200-300词关于玛雅文明的英文介绍

MAYACIVILIZATIONLiketheEgyptians,theMayaarewellknownfortheirpyramids,whichvaryinshape,dependingonwheretheywerebuilt.TheMayaoccupiedtheYucatanPeninsula注1andtheircivilization[文明]wasformedasearlyas1500BC.Contraryto[与……相反]popularmystery,theMayanever“disappeared”-millionsofthemstillliveintheregion,manyofwhichstillspeakoneoranotherlanguageoftheMayanfamily.TheMayaworshipped[崇拜]thegodsofnatureeveryday.Theirreligionwascharacterized[以……特色]bytheworshipofnaturegods,especiallythegodsofsun,rainandcorn.Theiramazingarchitectureremainasgreatruinsatthecenterswheretheyusedforreligiousceremonies[典礼],includingPalenque注2,UxmalandChichenItza.About300-900AD,themajorcenterslikePalenque,TikalandCopanweremysteriouslyabandoned[遗弃].Thereasonsarestillunknown.AfewcentersremainedinexistenceuntiltheSpanisharrivedinthe16thcentury.ManypeopleconsiderMayanartandarchitecturetobethemostsophisticated[精致的]andbeautifuloftheancientNewWorld.ThecarvingsatPalenqueandthestatues[雕像]ofCopanareespeciallyrefined[精制的],showingagraceandaccurateobservationofthehumanform,whichremindedearlyarchaeologists[考古学家]oftheclassicalcivilizationoftheOldWorld.Withthedecipherment[解读]oftheMayanscript,itwasdiscoveredthattheMayawereoneofthefewcivilizationswhereartistsattached[附上]theirnametotheirwork.TheMayanwritingsystemisacombinationofphonetic[语音的]symbolsandideograms[表意文字].ThedeciphermentoftheMayanwritingshasbeenalonglaborious[艰苦的]process.ShortlyaftertheEuropeanconquest[征服],theoverzealous[过分热心的]SpanishpriestshadorderedtheburningofalltheMayanbooks.However,manystoneinscriptions[碑铭]stillsurvive.Today,themajorityofMayantextscanbereadalmostcompletelyintheiroriginallanguages.TheMayadevelopedindependentlytheconceptofzeroandusedabase20numberingsystem.Theydevelopedastronomy[天文学],calendarsystemsandwriting.TheMayaalsobuiltobservatories[天文台]towatchstarsandtheyproducedextremelyaccurateastronomicalobservations.Inaddition,theywerehighlyskilledaspotters[陶工]andweavers[织工].Mayamarriageswerearrangedbyadultsandpriests,andnotasfrequentlybyacouplewhohadfalleninlove.TheMayamarriedatayoungeragethanpeopledonowadays.Whenaboyreached16,andagirlreached12,theywouldeachhaveaceremony.Theyworejewelrysuchaswhitebeads[珠子]forboysandredshellsforgirls.Attheweddingceremonythecouplewouldbeblessedbyapriest[牧师].Anditisbelieved,therewasnohoneymoonandnovows[誓言]exchanged.