lies the magnificent ruins of Great Zimbabwe,

躺在宏偉的大辛巴維廢墟上。

a medieval stone city of astounding wealth and prestige.

一箇中世紀的石頭城，擁有驚人的財富和聲望。

Located in the present-day country of Zimbabwe,

位於今辛巴維境內。

it's the sight of the largest known settlement ruins in Sub-Saharan Africa,

它'是撒哈拉以南非洲已知的最大的定居遺址的景象。

second on the continent only to the pyramids of Egypt.

在大陸上僅次於埃及金字塔。

But the history of this city is shrouded in controversy,

但這座城市的歷史卻籠罩在爭議之中。

defined by decades of dispute about who built it and why.

被幾十年來關於誰建造的和為什麼建造的爭議所定義。

Its name comes from the Shona word madzimbabwe,

它的名字來自肖納語madzimbabwe。

meaning big house of stone

石屋

for its unscalable stone walls that reach heights of nearly ten meters

高達近十米的絕壁石牆

and run for a length of about 250 meters.

並運行長度約250米。

For its grandeur and historical significance,

因為它的宏偉和歷史意義。

it was named a UNESCO World Heritage site in 1986.

1986年被聯合國教科文組織命名為世界文化遺產。

Back in the 14th and 15th centuries, it was a thriving city.

早在14、15世紀，這裡就是一個繁榮的城市。

Spread across nearly eight square-kilometers,

展開近八平方公里。

Great Zimbabwe was defined by three main areas:

大辛巴維主要由三個方面來定義。

the Hill Complex, where the king lived;

丘陵建築群，國王居住的地方。

the Great Enclosure, reserved for members of the royal family;

大圍牆，專供皇室成員使用。

and the Valley Complex, where regular citizens lived.

和普通市民居住的山谷建築群。

Rulers were both powerful economic and religious leaders for the region.

統治者既是該地區強大的經濟和宗教領袖。

At its highest point,

在其最高點。

the city had a bustling urban population of 18,000 people

該市有18000名繁華的城市人口。

and was one of the major African trade centers at the time.

並且是當時非洲主要的貿易中心之一。

What enabled this growth was Great Zimbabwe's influential role

促成這一增長的原因是大辛巴維'的影響作用。

in an intercontinental trade network.

在一個洲際貿易網絡中。

Connected to several key city-states along the East African Swahili Coast,

與東非斯瓦希里海岸的幾個重要城邦相連。

it was part of the larger Indian Ocean trade routes.

它是更大的印度洋貿易路線的一部分。

The city generated its riches by controlling the sources and trade

城市通過控制資源和貿易來創造財富。

of the most prized items:

的最珍貴的物品。

gold,

黃金。

ivory,

象牙。

and copper.

和銅。

With this mercantile power, it was able to extend its sphere of influence

有了這種商業力量，它就能擴大其影響範圍。

across continents,

跨越各大洲。

fostering a strong Arab and Indian trader presence throughout its zenith.

在其整個頂峰期培養強大的阿拉伯和印度商人。

Archaeologists have since pieced together the details of this history

考古學家們後來拼湊出了這段歷史的細節

through artifacts discovered on site.

通過現場發現的文物。

There were pottery shards and glassworks from Asia,

有來自亞洲的陶器碎片和玻璃製品。

as well as coins minted in the coastal trading city of Kilwa Kisiwani

以及沿海貿易城市基爾瓦-基西瓦尼鑄造的錢幣

over 1,500 miles away.

超過1500英里的距離。

They also found soapstone bird figures,

他們還發現了皁石鳥人。

which are thought to represent each of the city's rulers,

其中被認為是代表每個城市'的統治者。

and young calf bones, only unearthed near the royal residence,

和小牛骨，只在王府附近出土。

show how the diet of the elite differed from the general population.

顯示精英階層的飲食與普通民眾有何不同。

These clues have also led to theories about the city's decline.

這些線索也導致了關於城市衰落的理論'。

By the mid-15th century,

到了15世紀中葉。

the buildings at Great Zimbabwe were almost all that remained.

大辛巴維的建築幾乎是全部的遺蹟。

Archaeological evidence points to overcrowding

考古證據表明人滿為患

and sanitation issues as the cause,

和衛生問題為原因。

compounded by soil depletion triggered by overuse.

過度使用引發的土壤枯竭加劇了這一問題。

Eventually, as crops withered and conditions in the city worsened,

最終，隨著農作物的枯萎，城市條件的惡化。

the population of Great Zimbabwe is thought to have dispersed

大辛巴維的人口被認為是散居的。

and formed the nearby Mutapa and Torwa states.

並形成附近的穆塔帕和托爾瓦邦。

Centuries later, a new phase of Great Zimbabwe's influence

百年後，大辛巴維的影響力進入了新的階段'。

began to play out in the political realm

開始在政治領域發揮作用

as people debated who had built the famous city of stone.

當人們在爭論是誰建造了這座著名的石頭城時。

During the European colonization of Africa,

在歐洲殖民非洲期間。

racist colonial officials claimed the ruins couldn't be of African origin.

種族主義的殖民官員聲稱廢墟不能'非洲起源。

So, without a detailed written record on hand,

所以，手頭沒有詳細的文字記錄。

they instead relied on myths to explain the magnificence of Great Zimbabwe.

他們反而依靠神話來解釋大辛巴維的輝煌。

Some claimed it proved the Bible story of the Queen of Sheba

有人說這證明了《聖經》中示巴女王的故事。

who lived in a city of riches.

住在富貴之城的人。

Others argued it was built by the Ancient Greeks.

也有人認為是古希臘人建造的。

Then, in the early 20th century after extensive excavation at the site,

然後，在20世紀初，經過對該遺址的大量發掘。

the archaeologist David Randall-MacIver

考古學家大衛-蘭德爾-麥基弗

presented clear evidence that Great Zimbabwe

提出了明確的證據，證明大辛巴維

was built by indigenous peoples.

是由土著人民建造的。

Yet, at the time, the country's white minority colonial government

然而，在當時，該國的少數白人殖民政府'。

sought to discredit this theory because it challenged the legitimacy of their rule.

試圖詆譭這種理論，因為它挑戰了他們統治的合法性。

In fact, the government actively encouraged historians

事實上，政府積極鼓勵歷史學家

to produce accounts that disputed the city's African origins.

以產生對該市'的非洲起源有爭議的賬目。

Over time, however, an overwhelming body of evidence mounted,

然而，隨著時間的推移，大量證據的積累。

identifying Great Zimbabwe as an African city built by Africans.

確定大辛巴維是非洲人建造的非洲城市；

During the 1960s and 70s,

在20世紀60年代和70年代。

Great Zimbabwe became an important symbol for the African Nationalist movement

大辛巴維成為非洲民族主義運動的重要標誌。

that was spreading across the continent.

正在蔓延到整個大陸。

Today, the ruins at Great Zimbabwe,

今天，大辛巴維的廢墟。

alluded to on the Zimbabwean flag by a soapstone bird,

辛巴維國旗上的一隻皁石鳥所暗示的。

still stand as a source of national pride and cultural value.

仍然是民族自豪感和文化價值的源泉。