日前，美国纽约建筑工人在曼哈顿岛南端的一个新地铁站工地上发现了一段石墙遗址，这段石墙被认为属于一座17世纪末修建的守护该市的堡垒的一部分。

    据路透社12月8日报道，纽约市政管理局6日透露，这段长度超过40英尺（约12米）的石墙位于炮台公园，10英尺（约3米）深。从炮台公园可以远眺纽约港和自由女神像。

    当地地标保护委员会主席罗伯特·蒂尔尼说：“这段石墙很有可能是17世纪末到18世纪曾保护这座城市的炮台的一部分，且公园因此而得名。”

    蒂尔尼表示，这处堡垒遗址是“纽约历史的重要遗存”，市政府和纽约交通管理部门将共同努力保护这处遗址。纽约市政管理局在一份声明中说，在1625年至1780年间，炮台遗址所在地区曾修建了多座堡垒，这里发现的众多文物包括仍完好的1744年造乔治二世半便士硬币。

    1624年，荷兰东印度公司在现今纽约市所在地建立了第一块永久性欧洲殖民地。1625年，这一小块殖民地迁到了曼哈顿岛南端。根据传说，一年以后，荷兰殖民总督彼得·米缪伊特用价值60（荷兰）盾（约合24美元）的小装饰品等，从当地人手中换得了曼哈顿岛。随后，此地被改名为新阿姆斯特丹，成为由荷兰西印度公司管理的殖民地。1664年，英国人占领该地并重新命名为纽约（New York），以纪念英国国王查尔斯二世的兄弟约克公爵（Duke of York）。

    Builders working on a new subway station at the southern tip of Manhattan have found the remains of a stone wall thought to be part of a fort that protected the city in the late 17th century.

    New York City authorities said on Thursday the 40-foot section of wall had been found at a depth of around 10 feet in Battery Park, a green area that looks out on New York harbor and the Statue of Liberty.

    "This wall most likely is a portion of the gun batteries that once protected the city in the late 17th and 18th centuries and gave rise to the modern park name," said Robert Tierney, chairman of the Landmarks Preservation Commission.

    He said the city and the Metropolitan Transportation Authority would work together to preserve the remains, which were described as "an important remnant of the history of New York City."

    Among the artifacts found in the area -- where a series of forts were built between 1625 and 1780 -- was a 1744 George II half penny in very good condition, city authorities said in a statement.

    The wall was found during construction work on the new South Ferry Station underneath the park.

    "Because this project was within a historically significant area, archaeologists considered it likely that archaeological resources would be found, although no one guessed that such a large portion of the Battery could have survived," the statement said.