富蘭克林北極探險沉船上發(fā)現(xiàn)的新文物

富蘭克林北極探險沉船上發(fā)現(xiàn)的新文物

A collaborative team of researchers continues to piece together the circumstances underlying the mysterious disappearance of Sir John Franklin’s ill-fated expedition in search of the Northwest Passage. Now, underwater archaeologists unveil more than 350 newly recovered artifacts from HMS Erebus, one of two ships lost in the Arctic waters.

一個由研究人員組成的協(xié)作團(tuán)隊繼續(xù)拼湊約翰·富蘭克林爵士為尋找西北航道而進(jìn)行的不幸的探險神秘失蹤背后的情況。現(xiàn)在，水下考古學(xué)家公布了從HMS Erebus上發(fā)現(xiàn)的350多件新文物，這是兩艘在北極水域失蹤的船只之一。

The mission makes up the largest, most complex underwater archaeological recoveries in Canadian history. Over three weeks in the fall of 2019, Parks Canada’s Underwater Archaeology Team conducted 93 dives on HMS Erebus, logging nearly 110 hours. Divers used both traditional and innovative strategies to remove sediment from the buried artifacts so that they were able to map, photograph, and recover items including epaulets from a lieutenant’s uniform, ceramic dishes, a hairbrush with a satinwood handle and either boar or porcupine bristles, as well as a pencil case with its contents still inside. A number of recovered items believed to belong to the captain’s steward, Edmund Hoar, were also recovered, including sealing wax with a fingerprint.

該任務(wù)是加拿大歷史上最大、最復(fù)雜的水下考古發(fā)現(xiàn)。在2019年秋季的三周時間里，加拿大帕克斯水下考古隊在HMS Erebus上進(jìn)行了93次潛水，記錄時間接近110個小時。潛水員采用了傳統(tǒng)和創(chuàng)新的策略來清除埋藏文物中的沉淀物，這樣他們就能夠繪制地圖、拍攝照片，并回收物品，回收的物品包括中尉制服上的肩章、陶瓷餐具、金木柄的梳子、野豬或豪豬的鬃毛，還有一個鉛筆盒，里面的東西還在。一些被認(rèn)為屬于船長的管家埃德蒙德·霍爾的物品也被找到了，包括帶有指紋的封蠟。

Underwater archaeologists used a combination of traditional and innovative strategies to recover the artifacts. Parks Canada’s Underwater Archaeology Team

The items are currently housed at Parks Canada’s Conservation Laboratories in Ottawa where they are undergoing preliminary analysis that includes identifying their physical characteristics, conducting X-rays, creating illustrations and photographing of the items.

這些文物目前存放在渥太華的加拿大公園保護(hù)實(shí)驗室，在那里他們正在進(jìn)行初步的分析，包括鑒定它們的物理特征，進(jìn)行x光掃描，制作插圖和對這些文物進(jìn)行拍照。

Last August, Parks Canada released never-before-seen footage of HMS Terror, the sister-ship of Erebus. The two ice-strengthened vessels left the River Thames in London in 1845 under the command of Captain John Franklin, who was attempting his third voyage in search of a Northwest Passage connecting the Atlantic and Pacific Oceans. Two months after setting sail, the vessels were seen in Baffin Bay east of the passage entrance before disappearing with all 129 crew members. For the last 170 years, a trail of clues and oral accounts have allowed experts to piece together what may have happened to the expedition. Notes left by the crew explain that many of them survived for two years, living off their supplies of tinned food while their numbers slowly diminished, including Captain Franklin who died in June 1847. By April 1848, the remaining crew decided to walk towards the Canadian mainland, where Inuit reports describe seeing horribly thin white men. None of them survived, and mystery still surrounds the loss.

去年8月，加拿大公園發(fā)布了一段從未公開過的HMS Terror的視頻。1845年，在約翰·富蘭克林船長的指揮下，這兩艘由冰加固的船只離開了倫敦的泰晤士河，當(dāng)時富蘭克林船長正在嘗試他的第三次航行，尋找一條連接大西洋和太平洋的西北航道。起航兩個月后，這些船只出現(xiàn)在通道入口以東的巴芬灣，隨后連同全部129名船員一起消失。在過去的170年里，一系列的線索和口頭描述讓專家們拼湊出了探險隊可能發(fā)生的事情。船員留下的筆記解釋說，他們中的許多人存活了兩年，靠罐頭食品為生，而他們的數(shù)量卻在慢慢減少，其中包括死于1847年6月的富蘭克林船長。到1848年4月，剩下的船員決定步行前往加拿大大陸，因紐特人報告說，他們在那里看到了瘦得可怕的白人。他們無一人幸存，至今仍是個謎。

The discovery of the crew’s artifacts contributes a deeper understanding of historical and Inuit oral accounts of the Franklin expedition.

船員手工藝品的發(fā)現(xiàn)有助于加深對歷史和因紐特人對富蘭克林遠(yuǎn)征的口頭描述的理解。

“The sheer volume of discoveries this year at HMS Erebus is an exciting development in our ongoing work at the Wrecks of HMS Erebus and HMS Terror National Historic Site,” said William Beveridge, Executive Director Inuit Heritage Trust, in a statement. “As more stories of the Franklin Expedition and its association with Inuit are revealed through these latest discoveries, the Trust will continue to incorporate Inuit Qaujimajatuqangit in the preservation, presentation, and management of these artifacts with our partners in Parks Canada."

因紐特遺產(chǎn)信托基金會執(zhí)行理事威廉·貝弗里奇在一份聲明中說:“今年埃里伯斯號的發(fā)現(xiàn)數(shù)量之多，對于我們正在進(jìn)行的對埃里伯斯號沉船和恐怖國家歷史遺址的調(diào)查工作來說，是一個令人興奮的進(jìn)展。隨著富蘭克林探險隊及其與因紐特人之間的更多故事通過這些最新發(fā)現(xiàn)被揭露，基金會將繼續(xù)與我們在加拿大公園的合作伙伴一起，將因紐特人Qaujimajatuqangit納入這些文物的保護(hù)、展示和管理中。”

Today, the locations of the two vessels have been designated a National Historic Site jointly managed by Parks Canada and Inuit leaders. It is not open to the public and a permit is required to enter the protected areas.

今天，這兩艘船的位置已被指定為國家歷史遺址，由加拿大公園和因紐特人的領(lǐng)導(dǎo)人共同管理。它不向公眾開放，進(jìn)入保護(hù)區(qū)需要許可證。

A pair of Royal Navy lieutenant’s epaulets recovered from the wreckage of the HMS Erebus. Parks Canada’s Underwater Archaeology Team

A piece of sealing wax bearing a fingerprint recovered from the wreckage of the HMS Erebus. Parks Canada’s Underwater Archaeology Team

A closed bottle of perfume recovered from the wreckage of the HMS Erebus. Parks Canada’s Underwater Archaeology Team

A hairbrush recovered from the wreckage of the HMS Erebus. Parks Canada’s Underwater Archaeology Team

A pencil case and its contents recovered from the wreckage of the HMS Erebus. Parks Canada’s Underwater Archaeology Team