ina.
的伟业。
Scholars still debate the details of how this occurred, and what unique tactics allowed the Qin emperor to achieve what no one had managed before.
秦始皇死后，葬在了中国史上最雄伟复杂的墓葬群中，这个不规则延伸，如城池般大小的地下墓穴集齐了一位帝王死后所需的一切。古中国，和包括古埃及在内的许多文明一样，相信陪葬品甚至与死者同埋的殉葬人能与死者一同往生。
When he died, Qin Shi Huang was buried in the most opulent tombcomplex ever constructed in China, a sprawling, city-size collection of underground caverns containing everything the emperor would need for the afterlife. The ancient Chinese, along with many cultures including ancient Egyptians, believed that items and even people buried with a person could be taken with him to the afterlife.
但与其让他的军队，妻妾，臣工们殉葬，秦皇想到了替身：陶土俑
But instead of burying his armies, concubines, administrators and servants with him, the Qin emperor came up with an alternative: clay reproductions.
令人震惊的发现
In 1974, a group of farmers digging wells near Xi'an, China stumbled upon one of the most shocking archaeological discoveries of all time. The life-size terracotta solider they dug out of the ground turned out to be just one of an army of thousands, each utterly unique, with individual clothing, hair and facial features.
1974年，一群农民在西安附近挖井，由此中国偶然得到了史上最让人震惊的考古学发现。他们挖出的真人大小的陶土士兵如一队上千人的军队一样，每个都非常独特，有各自不同的服饰，发型和面部表情。
For almost four decades, archaeologists have been excavating the site. So far, they've uncovered about 2, 000 clay soldiers, but experts estimate there are more than 8, 000 in total.
将近四十多年来，考古学家们一直在采掘着这处遗址。到目前为止，他们发现了2000具兵马俑，但专家估计总共应有8000多具。
"They're going to be digging there for centuries, " Romey predicted.
“他们可能要花几世纪去挖掘。”洛梅伊说道。
Still, scientists have yet to touch the central tomb, which holds a palace containing the body of Qin Shi Huang.
但是，科学家们仍未达到墓穴的中心地带，那里埋藏着一座宫殿，里面躺着秦始皇的遗体。
"It's really smart what the Chinese government is doing, " Romey told LiveScience. "When we went into [Egyptian King] Tut's tomb, think about all the information we lost just based on the excavation techniques of the 1930s. There's so much additional that we could have learned, but the techniques back then weren’t what we have now."
“中国政府的做法很睿智，”洛梅伊对《生活科学》杂志的记者说道，“当我们去埃及王图特的陵墓时，所想到的是因20世纪30年代的开采技术而失去的信息资料。我们本可以得到更多的资料，但以前没有我们现在的技术。“
"Even though we may think we have great archaeological excavation techniques right now, " she said, "who knows, a century down the road if we open this tomb, what they're going to say?"
”就算我们觉得我们现在有了先进的考古挖掘技术，“他说，”但谁知道一个世纪以后我们打开陵墓的时候，我们又会怎么说？“
The decision whether to explore the tomb anytime soon, or ever, is up to the government of China. That decision will likely be influenced by the pace of technological progress.
是否要随时挖掘或永不探索陵墓取决于中国政府。这个决定很可能会影响到采墓技术进步的进程。
"In archaeological conservation, every year you have major new developments, " Romey said. "When we began excavating [the soldiers] in the '70s, the minute they were exposed to air and sunlight, the pigment just flaked off. Now they’ve figured out a new technique where they can actually preserve the paint as they excavate."
”在考古学保护方面来说，每年你都要修习最新进展，“洛梅伊说，”当我们在70年代挖掘兵马俑的时候，它们在空气和阳光中暴露一分钟，它们身上的颜料就会剥落一分。现在科学家们已找到一种新技术能实际维持兵马俑身上的颜料，使它们一如刚出土那天。“
Perhaps, if science advances enough, that excavation wouldn't cause serious damage to the burial site, and the tomb will finally be opened. [Album: The Seven Ancient Wonders of the World]
也许，如果科学先进到足以在开采时使被埋的遗址免遭严重损毁，那陵墓也许有一天能重见天日。
"I wouldn’t be surprised if you had some sort of robotic visual survey going in there at some point, " Romey said.
”如果你有一些陵墓内部的机器成像勘测，我不会惊讶。“洛梅伊说道。
And despite their desire to protect the treasures of antiquity, archaeologists are itching with curiosity to find out what's inside Qin Shi Huang's central tomb.
而且不论他们多么想保护这座古老的珍宝，考古学家们都好奇得心痒难耐，想去发现秦始皇陵墓的中心到底藏着什么。
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