为什么黑暗时代的生活糟糕透顶：英语精读讲义

The surviving Western Roman Empire is widely recognized as having fallen on the 4th of September, 語法

残存的西罗马帝国被普遍认为陨落于9月4日，

476 AD,

也就是公元476年，

when Flavius Odoacer deposed Romulus Augustulus and declared himself ruler of all Italy. 語法

当时奥多亚塞废黜了罗慕路斯·奥古斯都，并宣布自己为全意大利的统治者。

However, Rome had been largely in collapse for at least a century prior,

然而，罗马在至少一个世纪前就已经基本处于崩溃状态，

and by the time of the last Roman emperor in the west,

到西方最后一位罗马皇帝在位时，

Rome existed more by name than fact. 習語

罗马早已名存实亡。

The collapse of Rome left a power vacuum across Europe, 短語搭配

罗马的崩溃在整个欧洲留下了权力真空，

launching the continent into centuries of continuous warfare and cultural stagnation known as the Dark Ages. 短語搭配

让这片大陆陷入了长达数个世纪的连绵战火与文化停滞，史称“黑暗时代”。

Hello and welcome to the Infographics Show.

大家好，欢迎来到 Infographics Show。

Today,

今天，

we're taking a look at what a day in the life of the Dark Ages was like in ancient England. 講解

我们要来看看古英格兰在黑暗时代的一天生活是怎样的。

England or Britannia,

英格兰，或者不列颠尼亚，

as it was known back then, 語法

也就是它当时的叫法，

had been only partially conquered by the Romans,

仅仅被罗马人部分征服，

who limited their advance at the famed Hadrian's Wall. 文化背景

罗马人将他们的推进范围限制在著名的哈德良长城以内。

The Romans never fully subjugated the local tribes.

罗马人从未完全征服当地的部落。

So, with the fall of Rome,

因此，随着罗马的衰亡，

Britannia became a lawless free-for-all land of opposing warlords and self-declared kings. 用詞

不列颠尼亚成了一片毫无王法、由敌对军阀和自立为王的人各自为战的土地。

For these early rulers,

对于这些早期的统治者来说，

their kingdoms and right to rule extended only so far as their soldiers could reach, 語法

他们的王国和统治权仅仅延伸到他们的士兵所能到达的地方，

and the hapless peasants caught in the middle 習語

而夹在中间的倒霉农民

would often find themselves forced to pay taxes and tribute to separate ruler who claimed their lands as their own. 語法

通常会被迫向不同的统治者缴纳税款和贡品，因为他们都宣称这片土地归自己所有。

Governments didn't exist at this time,

当时并没有政府机构存在，

and government services didn't consist of much more than armed soldiers coming by your door to demand taxes.

所谓的政府服务，也不过就是全副武装的士兵来到你门前要求交税罢了。

With the collapse of Rome,

随着罗马的崩溃，

the entire European continent experienced an economic crash,

整个欧洲大陆经历了经济崩溃，

and major industries such as pottery making and construction all but disappeared overnight. 習語

制陶和建筑等主要产业几乎在一夜之间消失殆尽。

Without a strong centralized government to print coins and enforce monetary policy,

由于缺乏一个强大的中央政府来铸造硬币和执行货币政策，

civilization across Europe returned back to bartering, 語法

整个欧洲的文明倒退回了物物交换的状态，

and taxes were collected in the form of trade goods, 短語搭配

而税收则以贸易商品、

food,

食物，

or even physical service in the lord's army.

甚至是在领主军队中服劳役的形式征收。

Feudalism eventually began to take root in its most primitive form, 習語

封建主义最终开始以其最原始的形式生根发芽，

with local lords granting parcels of land to favorite soldiers, 短語搭配

地方领主将部分土地赏赐给受宠的士兵，

typically cavalrymen,

通常是骑兵，

as these elite soldiers of the era were much valued for their horses,

因为那个时代的这些精锐士兵因其拥有的马匹而备受重视，

since trained warhorses became much rarer.

毕竟受过训练的战马变得越来越稀有。

When a local lord died,

当一个地方领主去世时，

there were often no clear lines of succession, 用詞

往往没有明确的继承顺序，

prompting all-out war between the king's surviving family and other feuding nobles. 短語搭配

这往往引发国王在世的家族成员与其他结怨贵族之间的全面战争。

Religion continued to spread across Europe.

