专家利用现代扫描技术破解了一个四字母密码，打开了威尔士海岸外一处沉船出土的古老挂锁。
Experts have cracked a four-letter code to open an ancient padlock from a shipwreck off the Welsh coast using modern scanning technology.
这把距今400年的黄铜锁于1999年由金属探测爱好者彼得·休斯在波特塔尔伯特马格拉姆附近的沙滩上发现。
The 400-year-old brass lock was discovered by metal detectorist Peter Hughes in the sand near Margam in Port Talbot, in 1999.
它属于“安·弗朗西斯号”沉船宝藏的一部分。该船于1583年12月28日从西班牙返航途中遭遇风暴沉没，货物在沙下沉睡了几个世纪。
It forms part of a wider treasure hoard from the Ann Francis ship that was caught in a storm on 28 December 1583 on the way back from Spain. Its cargo was hidden beneath the sand for centuries.
博物馆专家利用CT扫描检查锁的内部结构，确定正确的字母组合，解开了谜团。
Museum experts have used CT scanning to examine the lock's internal mechanism, identify the correct letter combination and solve the mystery.
来自马埃斯特格的彼得·休斯表示，这把挂锁是他在莫尔法海滩搜寻数十年后发现的数百件文物之一。
Peter Hughes, from Maesteg, said the padlock was one of hundreds of artefacts he found after decades of searching on Morfa beach.
锁在一批西班牙银币和两个钱秤附近被发现，推测它可能用于保护这些物品，或锁住装有贵重物品（如文件或纺织品）的箱子，但这些物品未能保存下来。
Found near a collection of Spanish silver coins and close to two coin weights, it is thought the lock may have protected these objects or secured a chest containing valuable items that did not survive, like documents or textiles.
“纯属偶然——那天休假。我带着金属探测器在海滩上散步，发现了一枚硬币，”这位69岁老人说。
"It was by chance - a day off. I was walking along the beach with my metal detector on a day off, and I came across a coin," the 69-year-old said.
“从那开始，历经了21年。”他说，威尔士国家博物馆和卡迪夫大学的专家团队破解了挂锁密码，他感到“欣喜若狂”，因为他自己花了数年试图解开这个谜题却未果。
"That was the start of a journey that lasted 21 years." He said he was "delighted" that the expert team at Amgueddfa Cymru and Cardiff University cracked the padlock code after he spent years trying to solve the mystery himself.
“我尝试打开它约20年，拨动转盘、寻找正确组合，但都失败了，”他说。
"I tried to unlock it for about 20 years, I tried moving the dials, finding the right combinations, and I failed," he said.
“但在现代技术帮助下，我们破解了类似‘达芬奇密码’般的谜题。
"But with the aid of modern technology we've been able to crack what's like the Da Vinci code, really.
“对我来说，这就像打开了约柜，我欣喜若狂，激动不已。”卡迪夫大学工程学院研究员大卫·威廉姆斯博士表示，受邀用扫描设备尝试解谜时，他持“怀疑态度”。“颇具挑战，我们现有的设备并非为此特定用途设计，”他说。
"For me, it's like opening the Ark of the Covenant, and I'm delighted, truly thrilled." Dr David Williams, a research associate based at Cardiff University's School of Engineering, said he was "sceptical" when he was asked to use a scanning device to try and solve the mystery. "It's challenging, the device we have is not designed to this particular purpose," he said.
“这是微型CT扫描，就是医院里做的那种，只是针对更小的物品。”威廉姆斯说，他“总是乐于接受挑战”，想要“解开一个谜题”。
"This is micro CT scanning, something you'd get at the hospital, but for smaller items." Williams said he was "always open to a challenge" and trying to "figure out a puzzle".
“我们先做了一次扫描，看能不能看到什么，结果发现能看到字母，我们非常惊讶，”他说。
"We did a first scan to see if we could see anything and we were quite surprised that we could see letters," he said.
“第二次扫描彻底失败了，但第三次扫描我们尝试了不同的方法，破解出了密码。
"The second scan went terribly, but with the third scan, we tried a different approach, and figured out the code.
