Name: 【TED-Ed】墓地的歷史：墓地曾經是很夯的聚會地點！？ (The fascinating history of cemeteries - Keith Eggener)
Uploaded: 2018-12-02T21:01:40.000Z
Duration: 5 min 19 s

these things come to mind  when we think of cemeteries.

當我們想到墓地時，會聯想到這些東西

許多墓地原先都是生氣蓬勃的地方

with blooming gardens and crowds of people strolling among the headstones.

有百花綻放，還有人群們漫步於石碑之間

How did our cemeteries  become what they are today?

我們的墓地是如何變成今日這樣的？

like the world's largest, Wadi al-Salaam,

像是世界上最大的，Wadi al-Salaam (位於伊拉克)

where more than five million  people are buried.

But most of the places we'd recognize  as cemeteries are much younger.

但大多數被我們視為墓地的地方都年輕多了

事實上，人類歷史上有很長的時段

Our ancient ancestors had many other ways  of parting with the dead loved ones.

我們的老祖宗有許多其他種方式和死去的摯愛告別

excluding them from the usual rites intended to honor the dead.

將他們排除在用來向死者致敬的尋常儀式之外

But the first burials revealed some advantages over other practices:

但是埋葬擁有一些其他儀式沒有的優點：

they protected bodies from scavengers  and the elements,

保護軀體不受動物食用或是氣候摧殘

while shielding loved ones from the  sight of decay.

同時也能避免生者看見死者腐壞的樣子

These benefits may have shifted  ancient people's thinking toward graves designed to honor the dead,

這些好處或許改變了老祖宗對於埋葬、尊敬死者的想法

Sometimes, these graves contained  practical or ritual objects,

有時候，這些墳墓會有實用性或是儀式性的物品

suggesting belief in an afterlife, when the dead might need such tools.

意味著相信來生，認為死者在來生會需要這類工具

Communal burials first appeared in North  Africa and West Asia

公共埋葬最早出現在北非和西非

around the same time as the first  permanent settlements in these areas.

也差不多是這些地區開始有定居聚落的時期

These burial grounds created permanent  places to commemorate the dead.

這些埋葬地成為了紀念死者的固定地點

The nomadic Scythians littered the steppes with grave mounds known as kurgans.

遊牧民族塞西亞人在西伯利亞大草原一帶留下了埋葬土堆，稱為 kurgan

The Etruscans built expansive necropoles,

their grid-patterned streets  lined with tombs.

他們的棋盤式街道就和墳墓並排

The word cemetery, or “sleeping chamber,”

cemetery (墓地) 一詞，或稱「長眠墓室」

who built tombs in graveyards at the edges of their cities.

他們在城市的邊緣墳場中建造墳墓

Christian churchyards provided  rare, open spaces

基督教教堂墓地提供了珍貴的開放空間

but also hosted markets, fairs,  and other events.

但也會在這舉行市集和其他活動

believing graveyard grass made  for sweeter milk.

因為他們相信墓地的草可以培養出更甜的牛奶

As cities grew during the industrial  revolution,

large suburban cemeteries replaced  smaller urban churchyards.

大型的郊區墓地取代了較小的都市教堂墓地

Cemeteries like the 110-acre  Père-Lachaise in Paris

像是在巴黎佔地 110 英畝的拉雪兹神父公墓

or the 72-acre Mt. Auburn  in Cambridge, Massachusetts

或是在麻薩諸塞州劍橋佔地 72 英畝的奧本山公墓

Once a luxury reserved for the rich  and powerful,

以個人身份標記的墳墓一度是有錢有勢的人們才有的奢侈品

individually marked graves became available to the middle  and working classes.

但中產和勞動階級的人們也負擔得起了

By the late 19th century, as more public  parks and botanical gardens appeared,

到了 19 世紀後期，當越來越多公園和植物園出現後

Today, many old cemeteries are  lonely places.

在今日，許多老舊墓地是孤單的地方

Some are luring visitors back with tours,

演唱會或是其他方式吸引人們參訪

我們也是在重新思考埋葬的未來

Cities like London, New York, and  Hong Kong

像是倫敦、紐約和香港這些城市

Even in places where space isn't so tight,

即使是在空間不那麼擁擠的地方

that can't be otherwise cultivated  or developed.

永遠不能拿來另做開墾或是發展的土地

and can pollute soil and groundwater with toxic chemicals.

都會藉著有毒物質污染土壤和地下水

With increasing awareness of the  environmental costs,

隨著越來越多人意識到環境成本

Many are turning to cremation and  related practices.

Along with these more conventional  practices,

people can now have their remains  shot into space,

人們現在也能將遺骸發射進太空、

In the future, options like these may  replace burial completely.

在未來，這類的選項或許會完全取代埋葬

Cemeteries may be our most familiar  monuments to the departed,

墓地或許是我們最熟悉的、用來紀念往生者的方式

but they're just one step in our ever-evolving process of remembering and honoring the dead.

但在我們用來緬懷和尊敬死者的方式持續演進的同時，它們也只是其中一步

All living things die, but is resurrection possible?

所有生物都會死亡，但是有可能復生嗎？

And, what's the actual difference between a living creature and a dead body anyway?

還有，活著的生物和死去的軀體究竟差在哪？