This episode is supported by 23 and Me

這一集是由「23與我」贊助播出

A long time ago, a guy built a tomb out of rocks

很久以前，有個人用岩石建造了一座陵墓

so he could live in it after he died and not be dead.

為了在他死後可以住進去那裡，繼續宣揚著自己的精神

His son was like “Hey that’s cool”

他的兒子也認為：「嘿！那點子不錯」

so he built one too.

所以他兒子也建造出另一座陵墓

Then his son was like “Me too” so he made a third and they were all buried there.

然後他兒子的兒子也說：「我也要」，所以他建造了第三座陵墓，然後他們就都葬在那

And that’s how we got this.

這就是我們之後所看到的景色

The pyramids of Giza.

吉薩金字塔

How did people who hadn’t even invented the wheel build these things, and… why?

這些人是怎麼在輪子還沒發明時就建造出這些金字塔，而他們又為何要建造金字塔呢？

They’re so big!

它們非常巨大！

They’re so precise!

它們建造得非常精準！

They’re so directionally oriented!

它們很有方向性！

They’re so mysterrrrrrious.

它們又非常的神秘

At first glance they really do look out-of-this world.

乍看之下，這些金字塔的建造真是厲害到絕世罕見

Thing is, the pyramids are much older than you probably think.

我想敘述的是，金字塔可能比你想得還要來得古老許多

They were already ancient history to people IN ancient history,

它們在古時候就被視為是古文物

which led to some pretty wild theories about how they came to be.

許多關於金字塔如何建成的荒唐言論也在那時出現

But pyramid technology didn’t just show up out of nowhere.

不過，金字塔科技不是突然出現的

It was the end product of centuries of scientific and cultural evolution of people… figuring it out.

它是幾世紀的科學和人類文化的發展所產生的結果

And it definitely wasn’t aliens.

它絕對不是由外星人建的

Early on, Egyptians buried their dead like we do.

早期的埃及人像我們一樣都會埋葬死者

The desert naturally mummified some corpses, which influenced their religious beliefs:

沙漠的自然特性使屍體被風乾，而這也影響到埃及人的宗教信仰

You need to preserve the body to reach the afterlife,

他們相信人死後的身體必須保存好，才能在達來世

and when you get there you’ll need all your stuff.

並且當你到來世時，你會擁有所有跟你一起下葬的東西

Rich people’s graves had nicer stuff, and they needed to protect their afterlife investment.

富有人家的墳墓會有比較好的東西，而他們需要保護好對於來世生活的投資

First with simple mounds, and later with mud brick “eternal houses.”

剛開始是用簡單的土堆，後來是用泥土砌成的「永恆的住處」來保護

Then a king named Djoser was like

然後，一位名叫左塞爾（埃及第三王朝的第一位法老）國王說：

“Why have one little mud mastaba when I can have six-stone mastabas in a stack?”

「如果我可以有六個石墓堆疊成的墓室，我為什麼要用一個泥土做的小石墓？」

so he stacked six stone mastabas like a mastaba boss and the age of the pyramids had begun.

所以他堆了六個泥石墓，就像是個石墓大亨一樣。因此金字塔的時代就此開始

This was literally the first time humans had piled stone this high.

這絕對是人類史上第一位有人把石頭堆疊到這麼高的高度

Egyptians knew totally vertical walls got less stable as they got taller,

埃及人早已知道，垂直牆面越高則越不穩固

so Djoser’s architect stacked bricks at an incline and let gravity do the work.

所以左塞爾的建築師以傾斜方式堆疊石塊，剩下的工作就讓地心引力來完成

Step pyramid achieved!

階梯式的金字塔已完成了！

Why pyramids and not other shapes?

為什麼是角錐形而不是其他的形狀呢？

If you want to make a big pile of blocks,

如果你用大一點的砌塊

a pyramid gets you the most stability for the least material.

逐漸縮小的砌塊往上疊，金字塔會更堅固

A third of the way up, you’ve already laid two-thirds of your stone.

