Researchers' diving into dark submerged caves under Mexico's Yucatan Peninsula, found the remains of an ancient mining operation. Prehistory still holds many mysteries for researchers. The mine is one of those discoveries that opens doors and windows to that remote past. It is extraordinary quite these CINDAQ explorers found within these flooded passages. Evidence of mining ten thousand years ago. Roberto Junico is a Deputy Director at Mexico's National Institute of Anthropology and History. He applauds researchers from CINDAQ who discovered an ochre mining operation, that started 12,000 years ago. CINDAQ is the Spanish acronym of the Research Center for the aquifer system of Quintana Roo, the Mexican state that is home to Cancun.

　　It already allows us to begin to understand some of the dynamics of those early societies. What were they doing with this ochre. Ochre is a naturally-occurring, mustard-colored pigment made of sand or clay mixed with an iron oxide. Its color and properties made it popular at the time. They used it to paint themselves as some African tribes do today. They used it for medicine because ochre fights bacteria. They used it for symbolism. I love to think that this ochre was the beginning of the first artistic manifestations. Researchers found tools like hammerstones and piledrivers made of stalagmites. They explored seven kilometers and more than 100 dives to find this abandoned mine, likely submerged 8,000 years ago amid rising sea levels following the last ice age. Arash Arabasadi VOA news Washington.

　　参考翻译

　　研究人员们潜入墨西哥尤卡坦半岛下黑暗的水下洞穴，发现了一个古代采矿作业的遗迹。史前历史对于研究人员来说，仍存在许多未解之谜。这座矿场的发现能够帮助我们窥探遥远的过去。CINDAQ勘探者们在这些被淹没的通道中发现的东西非比寻常。这是一万年前人们进行矿物开采的证据。罗伯托·胡尼科是墨西哥斯国家人类学和历史研究所的副所长。他对这些CINDAQ的研究人员们表示赞许，因为他们发现了始于1.2万年前的赭石采矿作业的遗迹。CINDAQ是金塔纳罗奥州含水层系统研究中心的西班牙语缩写。金塔纳罗奥州是墨西哥的一个州，位于坎昆市。

　　这次的发现已经让我们开始了解一些早期社会的动态。了解他们开采赭石是用来做什么。赭石是一种天然形成的芥末色的颜料，由沙子或粘土与氧化铁混合而成。赭石的颜色和特性使它在当时很受欢迎。当时的人们使用赭石在自己身上勾画，就像今天的一些非洲部落一样。他们使用赭石入药，因为它能抗菌。他们还把赭石当作象征。我喜欢把赭石看作是第一批艺术表现的开始。研究人员们发现了由石笋制成的石锤和打桩机等工具。他们勘探了7公里，进行了100多次潜水，来寻找这座废弃的矿井。很可能是在八千年前，在上一次冰河时代之后，由于海平面上升，才淹没了这座矿井。

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