Many people believe that the skull sitting on a shelf at the International Mozarteum1 Foundation in Vienna, Austria, for the past 100 years is that of Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart. Researchers now hope that modern science will determine whether the skull is indeed that of the great composer2.
Scientists recently opened a vault3 in the Austrian city of Salzburg, where some of Mozart's relatives are buried. Scientists believe one of those in the tomb was Mozart's 16-year old niece, Jeanette.
Scientists hope to extract4 and compare the DNA from Jeanette's remains with the DNA from the skull. DNA contains genes, which determine a person's inherited5 characteristics6, such as eye and hair color.
If the DNA from the body matches the DNA from the skull, scientists will have proved that the skull that has been at the foundation all these years is the skull of Mozart.
Mozart was a musical genius whose compositions enthralled7 both royalty and common people. He died in 1791, when he was 35. Mozart died poor and was buried in an unmarked pauper's8 grave in Vienna.
Although the location of the grave had been a secret, a gravedigger apparently knew where it was. According to legend, the gravedigger took Mozart's skull, minus9 the jawbone10, from the crypt11.
Stephan Pauly, director of the Mozarteum, said the skull came to the foundation in 1902, where it has been kept from public view. The foundation was set up in 1880 to honor Mozart and his work.
“There's been several different examinations carried out [on the skull], but none has offered conclusive evidence12 as to whether it belongs to Mozart,” Pauly told The Associated Press13.
Some scientists, including Herber Ullrich, are skeptical14 that the skull is that of Mozart.
“I examined a cast15 of the skull in 1999,” he told a reporter. “All the characteristics of the skull suggest it belonged to a woman.”
很多人都认为近百年来保存在奥地利维也纳国际莫扎特基金馆橱柜中的头骨是沃尔夫冈·阿玛蒂斯·莫扎特的。而今研究者们希望现代科技能够鉴定这个头骨是否确属这位伟大的作曲家。
最近科学家们开启了奥地利萨尔茨堡的一间墓室，莫扎特的一些亲属就葬在那里。科学家们认为墓中有一位就是莫扎特16岁的侄女简尼特。
科学家们希望提取和比对简尼特遗骸与莫扎特头骨的DNA。DNA含有的基因决定一个人的遗传特征，比如眼睛和头发的颜色。
如果遗骸和头骨中的DNA匹配，科学家们就可以证实基金馆保存多年的头骨确属莫扎特。
莫扎特是个音乐天才，他的作品雅俗共赏。1791年仅35岁的莫扎特与世长辞，死时身无分文，葬在维也纳一片无名的贫民墓地。
尽管墓地的位置是一个秘密，但掘墓人清楚地知道它在哪儿。传说掘墓人从墓穴中拿走了莫扎特失去了下颚的头骨。
据莫扎特基金馆馆长斯蒂芬·包里说，这个头骨1902年归属基金会，之后没有公开展出。基金会是1880年为纪念莫扎特及其作品而创立的。
包里对美联社称：“对头骨做过好几种不同的检测，但是对于头骨是否真为莫扎特还没有确证。”
不过包括西伯·乌尔里希在内的一些科学家都怀疑头骨是否属于莫扎特。
他对记者称：“1999年我检测过一小块脱落的头骨，所有特征都表明它属于女性。”
1. Mozarteum 莫扎特博物馆
2． composer n． 作曲家
3． vault ] n． 墓穴，墓室
4． extract v． 提取
5． inherited adj． 遗传的
6． characteristic n． 特征
7． enthrall v． 迷惑，迷住
8． pauper n． 贫民，乞丐
9． minus prep． (非正式用语)没有
10． jawbone n． 下颚骨
11． crypt [kript] n． 地窖，墓穴
12． conclusive evidence确证
13． Associated Press美联社，美国一通讯社
14． skeptical adj． 怀疑
15． cast n． 脱落物