剩3分之1的金字塔時，你就已堆掉了三分之二的砌塊

Halfway, you’ve placed more than 80%.

在到達頂端的路上，你已經堆疊了百分之80的砌塊

Next comes Sneferu, Mr. Pyramid.

下一個，斯尼夫魯（埃及第四王朝的第一位法老），金字塔先生

He built his own step pyramid, but then decided he wanted a smooth one instead,

他建造出自己的階梯式金字塔，但之後，他想要一個比較平穩的金字塔

so they started on a second.

所以他們又開始建造第二座

No one had ever built one of those before, so they made some mistakes.

由於這種建造方式，沒有先例可循，所以他們在建造上犯了一些錯誤

For starters, they built it on sand, which is soft, they laid blocks carelessly, and it was too steep,

在建造開始時，他們把它建在鬆軟的沙子上，隨意地堆疊砌塊，而變得非常陡峭

so halfway through they changed the slope and ended up with this.

所以蓋到一半後，他們改變了砌塊的擺放方式，結果最後變成了這副模樣

Sneferu was like “you’re not burying me in that,＂ so he ordered a third pyramid!

斯尼夫魯說：「你們別想把我埋進這種金字塔中」，所以他下令再建第三個金字塔！

Only this time they built a solid foundation, laid the stones in horizontal rows,

不過這次，他們先建造一個穩固的平台，以水平式地堆疊石塊，

and precision cut the edges.

並準確切割石塊的邊邊角角

Sneferu’s motto?

斯尼夫魯的名言是？

If at first you don’t succeed, try again, and then try again one more time.

如果你在一開始失敗，再試一次，然後，再試一次

Sneferu had experimented his way to a blueprint for building awesome pyramids

斯尼夫魯發展出一種設計圖，使其建造出令人驚嘆的金字塔

The Great Pyramid at Giza, built by his son Khufu, took that blueprint to the next level.

吉薩最好的金字塔是由斯尼夫魯的兒子胡夫（埃及第四王朝的第二位法老）所建造的，把原本的設計圖發揮得更淋淋盡致

Khufu’s pyramid remained the tallest structure on Earth for almost 4000 years,

胡夫建造的金字塔成為世界上最高的建築物，而這個紀錄維持近了4000年

until some church tower in the year 1311, which fell down, so it was tallest again

直到1311年，幾座教堂高塔取代了它的紀錄，但後來高塔倒塌了，金字塔再次成為最高的建築物

until this radio antenna was finished in 1889.

到了1889年，這個榮耀被這座無線電天線終結了

Khufu’s son Khafre built his pyramid right next to dad’s, and he didn’t stop innovating.

他的兒子卡夫拉在他旁邊建造了自己的金字塔，而且不停地在建築方式上創新

Instead of leveling the entire 46,000 square meter footprint,

他沒有夷平整個4萬6千平方公尺的平面

he built his pyramid over a natural stone mound and only leveled the outer edge,

反而直接把金字塔建造在一個石丘上，而且只夷平外圍區域

which was less work, duh!

這不用花太多力氣，嘖～

It’s 3 meters shorter than his dad’s,

他的金字塔比他爸爸的矮了3公尺

but this higher ground creates the illusion that Khafre’s pyramid is taller.

不過，因為高地勢的關係，卡夫拉的金字塔看起來反而有較高的錯覺

Kids, am I right?

真是個小屁孩，我說得沒錯吧？

But even these seemingly perfect pyramids weren’t without mistakes.

不過，這些表面上看似完美的金字塔，其實都有幾個小失誤

Khafre’s had a slight twist near the top in order to make the edges line up evenly.

卡夫拉金字塔的頂端有些微的螺旋狀，所以金字塔之後頂端的邊界才能平均的擺放

What’s remarkable is Egypt’s biggest stone pyramids were the product of just three human generations,

令人驚訝是在這三個人類世代中，這麼高大的石砌金字塔就已被建造出

but those were generations full of trial and error.

