TensofthousandsofancientpicturescarvedintotherocksatoneofFrance’smostimportanttouristsitesarebeinggraduallydestroyed.Scientistsandresearchersfearthatthe36000drawingsonrocksinMontBegointheFrenchAlpsarebeingdamagedsorapidlythattheywillnotsurviveforfuturegenerations.
Themountainbelievedtohaveoncebeenasiteforprayerisscattered(散布)with4000-year-olddrawingscutintobarerock.Theyincludepicturesofcowswithhornscultivatedfields(耕地)andvariousgodsandgoddesses.Butasthepopularityofthesiteincreasesthepicturesarebeingruinedbythoughtlessgraffiti(涂鸦).
JeanClottesisthechairmanoftheInternationalCommitteeonRockArt.Hesays“Peoplethinkthatbecausethepictureshavebeentheresolongtheywillalwayscontinuetobethere.Butifthedamagecontinuesatthisratetherewillbenothingleftin50years.”
Hedescribesseeingtouristsstampingonthedrawingswearingawaytherockanddefinition(清晰)oftheartworkastheydoso.Somevisitorshesaysevencutoffpartstotakehomeassouvenirs.“Whenpeoplethinktheycan’ttakeagoodenoughphotographtheyrubthedrawingstogetaclearerpicture”hesaid.“Thedrawingsarepolishedbytheweatherandifthesunisshiningandthevisitorscan’tseethemproperlytheysimplyrubthemtomakethemlookfresher.”Otherresearchersdescribehowpeoplearrivecarryinglongstickswithsharpendstoscratch(刮)theirowndrawingsoreventheirnamesintherocks.
Butexpertsaredividedoverthebestwaytopreservethedrawings.HenrydeLumleydirectoroftheMuseumofNaturalHistoryinParisbelievesthattheonlywaytosavethesiteistoturnthewholemountainintoa“no-go”areapreventingthepublicfromgoingthereexceptonguidedtours.Otherwisehesaysnotonlywillthesitebecompletelydestroyedbutimportantresearchworkwillbereduced.
Clottesdisagrees“ThemeasuresuggestedbyHenrydeLumleyisthemostsevereandwhileitisthemosteffectiveitisalsocertaintobringaboutprotestsfrompeoplewholivethere”hesaid.“ThesitewasclassifiedasahistoricmonumentyearsagobytheMinistryofCultureandwemustdoasmuchaspossibletosavewhatisthere.”
DavidLavergnetheregionalarchitectalsowantstoavoidclosingthesite.“He
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