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超级大国的兴衰(视频+MP3+中英字幕) 第56期:昔日的罗马(5)

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By the 300s BC, the Romans had

到公元前300年
latched onto a legend about the hero Aeneas,
罗马人抓到一个关于埃涅阿斯的传奇
illegitimate son of the love goddess Venus
埃涅阿斯是爱之女神维纳斯的配偶
and one of the Trojan army's greatest fighters.
他是特洛伊战争中最伟大的战士之一
After Troy was sacked,
在特洛伊被洗劫后
Aeneas had wandered the Mediterranean
埃涅阿斯漫游到地中海

昔日的罗马.png

finally winding up in Italy,

最终停留在意大利
where he founded a few cities
在这里,他建立了一些城市
and was worshipped as a god after he died.
在死后,被人们崇拜,奉为神灵
The Romans quote/unquote discovered
罗马人发现
that Aeneas had been a distant ancestor of Romulus,
埃涅阿斯是罗慕路斯的一位远方祖先
which not only made the Romulus myth sound better,
这不仅美化了罗慕路斯的神话
but it made Rome's founder a direct descendent
而且让罗马的建立者成为
of an ancient Greek goddess. Woot.
古老希腊女神的直系后代
Historically, Rome started out
在历史上,罗马最初
as one of roughly 50 villages in Latium,
是Latium的五十多个乡镇中的一个
again, a region in the west-central area
这个地方位于现在意大利的
of what is now Italy.
西中部地区
Rome had an advantageous location.
罗马所处的位置非常有利
The original settlements
最终形成罗马的
which eventually merged to form Rome
原始定居点
existed on 7 little hills.
位于七所小丘上
Capitoline, Caelian, Aventine,
卡皮托尔山,西莲,阿文丁,山帕拉蒂尼山
Palatine, Quirinal, Viminal, and Oppian,
奎里纳勒山,维米纳尔山和奥本山
I just named them, so I can say I named them,
我把这七丘的名字说出来了
surrounding a nasty little swamp
环绕着小沼泽
right in the middle.
沼泽正好位于中央
This same cluster of hills also overlooked
同样,这群山俯视
a crossing of the Tiber River,
台伯河的交叉口
offering the little settlements
提供了
both water and land transportation.
水和交通
Once the sewer was built
一旦建立了下水道
to drain the swamp in the middle,
通向中间沼泽的排水道
the Romans had a forum
罗马举办了一次讨论
and they were ready to have a great city.
他们准备好建立一座伟大的城市
The first century BC, historian Livy recognized
公元前一世纪,历史学家李维认识到
Rome's advantageous location.
罗马有利的地形
He places these words into a speech
他把这些发现放在
by the General Camillus,
卡美卢斯将军的一次演讲中
who was bane of the Etruscans
这位将军是伊特鲁利亚人的天敌
and who had saved Rome from the Gauls.
从高卢人时期就开始为罗马服务
And here's what Camillus says
以下是卡美卢斯所说的
"not without reason did Gods and men
众神和众人选择这里建立我们的城市
choose this spot for the site of our city.
不是没有理由的
The healthful hills, the river to bring us
美丽的山和台伯河得水
produce from the inland regions
让我们能在内陆进行耕种
and oversee commerce from abroad,
也能进行海外贸易
the sea itself, near enough to be convenient,
海洋离我们很近,提供便利
but not yet so near to bring danger
但是又没有太近,不会
from foreign fleets,
给我们带来海外舰队的威胁
our location right in the heart of Italy.
我们处在意大利的中心
All these advantages make this the best place
这些优势让罗马成为
of all places in the world
世界上最好的地方
for a city destined to grow great."
这里注定会成为伟大之地
Livy's account comes at the tail
李维所写的话是在
of some very interesting developments in Rome.
罗马一些有趣的发展之后
Rome had already established herself
罗马当时已经是
as the leading city in the region of Latium,
Latium地区的佼佼者
and was now fighting it out
当时正在和北方不同的
with various Etruscan cities to the north.
伊特鲁利亚城市打仗
As we will see,
我们会看到
it took a great deal of time and effort
罗马人花费了大量时间和精力
for the Romans to make themselves masters of Italy.
才成为意大利的主人
And their biggest immediate threat
他们最大的威胁
was posed by the same funky people
来自
known as the Etruscans.
伊特鲁利亚人
Where the Etruscans came from,
伊特鲁利亚人的来历
not even the Etruscans themselves knew for sure.
即使他们自己都无法确定
They were already established
公元前800年
on the Italian peninsula by 800 BC.
伊特鲁利亚人就出现在意大利半岛上
And they lived in fortified city-states,
他们居住在统一标准的城邦国中
each pretty independent,
互相独立
protected by a strong military.
受到强大军队的保护
The Etruscans were way ahead
伊特鲁利亚人领先于
of the village dwelling Latins,
居住在乡镇的拉丁人
and I include the Romans here,
包括罗马人
they were way ahead of the Latins,
他们远远领先于拉丁人
culturally and scientifically.
无论是科技还是文化方面
The Etruscans dominated huge parts of central Italy,
伊特鲁利亚人统治意大利中心的大部分地区
again including Latium and Rome
包括Latium和罗马
until the end of the 500 BC.
这种情况持续到公元前500年

重点单词   查看全部解释    
threat [θret]

想一想再看

n. 威胁,凶兆
vt. 威胁, 恐吓

 
inland ['inlənd]

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adj. 内陆的,国内的
adv. 内陆地

 
sewer ['səuə,'sjuə]

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n. 下水道,阴沟,裁缝师

联想记忆
bane [bein]

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n. 祸害,祸根

联想记忆
oversee ['əuvə'si:]

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vt. 监督,监管,监视

 
dwelling ['dweliŋ]

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n. 住处

 
advantageous [.ædvən'teidʒəs]

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adj. 有利的,有助的,有益的

联想记忆
peninsula [pi'ninsjulə]

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n. 半岛

联想记忆
convenient [kən'vi:njənt]

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adj. 方便的,便利的

 
illegitimate [.ili'dʒitimit]

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adj. 非法的,私生的,不合规则的

联想记忆

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