而這些世代還通滿了試煉和錯誤

Pyramid building continued for nearly 700 years,

金字塔建造持續了將近要700年，

and like any product, efficiency started to win out over quality.

就像其他產品一樣，對效率的講究開始遠勝過於品質

Precision-cut cores were replaced by rough-cut blocks.

粗糙不齊的磚塊取代了原本精準切割的岩芯

Kings still wrapped their pyramids in fine white limestone,

國王們仍用精緻白色的石灰岩覆蓋在整個金字塔的外表

but over the next thousand years that was removed by stone stealers and rock robbers,

但在接下來的幾千年，這樣的石灰岩已被砌塊小偷以及岩石竊盜者拿走，

leaving the cheaply-produced cores to collapse into rubble,

使剩下的廉價岩芯，瓦解成瓦礫堆

which is probably why you’ve never heard of them.

這就是為什麼你從未聽過那些金字塔

Ironically, the kings were probably disappointed by the whole afterlife thing,

諷刺的是，這些國王大概對所謂的來世生活感到失望

but the pyramids themselves have proven to be surprisingly resilient.

但這些金字塔證明它們自己是多麼地永垂不朽

Ancient is not a synonym for stupid.

古代可不是與愚蠢畫上等號的

The world’s first skyscrapers were tombs, and just like our own buildings,

世界上的第一棟摩天大樓是陵墓，就像我們自己居住的大樓一樣

they didn’t spring up out of nowhere,

它們可不是平凡無故就出現在地表上

they were the product of centuries of engineering trial and error.

它們是經歷幾世紀的工程試煉以及錯誤下的產物

Go back 500 years and show someone a smartphone and they’d probably think you were a wizard.

回到500年前，向某人展示一隻智慧型手機，他們可能會覺得你是位巫師

But when we look back from the present at the ideas and failures along the way,

但當我們站在現在這個時間點，回顧過去一路上的思想和挫敗

we see that it’s not magic at all! It’s science.

這完全不是魔法！這是有關科學的

And if you still think aliens did it, you’re in denial. (the Nile).

如果你還是認為是外星人建造金字塔的，你只是在否認事實而已（音同「在尼羅河裡」）

You know, the river. Stay curious.

你知道的，我在指的是尼羅河。繼續求知若渴吧！

Special thanks to 23 and me for sponsoring this episode.

特別感謝「23與我」贊助這集節目

There are personal genetic analysis company created to help people understand their DNA.

有些私人遺傳分析公司提供基因分析服務，幫助人們認識他們的 DNA

The name 23 and me comes with the fact

「23 與我」的公司命名是源由自

that human DNA is organized into 23 pairs of chromosomes.

人類的 DNA 是由 23 條染色體所結合的這項事實

Your DNA can tell you which region around the world your ancestors was came from.

你的 DNA 可以顯示出你的祖先是來自世界的哪些地方

You can even learn how your DNA might impact your health today and in the future.

你甚至可以知道你的 DNA 會如何影響你現在或是未來的身體狀況

You just have to provide DNA sample by spiting in the tube.

你只需要將唾液吐到試管裡面以提供你的 DNA 樣本

Egyptians worship a Sun God.

埃及人崇尚太陽神

I wonder if they ever sneeze when they are looking for it.

我在想他們是否會在找太陽時打噴嚏

I learn some people carry DNA sequence that make them sneeze when they look at the sun.

我知道有些人身上的 DNA 序列會使得他們在看太陽時打噴嚏

My friend Derek from Veritasium make that video about that.

我朋友 Derek 的頻道 Veritasium 有做相關的介紹

I don't carry the DNA variant.

我沒有這種變異的 DNA

But, maybe you do.

但也許你有

You can learn more about your personal DNA story.

你可以知道更多你的 DNA 故事

And, support our show by going to 23andme.com/ok.

可以到「23 與我」的網站支持我們的節目

If you give it a try, let us know.

如果你真的有去嘗試的話，可以分享給我們知道喔！