The seven figures were found in a villa¹ outside the city owned by the patron（赞助人，保护人） of the celebrated² poet, Ovid.

 

They depict³ one of the myths recounted in his masterpiece, Metamorphoses, that of the proud mother Niobe.

 

The team unearthed⁴ the 2m-high figures at the bottom of what would have been a richly-decorated swimming pool.

 

It is reckoned that the statues toppled in to the pool during an earthquake and remained there for about 2,000 years.

 

In Metamorphoses, Ovid recounted many myths of transformations⁵. He wrote of Niobe, the mother of 14 children who boasted about how much more fertile she was than the goddess Leto.

 

She was punished her for her pride. Leto's two children, Artemis and Apollo, slaughtered⁶ her offspring. In her grief, Niobe turned to stone, weeping continuously.

 

The discovery of the statues raises an intriguing⁷（有趣的） question - which came first, the statues or Ovid's famous poem? 

 

Perhaps the owner of the villa ordered the making of the statues for his home after reading the tale in his favourite poet's work.

 

Or maybe it was the other way round. 

 

Maybe the statues inspired the poem. Perhaps Ovid admired them as he lounged by his patron's pool, and was moved to write of the disaster that engulfed⁸ Niobe. 

 

The archaeologists have only just announced their discovery of the statues, which are in comparatively good condition. The team described them as an "exceptional" find, the discovery of a lifetime.

点击收听单词发音