Name: 古埃及。世界歷史速成班#4 (Ancient Egypt: Crash Course World History #4)
Uploaded: 2021-01-14T04:16:35.000Z
Duration: 11 min 55 s

Hi there, my name’s John Green and this is Crash Course: World History, and today we’re

嗨大家好，我是 John Green，而你正在收看的是 Crash Course：世界歷史，今天我們

Ancient Egypt is probably the most influential of the river valley civilizations.

古埃及可能是流域文明中最具影響力的。

Like you might not recognize any Assyrian Kings or Assyrian language,

就像你或許不認得任何一個亞述國王或亞述語言

不過你應該知道圖特國王是誰。

And you may recognize that the Eye of Horus is right now staring at me and judging me.

而且你可能認得荷魯斯之眼，祂現在正注視著我並審判我。

我能夠感受到，我能夠感受到祢的審判。

When we think of Ancient Civilizations, we think of Egypt. There are a few reasons for

當我們想到古文明，我們就會聯想到埃及。這是有幾個原因的

this, like the fact that the pyramids are the last man standing among the Seven Ancient

Wonders of the World. But more importantly, Ancient Egyptian civilization lasted from

碩果僅存的。但更重要的是，古埃及文明從西元前

3000 BCE to 332 BCE. That’s a period that historians call a long-ass time. And I will

3 千年持續到西元前 332 年。歷史學家稱此一時期為「long-ass time」。我必須

remind you it is not cursing if you're talking about donkeys.

提醒你這並不算是粗話，如果你指的是驢子的話。

So there are many approaches to the study of history. You could view history as a millennial

研究歷史的方法很多，你可以將歷史視為千禧年

long conversation about philosophy or as clashes between great men or you can see history through

關於哲學的一場漫長談話，或是偉人間的衝突，抑或是透過

the lens of traditionally neglected populations, like women or indigenous peoples or slaves.

傳統上那些被忽視的人們的視角，那些女性、原住民和奴隸們。

And we’re going to try to take many approaches to our study of history during Crash Course.

而我們將在 Crash Course 中儘可能嘗試不同的方法來研究歷史。

Mr. Green, Mr. Green, which approach is right? I mean, for the test.

Mr. Green，Mr. Green，哪一種方式是對的？如果是為了應付考試的話。

Oh me-from-the-past. Remember how you spent all of third year French writing notes back

噢，從前的我。記得你是如何利用整個三年級的法文課和那個女孩

and forth to that girl and she eventually agreed to go out with you and you did make

互傳紙條，而她終於同意與你約會而你們也真的發展到

it to second base but now you can hardly parle un mot de francais?

二壘，可是你現在卻連法文都不會？

Historical lenses are like that, my friend: With every choice, something is gained and

我的朋友，歷史鏡頭也是如此：伴隨每一個選擇，你得到一些也

Right, so in discussing agriculture and early civilizations, we’ve been approaching history

好的，所以在討論農業和早期文明時，我們一直以資源分配

through the lens of resource distribution and geography.

And just as the violent and capricious Tigris and Euphrates rivers shaped the worldview

正如猛烈而善變的底格里斯河和幼發拉底河塑造出早期美索不達米亞人

of early Mesopotamians, the Nile shaped the world view of the Egyptians. Let’s go to

的世界觀，尼羅河也塑造出埃及人的。讓我們來看一下

The Nile was regular, navigable, and benign, making for one of the safest and richest agricultural

尼羅河是一條有系統、可航行、良性的，世界最安全、最肥沃的

areas in the world. Each summer the river flooded the fields at precisely the right

農業區之一。每年夏天尼羅河會在準確的時間點淹沒

time, leaving behind nutrient-rich silt for planting season.

田地，為播種季節留下養分充足的淤泥。

Planting was so easy that Egyptians just tossed seeds around the silty earth and then let

栽種是如此地容易，埃及人只需將種子隨手扔在淤泥上並讓

their cattle or pigs walk on it to press the seeds into the ground, and then boom, grain

牛隻或豬隻在上面行走，將種子壓入土壤中，於是就有穀子

and figs and wheat and pomegranates and melons and joy.

、無花果、小麥、石榴、甜瓜和喜悅。

Unlike most river valley civilizations, Egyptian communities existed ONLY along the Nile, which

與絕大多數的流域文明不同，埃及人的社會僅存與尼羅河沿岸一帶，那裡

was navigable enough to get valuable resources downstream from timber to gold, which the

能夠通船，順流而下可以獲取從木材到黃金不等的珍貴資源。埃及人

Egyptians considered the divine metal, thereby introducing an idea that would eventually

提出一個想法，將黃金視為神聖的金屬，而此一想法最終在圖特國王

The Nile is also easily tamed. While other river valley civilizations needed complicated

尼羅河也很容易開發。當其他流域文明需要複雜

and labor-intensive hydraulic engineering projects to irrigate crops, the Nile was so

且勞力密集的水利工程來灌溉農作物時，尼羅河是那麼

chill that Egyptians could use a simple form of water management called basin irrigation,

地平靜，埃及人只需利用一個叫做「盆地灌溉」的簡易水資源管理模式

in which farmers used floodwaters to fill earthen basins and canals for irrigation.

