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Ancient Greek statue found in Xinjiang Researchers announced the discovery of a small statue in northern Xinjiang, China, recently. The metal statue is of a Greek soldier. When asked how a statue from distant Greece could have appeared in China, researchers explained that no doubt this was a result of Alexander the Great’s influence. Alexander the Great (356–323 BC) was the son of a Greek king who defeated many Greek cities in battle. At the age of twenty, Alexander himself became king after his father died. However, many cities rose up against Alexander, so he led an army to take them back. Though his army had only 3,000 troops, he won every battle and many enemy soldiers joined him. In 334 BC, he took his army, now with 42,000 men, into the Middle East and then Egypt, defeating every army that stood in his path. Then he turned his eyes east, and marched all the way to India, finding victory wherever he went. It seemed that nothing could stop him from taking control of the entire world. However, his own army grew tired of endless battles and refused to go any further, so he had to turn back. By the age of thirty, he had already occupied more land than anyone before, and it seemed that more glory was waiting ahead of him. Yet, in 323 BC, he came down with a fever and died. Since he had no son, his generals divided his vast kingdom among themselves. Alexander the Great spread the Greek culture from Europe to Africa and Asia, influencing the world for centuries to come. The statue of the Greek soldier found in northern Xinjiang probably came to China in the 4th century BC as a result of trade. Like many other ancient objects that show a Greek influence, it can now be seen in a museum in Urumqi. 新疆发现古希腊塑像 最近，研究人员宣布，在中国新疆北部地区发现了一尊小型塑像。这尊金属塑像是一名希腊士兵的造型。当被问及来自遥远希腊的塑像怎么会出现在中国时，研究人员解释说，这无疑是亚历山大大帝的影响所致。 亚历山大大帝(公元前3 5 6一公元前323年)是一位在战斗中击溃了许多希腊城邦的希腊国王之子。20岁那年，父亲死后，亚历山大自己成了国王。然而，许多城邦趁势作乱，反对亚历山大，于是他便率领一支军队夺回这些城邦。尽管他的军队仅有三千人，但是他赢得了所有战役，许多敌方士兵投靠了他。 公元前334年，他率领当时已达四万两千人的军队进入中东，接着是埃及，兵锋所至，所向披靡。然后，他又将目光转向东方，长驱直入印度，所到之处，攻无不克，战无不胜。似乎没有什么能够阻止他控制整个世界。然而，他自己的军队对无休止的战斗感到厌倦，拒绝再往前走，所以他不得不班师回朝。亚历山大30岁时便已占领了辽阔的疆域，前无古人，前面似乎还有更大的辉煌在等着他。可是，公元前323年，他发烧病倒，不治身亡。由于他没有儿子，他的将军们便瓜分了他庞大的王国。 亚历山大大帝将希腊文化从欧洲传播到非洲和亚洲，在此后的数个世纪中影响了整个世界。在新疆北部发现的希腊士兵塑像也许是在公元前4世纪因贸易而来到中国的。像许多显示希腊影响力的其他古代文物一样，它现在乌鲁木齐的一家博物馆展出。 |
