Red Lion: Archaeologists find London's earliest theatre 紅獅劇院：考古學傢發現倫敦最早建成的劇院

考古學傢說，倫敦最早的劇場可能是在白教堂地區（Whitechapel）的一個房屋重建項目中發現的。紅獅劇院（The Red Lion）被認為是英國伊麗莎白時代第一個專門建造的劇院，但劇院的位置一直存在爭議。

References to the theatre are tantalisingly scarce. It’s mentioned only in two lawsuits, in 1567 and 1569, between the proprietor John Brayne and the carpenters who were working on its construction, but the actual location has remained a mystery.

有關這座劇院的資料少之又少。它隻在1567年和1569年的兩起訴訟中被提及，訴訟雙方是劇院所有人約翰·佈萊恩和當時負責建造它的木匠們，但劇院的實際位置一直是個謎。

Then, in January last year, archaeologists working in east London uncovered the remains of an unusual rectangular timber structure. The dimensions match those for the stage mentioned in the lawsuits.

去年1月，在倫敦東部工作的考古學傢們發現瞭一個不同尋常的長方形木結構遺跡。這個木結構的尺寸與訴訟中提到的舞臺大小相匹配。

Dozens of postholes around the structure appear to correspond with tiers of wooden seating, which were also described in the legal documents. Bones and artefacts that were uncovered show the site went on to become a baiting pit and pub before homes and warehouses were later built on it.

這個木結構周圍的幾十個柱坑似乎與木座椅的多層結構相吻合，這些木椅層在法律文件中也有描述。挖掘出的骨頭和人工制品表明，在後來建造房屋和倉庫之前，這個地方曾一直是一個逗熊場兼酒吧。

It’s now being redeveloped with plans to incorporate a performance space near the original stage.

此地現正在重新被改建，計劃在原舞臺附近納入一個表演空間。

詞匯

scarce 稀少的，罕見的
proprietor 所有人，業主
carpenters 木工，木匠
remains 遺跡
timber 木材
dimensions 尺寸，大小
stage 舞臺
seating 座椅
uncovered 被挖掘出
baiting pit （英國伊麗莎白時代盛行的）以狗逗熊遊戲表演場

閱讀理解：請在讀完上文後，回答下列問題。

1. True or false? The Red Lion is mentioned in many historical documents.

2. What two pieces of evidence do we have to prove the theatre existed?

3. Who uncovered the remains of the theatre?

4. According to the article, what was the site used for after it was a theatre?

答案

1. True or false? The Red Lion is mentioned in many historical documents.
False. References to the theatre are tantalisingly scarce. This means it is mentioned in very few historical documents.

2. What two pieces of evidence do we have to prove the theatre existed?
They were the two lawsuits in 1567 and 1569 between the proprietor John Brayne and the carpenters who were working on its construction.

3. Who uncovered the remains of the theatre?
Archaeologists working in east London uncovered the remains of the theatre.

4. According to the article, what was the site used for after it was a theatre?
According to the article, the site went on to become a baiting pit and pub before homes and warehouses were later built on it.