農人藉由洪水填滿土盆及運河來灌溉。

In short, the awesomeness of the Nile meant Egyptians could create big food surpluses

總之，尼羅河的絕妙之處在於埃及人能夠付出較少的勞力

with relatively little work, allowing time and energy for some pretty impressive projects.

創造出大量豐餘的食物，讓他們能夠將時間和精力運用在其他令人讚嘆的工程上。

Also, the Nile may help explain the ancient Egypt’s general optimism :

此外，尼羅河或許有助於解釋古埃及人普遍的樂觀態度：

While ancient Sumerian religion, for instance, saw the afterlife as this gloomy, dark place,

舉例來說，當古蘇美人的宗教認為來世是一個悲觀且黑暗的地方

Egyptians were often buried with things that were useful and pleasurable to them in life,

埃及人通常和一些生前對於他們有幫助並且帶來歡愉的東西一起埋葬

because the Afterlife was seen as a continuation of this life, which, at least if you lived

因為他們視來生為今生的延續，也就是，如果你今世生活在

尼羅河沿岸，那就已經不算太差了。

And now, my dear pupils, I shall terrorize you with the oppression of dates. No. Dates.

那麼現在，我親愛的學生們，我要以沈悶的海棗來恐嚇你們。不是，是日期。

Historians have divided Egyptian history into three broad categories. Each with their own

歷史學家將埃及歷史劃分為三大類，每個都有屬於自己

numbered dynasties. But only hardcore Egyptologists know the dynasties, and we’re not trying

的朝代編號。不過只有很厲害的埃及古物學者才知道這些王朝，而我們並沒有嘗試

The Old Kingdom lasted from 2649 to 2152;

古王國時期是從西元前 2469 年到 2152 年；

中王國時期是從西元前 2040 年到 1640 年；

And the New Kingdom, so called because it is only 3,000 years old, lasted from 1550-1070

所謂新王國時期，因為只有 3 千年的歷史，可追溯到從西元前 1550 年

In between you have a couple so-called Intermediate periods. Okay, OLD KINGDOM.

在其中還有所謂的中間時期。好的，古王國。

This was really the glory age of ancient Egypt, when we get all the stuff that will later

它真的是古埃及的輝煌時代，讓我們得到所有使印第安那瓊斯這部片

which seems like a good gig, except that it meant that he wasn’t expected to act like

這看來是個很好的演出，除了印第安那瓊斯不被期待演得像

a person, he was expected to act like a god, which in ancient Egypt means acting like the

個人，而是要像個神，對於古埃及而言就是要演得和

Nile: calm, cool, benevolent... There’s no fun it that.

尼羅河一樣：平靜、沈穩而仁慈...那並不容易。

And then of course there are the pyramids, which aside from remaining impressive to behold

當然還有金字塔，不只是看了讓人印象深刻

represent a remarkable degree of political and social control over the population, because

同時代表著對於人口高度控制的一個政治和社會，畢竟

it is not easy to convince people to devote their lives to building a sarcophagus for

要說服人們奉獻他們的生命去建造他人

The most famous pyramids were built between 2575 and 2465 BCE.

最著名的金字塔建造於西元前 2575 和 2465 年之間。

The one with the Sphinx was for Khephren;

the largest, the Great Pyramid, was built for the Pharaoh Khufu.

最大的，大金字塔，是為了法老胡夫所建造。

These pyramids were built partly by peasants who were required by Egyptian law to work

這些金字塔一部分是由農民建造，他們受到埃及法律規定每年

for the government a certain number of months per year,

and partly by slaves, but not by Moses and the Jews, who showed up on the scene long

一部分由奴隸建造，不過不是由摩西和猶太人，他們早在金字塔連八字都沒有一撇時

before pyramids were ever even a twinkle in Khufu’s eye.

This leads to an overwhelming question: Why? Why in the sweet name of Ra would anyone ever

這引出一個壓倒性的問題：為什麼？究竟為什麼會有人以神之名

Well, let’s start with Ra. So, Ra started out as a regional god, reigning over Heliopolis,

好的，讓我們先從拉開始，拉一開始是地方神祇，統治著赫利奧普里斯，

but he eventually became really central to the entire pantheon of gods of ancient Egypt.

但最終祂成為古埃及整個萬神殿的中心。

He was the god of the sun, but also the god of creation.

And the thinking was that if humans did their jobs then the pantheon of gods would maintain

當時的思想是如果人類做他們的工作，那麼眾神將維持

cosmic order, and since the pharaohs became gods upon their death, it made sense to please

宇宙秩序，而既然法老王在死後成為諸神之一，因此即便是建造金字塔

Egyptian popular religion also embraced the belief in amulets and magic and divination

埃及人的通俗信仰還包含相信護身符、魔術、占卜

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古埃及。世界歷史速成班#4 (Ancient Egypt: Crash Course World History #4)

phrase

eventually

recognize

period