“我惊呆了，我们竟然真的破解了。”休斯于2017年将这批文物移交给威尔士国家博物馆，该藏品连同这把锁于2026年7月在斯旺西滨海博物馆展出。
"I was blown away that we actually cracked it." Hughes passed on the hoard of artefacts to Amgueddfa Cymru in 2017, and the collection, with the lock in the centre, was put on display at Swansea Waterfront Museum in July 2026.
高级策展人阿拉斯泰尔·威利斯说，发现这个拼出“ANCE”的密码“令人难以置信”。“这非常复杂，因为组合太多了，”他说。
Senior curator Alastair Willis said the discovery of the code, which spells out ANCE, was "incredible". "It's really complex because there are so many combinations," he said.
“共有四个不同的环，每个环上有六个不同的字母，因此共有1296种不同的组合，而且必须确保它们与顶部的环对齐。”他在威尔士国家博物馆的同事、高级策展人希安·艾尔斯说，这把锁“保存状况极佳”，勾勒出了那个时代的图景。
"There are four different rings, and because there are six different letters on each of the rings, there are 1,296 different combinations, and you have to make sure they're aligned with the loop at the top." His colleague at Amgueddfa Cymru, senior curator Siân Iles, said the lock was in "excellent condition" and paints a picture of the period.
“这是一个极好的例子，至今仍能像几百年前一样发挥作用，”她说。
"This is a wonderful example of one that still functions as it would have done hundreds of years ago," she said.
“因为它是在安·弗朗西斯号沉船附近被发现的，且与该藏品的所有材料在一起，它提供了非常好的背景，让我们能够非常精确地给它定年。
"Because it was found so close to the wreck of the Ann Francis and with all the material that's part of that collection, it provides a really good context, it allows us to really tightly date it.
“我见过其他的，通常都锈蚀严重且残缺不全，但这把锁保存得极好。
"I've seen others, and they're usually corroded and in different parts, but it was in wonderful condition.
“它是个小物件，所以很可能是个箱子锁或小盒子锁，我们不知道里面装的是什么，这也是故事的一部分，有些事情我们永远无法知晓，但它对知道密码的那个人来说，一定意味着什么。”根据1996年《宝藏法》，宝藏有多种定义。
"It's a small object so it probably would have been a lock for a chest or a small box, we don't know the content, and that's part of the story, there are some things we'll never know, but it's something that would have meant something to the person who knew that code." Treasure has a variety of definitions, as per the Treasure Act of 1996.
在威尔士，如果您发现宝藏，必须在首次发现之日起14天内，或在意识到某件物品可能属于宝藏之日起14天内，向发现联络官报告，即使您已持有该物品较长时间也是如此。
In Wales, if you find treasure it must be reported to a Finds Liaison Officer within 14 days of first finding it or within 14 days of realising an item might be treasure, even if you have had it for longer.
只有被官方认定为宝藏的物品才需要报告，不报告者将面临罚款或最高三个月监禁。苏格兰和北爱尔兰有不同的规定。
Only items officially defined as treasure need to be reported and there is a fine or up to three months in prison for not reporting. There are different rules for Scotland and Northern Ireland.
报告发现后，发现联络官或博物馆馆长将与您联系，询问您发现该物品的方式和地点。
After a find is reported, you will be contacted by either a Finds Liaison Officer or museum curator to talk about how and where you made the find.
随后，发现联络官或博物馆馆长将撰写一份关于该发现的报告，验尸官将举行死因研讯。
The Finds Liaison Officer or museum curator will then write a report on the find and the coroner will hold an inquest.
发现联络官将协助您请专家对钱币进行评估，以确定其是否符合1996年《宝藏法》中“宝藏”的法律定义。
The Finds Liaison Officer will help you get the coins assessed by experts to determine if they meet the legal definition of "treasure" under the Treasure Act 1996.
如果博物馆想要该宝藏，宝藏估价委员会将请专家对发现物进行估价。
If a museum wants the treasure, the Treasure Valuation Committee will ask an expert to value the find.
他们将向文化、媒体和体育大臣建议该宝藏的价值，以及应分配给有资格分享奖励的任何人的金额。
They will recommend to the Secretary of State for the Department for Culture, Media and Sport how much the treasure is worth and how much should go to anyone eligible for a share of a reward.