纪录片《大英博物馆世界简史》 014玉斧（8）

It had to be broken up like the body, or buried like the body, and we do have hundreds-if not thousands-of axes in Britain that appear to have been given that kind of treatment;

它需要像尸体一样被分解，或是像尸体一样被埋葬。在英国曾有成百上千的斧头被这样处理:

buried in graves, deposited in ritual ceremonial enclosures, and even thrown into rivers.

埋在坟墓里，放在祭祀的场地里，或是扔进河里。

That our axe has no signs of wear and tear is surely a consequence of the fact that its owners chose not to use it.

我们的斧头全无使用过的痕迹，这一定是因为它的主人并不打算使用它。

This axe was designed to make a mark not on the landscape but in society, and its function was surely to be aesthetically pleasing.

制造它的本意不是用来砍伐山林，而是要在社会中留下记号，发挥让人愉快的美学功能。

Its survival in such good condition suggests that people six thousand years ago found it just as beautiful as we do today.

它保存得如此完好，表明六千年前的人们同我们一样欣赏它的美丽。

Our love of the expensive, the exquisite and the exotic, has a very long pedigree.

我们对奇珍异宝的喜爱确实由来已久。