VOA慢速英语2021--加利利海附近发现的早期清真寺

Archaeologists in Israel say they have discovered the remains¹ of an early mosque² in the northern city of Tiberias. The Islamic prayer center is believed to date back to the earliest decades of the religion.

The mosque's foundations were excavated⁴ just south of the Sea of Galilee by a team from the Hebrew University of Jerusalem. The scientists believe it was built about a generation after the death of the Islamic prophet Mohammad. That makes it one of the earliest Muslim religious centers to be studied by archaeologists.

Katia Cytryn-Silverman is an expert in Islamic archaeology⁵ at Hebrew University and is leading the excavation⁶. She said, "We know about many early mosques⁷ that were founded right in the beginning of the Islamic period." Other mosques dating from around the same time include the Prophet's Mosque in Medina, Saudi Arabia, the Great Mosque of Damascus in Syria and Jerusalem's Al-Aqsa mosque. All are still in use today.

Cytryn-Silverman said that excavating⁸ the Tiberian mosque is a rare chance to study the early designs and structure of Muslim prayer centers.

When the mosque was built around 670 AD, Tiberias had been a Muslim-ruled city for a few decades. The city was named after Rome's second emperor around 20 AD. It was a major center of Jewish life and research for nearly five centuries. Before Muslim armies captured the city in 635, Tiberias was home to one of many Christian⁹ holy places along the coast of the Sea of Galilee.

Until recently, little was known about the city's early Muslim past.

Archaeological excavations¹⁰ around Tiberias have stopped and started for the past 100 years. In recent years, the ancient city has started yielding other monumental buildings from its past, including a large Roman theater overlooking the water and a Byzantine church.

Since early last year, the coronavirus pandemic has stopped excavations and plant life has grown over the ruins. Hebrew University and its partners, the German Protestant Institute of Archaeology, plan to restart the excavation this month.

The first excavations of the site in the 1950s led researchers to believe that the building was a Byzantine marketplace later used as a mosque.

But Cytryn-Silverman's excavations went deeper beneath the floor. Coins and ceramics¹¹ discovered in the foundations helped date them to around 660-680 AD. The building's size and rooms looked similar to other mosques from the same time period.

The first mosque built in Tiberias stood side by side with the local Jewish and Christian worship centers. Cytryn-Silverman said the earliest structure of the mosque was "more humble¹²" than a larger structure that replaced it 50 years later.

"At least until the monumental mosque was erected¹³ in the 8th century, the church continued being the main building in Tiberias," she added.

Cytryn-Silverman says this supports the idea that the early Muslim rulers — who governed a mostly non-Muslim population — were more accepting of other religions.

"They were not in a hurry to make their presence expressed into buildings. They were not destroying others' houses of prayers, but they were actually fitting themselves into the societies that they now were the leaders of," she said.

Words in This Story

archaeologists – n. people involved in the science that deals with past human life and activities by studying the bones, tools, etc., of ancient people

foundations – n. usually stone or concrete structures that support a building from underneath¹⁴

excavate³ – v. to uncover (something) by digging away and removing the earth that covers it

prophet – n. a member of some religions such as Christianity, Judaism, and Islam who delivers messages that are believed to have come from God

yielding – adj. producing an indicated amount of something

Byzantine – adj. of, relating to, or having the characteristics of a style of architecture developed in the Byzantine Empire especially in the fifth and sixth centuries featuring the dome¹⁵ carried on pendentives over a square and incrustation with marble veneering and with colored mosaics¹⁶ on grounds of gold

ceramics – n. objects made of clay that have been heated to a very high temperature so that they become hard

humble – adj. not proud; not thinking of yourself as better than other people

erected – v. built

1 remains   

n.剩余物，残留物；遗体，遗迹

参考例句：

• He ate the remains of food hungrily.他狼吞虎咽地吃剩余的食物。
• The remains of the meal were fed to the dog.残羹剩饭喂狗了。

2 mosque   

n.清真寺

参考例句：

• The mosque is a activity site and culture center of Muslim religion.清真寺为穆斯林宗教活动场所和文化中心。
• Some years ago the clock in the tower of the mosque got out of order.几年前，清真寺钟楼里的大钟失灵了。

