ghostly shipwrecks,

幽靈沈船

and lost cities.

還有失落的城市

These aren't just wonders found in fictional adventures.

這些並不是只在虛構冒險裡才能發現的奇觀

Beneath the ocean's surface,

在海洋表面底下

there are ruins where people once roamed

有著人類曾經走過的廢墟

and shipwrecks loaded with artifacts from another time.

以及沈船上裝載著另一個時代的手工藝品

This is the domain of underwater archaeology,

這是水下考古學的領域，

where researchers discover and study human artifacts that slipped into the sea.

在這領域中研究者發現並調查人類沈入海裡的手工藝品

They're not on a treasure hunt.

他們並不是為了奪取寶藏

Underwater archaeology reveals important information

水下考古學揭露了重要的資訊

about ancient climates and coastlines,

關於古代氣候及海岸線

it tells us how humans sailed the seas,

它告訴我們人類如何在海上航行，

and what life was like millennia ago.

以及一千年以前生活是怎麼樣子

So what exactly can we find?

所以，到底我們實際上可以發現什麼呢？

At shallow depths mingled in with modern-day items,

在與現代物品混合的淺層水深，

we've discovered all sorts of ancient artifacts.

我們已經發現各種古代的手工藝品

This zone contains evidence of how our ancestors fished,

這區域包含我們祖宗以前如何捕魚的證據，

how they repaired their ships,

他們如何維修船隻、

disposed of their trash,

處理他們的垃圾、

and even their convicted pirates, who were buried below the tide line.

以及他們定罪的海盜，也被埋在潮汐線下。

And it's not just our recent history.

而且這並不僅僅只有我們近代的歷史

800,000-year old footprints were found along the shore in Norfolk, Britain.

沿著英國諾福克的海岸線上有八十萬年前留下的足跡

In these shallow depths,

在這些淺層處，

the remains of sunken cities also loom up from the seafloor,

沈沒的城市遺骸也從海底若隱若現地露出

deposited there by earthquakes, tsunamis, and Earth's sinking plates.

其因地震、海嘯還有地球沈沒中的板塊而沉到此處

Almost every sunken city can be found at these shallow depths

幾乎每一個沈沒的城市都可以在這樣的淺層深度被找到，

because the sea level has changed little in the several thousand years

因在幾千年間，海平面高度只有些許的改變

that city-building civilizations have existed.

而城市建設文明則已經存在。

For instance, in shallow waters off the coast of Italy lies Baia,

舉例來說，在義大利海岸附近的淺水區 Baia，

a Roman seaside town over 2,000 years old.

有一個超過兩千年的羅馬海邊小鎮

There, it's possible to swim among the ruins of structures

在那裡，甚至可以在殘留遺跡建築上游泳，

built by Rome's great families, senators, and emperors.

這些建築是由羅馬的名門望族、參議員及皇帝建造

And then there are shipwrecks.

那裡也有船骸

As ships grow too old for use, they're usually abandoned near shore

當船變得太舊而無法使用時，他們通常都被丟棄於近岸，

in out-of-the-way places like estuaries, rivers, and shallow bays.

在像是河口、河流及淺灘這類偏僻的地方

Archaeologists use these like a timeline to map a harbor's peaks and declines,

考古學家使用像時間軸一樣的方式去標出港口的高峰值和低潮期，

and to get clues about the historic art of shipbuilding.

並且得到造船技術的歷史線索

At Roskilde in Denmark, for example, five purposefully sunken vessels

例如，在丹麥的羅斯基勒，有五艘故意沈沒的船隻

reveal how Vikings crafted their fearsome long ships 1,000 years ago.

能揭露一千年前維京人如何打造他們那令人生畏的船隻

When we descend a bit further,

如果我們再下降一點，

we reach the zone where the deepest human structures lie,

我們可以到達人類建築所在最深的區域，

like ancient harbor walls and keys.

可以看到像是古代的港口牆及鑰匙

We also see more shipwrecks sunk by storms, war, and collisions.

我們更看到有許多因風暴、戰爭及碰撞而沈沒的船骸

We're still excavating many of these wrecks today,

現今我們仍在挖掘其中許多艘船隻

like Blackbeard's ship,

就像黑鬍子的船，

which is revealing secrets about life as an 18th century pirate.

其可以揭露 18 世紀海盜生活的秘密

But past 50 feet, there are even deeper, better preserved shipwrecks,

但在比 50 呎深的地方，甚至有更深、保存更好的船骸，

like the wreck at Antikythera,

例如在 Antikythera 的殘骸（希臘，安迪基西拉島）

which sank during the 1st century BC.

在西元前一世紀就沈船了

When it was discovered, it contained statues,

當它被發現時，它還載有雕像、

trade cargo,

貿運貨物、

and also the earliest known computer,

還有已知最早的計算機，

a mysterious device called the Antikythera mechanism

一個神秘的設備，叫做 Antikythera 機械

that kept track of astronomical changes and eclipses.

其持續紀錄天文變化以及日蝕

Today, it gives archaeologists vital information

今日，它帶給考古學家重要的資訊

about the knowledge possessed by the Ancient Greeks.

了解關於古希臘人所擁有的知識

It is in this zone that we also begin to find aircraft and submarines,

在這個區域，我們也同樣開始找到飛機殘骸以及潛水艇，

such as those from the World Wars.

像是一些出自世界大戰的

Plunging as deep as 200 feet,

深度突然來到兩百呎，

we can find some of the earliest and rarest signs of human history.

我們可以找到一些最早期、最稀有的人類歷史象徵

Prior to 5,000 years ago, there was a lot more dry land

在五千年以前，當時有更多旱地，

because glaciers trapped much of the water that now forms the sea.

因為冰河隔絕許多水量，而那些水現在則成了海

Our ancestors spread across these lands,

我們的祖先散佈在島嶼的四處，

and so on the sea floor, we find their camps,

也因如此，在海底，我們發現他們的帳篷，

stone tools,

石器，

and the bones of animals they hunted.

還有他們狩獵的動物的骨頭

These sites give us invaluable knowledge about our ancestor's migration patterns,

這些場所提供我們無價的知識，關於我們祖先移民的模式、

hunting methods,

狩獵方法、

and technologies.

以及技巧

In the deepest zone, no human has ever walked.

在最深的區域，沒有人類曾經到過

This area has been submerged since well before mankind evolved.

這些區域早在人類發展以前就已經開始下沉

The only artifacts we find are those that have drifted down from above,

我們唯一發現的人造物是從上面漂流下來的

like NASA's Saturn V rocket engines at 14,000 feet,

例如 NASA 的土星五號火箭引擎在 14,000 呎處，

and the deepest shipwrecks.

還有位置最深的船骸

The ocean is like a huge underwater museum

海洋就像是一個巨大的水下博物館

that constantly adds to our knowledge about humanity.

不斷地增添我們對人類的知識

With only a fraction of it explored,

目前只有一小部分被探索，

discoveries are sure to continue long into the future.

未來必定持續會有更多發現