| Learning English | Đầu Lâu Pha Lê 'là đồ Dỏm ...

24 Tháng 5, 2008 - Published 15:26 GMT

Đầu lâu pha lê 'là đồ dỏm thời hiện đại'

When sculptures of human skulls made from translucent crystal began appearing in museums during the 19th Century they were presented as relics made by ancient American civilisations. But a new scientific analysis has shown that two of the most famous examples are fakes, crafted between the 19th and 20th Centuries to take advantage of a burgeoning antiquities market.

The skulls in question are held at the British Museum in London and the Smithsonian Institution in Washington DC. But they were probably manufactured using modern tools and polishing methods never available to the Aztecs or Mayans.

Who made the fake skulls is still a mystery, but some suspect a 19th Century French antiquities dealer was behind the British artefact. Archaeologists say the work should end decades of speculation over the origins of these controversial objects. But the discovery could disappoint the many enthusiasts fascinated by the beauty and sophistication of these intriguing carvings.

Paul Rincon, BBC Science Reporter

translucenthơi mờ, không trong suốt

relicsdi tích, di vật

fakeskhông phải đồ nguyên bản mà là đồ giả, đồ sao chép

craftedđược làm, được chế tạo

a burgeoning antiquities marketthị trường đồ cổ ngày càng trở nên nổi tiếng, phát triển

Aztecs or Mayansnhững nền văn minh cổ tồn tại ở nơi nay là Mexico và nam Mexico/bắc Trung Mỹ

suspectnghi ngờ, ngờ rằng

was behind đứng đằng sau, chịu trách nhiệm

artefactcổ vật, cũ, có giá trị về lịch sử

decades of speculationhàng chục năm tranh cãi, thảo luận và đồn đoán