3 excavate   

vt.挖掘，挖出

参考例句：

• They plan to excavate a large hole.他们计划挖个大洞。
• A new Danish expedition is again excavating the site in annual summer digs.一支新的丹麦探险队又在那个遗址上进行一年一度的夏季挖掘。

4 excavated   

v.挖掘( excavate的过去式和过去分词 )；开凿；挖出；发掘

参考例句：

• The site has been excavated by archaeologists. 这个遗址已被考古学家发掘出来。
• The archaeologists excavated an ancient fortress. 考古学家们发掘出一个古堡。 来自《简明英汉词典》

5 archaeology   

n.考古学

参考例句：

• She teaches archaeology at the university.她在大学里教考古学。
• He displayed interest in archaeology.他对考古学有兴趣。

6 excavation   

n.挖掘，发掘；被挖掘之地

参考例句：

• The bad weather has hung up the work of excavation.天气不好耽误了挖掘工作。
• The excavation exposed some ancient ruins.这次挖掘暴露出一些古遗迹。

7 mosques   

清真寺； 伊斯兰教寺院，清真寺； 清真寺，伊斯兰教寺院( mosque的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• Why make us believe that this tunnel runs underneath the mosques? 为什么要让我们相信这条隧洞是在清真寺下？
• The city's three biggest mosques, long fallen into disrepair, have been renovated. 城里最大的三座清真寺，过去年久失修，现在已经修复。

8 excavating   

v.挖掘( excavate的现在分词 )；开凿；挖出；发掘

参考例句：

• A bulldozer was employed for excavating the foundations of the building. 推土机用来给楼房挖地基。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• A new Danish expedition is again excavating the site in annual summer digs. 一支新的丹麦探险队又在那个遗址上进行一年一度的夏季挖掘。 来自辞典例句

9 Christian   

adj.基督教徒的；n.基督教徒

参考例句：

• They always addressed each other by their Christian name.他们总是以教名互相称呼。
• His mother is a sincere Christian.他母亲是个虔诚的基督教徒。

10 excavations   

n.挖掘( excavation的名词复数 )；开凿；开凿的洞穴（或山路等）；（发掘出来的）古迹

参考例句：

• The excavations are open to the public. 发掘现场对公众开放。
• This year's excavations may reveal ancient artifacts. 今年的挖掘可能会发现史前古器物。 来自辞典例句

11 ceramics   

n.制陶业；陶器

参考例句：

• an exhibition of ceramics by Picasso 毕加索陶瓷作品展
• The ceramics bore the imprint of Luca della Robbia. 陶器上印有卢卡·德拉·罗比亚的字样。

12 humble   

adj.谦卑的，恭顺的；地位低下的；v.降低，贬低

参考例句：

• In my humble opinion,he will win the election.依我拙见，他将在选举中获胜。
• Defeat and failure make people humble.挫折与失败会使人谦卑。

13 ERECTED   

adj. 直立的，竖立的，笔直的 vt. 使 ... 直立，建立

参考例句：

• A monument to him was erected in St Paul's Cathedral. 在圣保罗大教堂为他修了一座纪念碑。
• A monument was erected to the memory of that great scientist. 树立了一块纪念碑纪念那位伟大的科学家。

14 underneath   

adj.在...下面，在...底下；adv.在下面

参考例句：

• Working underneath the car is always a messy job.在汽车底下工作是件脏活。
• She wore a coat with a dress underneath.她穿着一件大衣，里面套着一条连衣裙。

15 dome   

n.圆屋顶，拱顶

参考例句：

• The dome was supported by white marble columns.圆顶由白色大理石柱支撑着。
• They formed the dome with the tree's branches.他们用树枝搭成圆屋顶。

16 mosaics   

n.马赛克( mosaic的名词复数 )；镶嵌；镶嵌工艺；镶嵌图案

参考例句：

• The panel shows marked similarities with mosaics found elsewhere. 这块嵌板和在其他地方找到的镶嵌图案有明显的相似之处。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• The unsullied and shining floor was paved with white mosaics. 干净明亮的地上镶嵌着白色图案。 来自辞典例句