrees. It confirms that this is an astrolabe - an instrument used by mariners to measure the height of the sun above the horizon, enabling them to navigate the seas.

Only around one hundred of these items have been found, and this one most likely dates to the late fifteenth century, making it the earliest known example by several decades.

词汇表 bronze 铜的，青铜的

disc 圆盘，盘状物

excavation 挖掘，发掘

shipwreck 沉船

vessel 船，舰

sank（使）沉没了

is decorated with 用…装饰

royal coat of arms 皇家纹章

laser scanning 激光扫描

revealed 显示出了，揭露了

faint 微弱的；不清晰的

etchings 蚀刻图案

astrolabe 星盘（天文测量仪器）

mariners 水手

horizon 地平线

dates 推算出制造时间

测验 请听报道并回答下列问题。

1. How was the slim bronze disc discovered?

2. True or false: Faint etchings can be easily seen with the naked eye around the disc’s edges.

3. What is an astrolabe used for?

4. True or false: Around one hundred of these items have been found, and all of them are the earliest known astrolabes.

答案 1. How was the slim bronze disc discovered?

The slim bronze disc was discovered during the excavation of the Esmeralda shipwreck – a Portuguese vessel that was exploring the Indian Ocean when it sank in a storm in 1503.

2. True or false: Faint etchings can be easily seen with the naked eye around the disc’s edges.

False. According to the article, it was laser scanning that revealed faint etchings around its edges, each separated by five degrees.

3. What is an astrolabe used for?

The astrolabe is an instrument used by mariners to measure the height of the sun above the horizon, enabling them to navigate the seas.

4. True or false: Around one hundred of these items have been found, and all of them are the earliest known astrolabes.

False. While it is true that around 100 of these items have been found, this one most likely dates to the late fifteenth century, making it the earliest known example by several decades.