宗教继续在欧洲各地传播。

Judaism and Islam competed with paganistic beliefs,

犹太教和伊斯兰教与异教信仰相抗衡，

but the young and still growing Christian faith quickly garnered support across the continent. 短語搭配

但年轻且仍在发展的基督教信仰迅速在整个大陆赢得了支持。

The example of Jesus standing up to authoritarian Jewish elders in the New Testament resonated particularly well with peasants currently under the heel of brutal lords. 講解

《新约》中耶稣反抗专制犹太长老的榜样，在当时深受残暴领主压迫的农民中引起了极大的共鸣。

However, the clergy was not truly organized yet,

然而，神职人员当时尚未真正组织起来，

and the authority of the church,

教会的权威，

which was still based primarily in Italy,

当时主要还是扎根在意大利，

was not fully recognized as far north as Britain. 語法

在像不列颠这样偏北的地方并没有得到完全的认可。

Different brands of Christianity appeared, 用詞

基督教出现了不同的派别，

leading to interfaith conflict and further dividing the population.

导致了不同信仰间的冲突，进一步分裂了民众。

The clergy was starting to emerge as a separate social class, 短語搭配

神职人员开始作为一个独立的社会阶层出现，

but they remained mostly independent from each other or any centralized control structure.

但他们大多彼此独立，不受任何中央控制结构的管辖。

These early Christians helped to preserve a great amount of ancient texts and knowledge that may have been lost forever to rampaging barbarians, 語法

这些早期基督徒帮助保存了大量古代文本和知识，否则这些可能已经被狂暴的野蛮人永远摧毁，

securing Roman books and manuscripts with their growing monasteries.

他们随着修道院的发展保护了罗马书籍和手稿。

Life for the average peasant was difficult,

普通农民的生活是艰难、

dangerous,

危险

and tough.

且残酷的。

With the collapse of industry,

随着工业的崩溃，

most people worked as sustenance farmers, 用詞

大多数人作为维持生计的农民劳作，

growing enough to feed themselves and trade just enough excess for needed goods such as metal tools. 短語搭配

种植出勉强糊口的食物，然后用仅有的一点多余粮食换取金属工具等必需品。

Wheat,

小麦、

barley,

大麦、

oats,

燕麦，

and rye were staple crops of the time,

以及黑麦是当时的主要农作物，

and they were supplemented by beans and peas.

并以豆类和豌豆作为补充。

Apples,

苹果、

plums,

李子、

berries,

浆果，

and various nuts were eaten when in season, 短語搭配

以及各种坚果在当季时会被食用，

though the primary diet of a Dark Ages peasant was various cereal crops ground into flour and made into bread. 語法

不过黑暗时代农民的主要饮食还是各种谷物磨成粉做成的面包。

Locally caught fish,

当地捕获的鱼，

and sometimes even deer or wild boar,

甚至有时还有鹿肉或野猪肉，

were an occasional treat,

都是难得的美食，

but animal proteins were rare,

但动物蛋白非常罕见，

with sheep raised for their wool and milk,

因为养羊是为了获取羊毛和羊奶，

and beef being too pricey for most people.

而牛肉对大多数人来说太贵了。

People also consumed large quantities of very weak ale,

人们还饮用大量度数很低的麦芽酒，

as most drinking water was unsafe.

因为大部分饮用水都不安全。

Though popularized by myths, 語法

尽管在神话中被广为传颂，

mead was actually a very rare drink,

但蜂蜜酒实际上是一种非常罕见的饮料，

enjoyed mostly only by the elite.

大多只有少数精英才能享用。

Skilled craftsmen such as blacksmiths were extremely rare and highly valued,

像铁匠这样的熟练工匠极为罕见且备受重视，

and the merchant or craftsman guilds of the Middle Ages did not exist yet.

而中世纪的商人或工匠行会当时还不存在。

Education was all but non-existent,

教育几乎不存在，

with typically only the clergy having the ability to read. 語法

通常只有神职人员才具备阅读能力。

Most nobles were illiterate.

大多数贵族都是文盲。

Farmers not only worked the lands, 語法

农民们不仅要在土地上劳作，

but they would also often be called up into military service during non-harvest times, 短語動詞

还经常在非收获季节被征召服兵役，

with most lords using conscripted armies rather than full-time professional soldiers. 用詞

因为大多数领主使用的是应征军队，而不是全职的职业军人。

Medicine in the Dark Ages consisted mostly of herbal remedies known as wortcunning in England. 文化背景

黑暗时代的医学在英格兰主要依靠被称为“wortcunning”的草药疗法。

Practices such as leeching to remove bad blood from an individual and superstitious use of magical remedies prospered, 文化背景

像放血这种为了排出体内坏血的做法以及对神奇疗法的迷信使用十分盛行，

and sadly,

可悲的是，

most ailments became fatal.

大多数疾病都成了绝症。

Yet, some of the foundations of real medicine were being rediscovered after the extinction of the Roman healing arts,

然而，在罗马医术绝迹之后，真正医学的一些基础正在被重新发现，

with medical treatments for things such as styes involving onion,

比如治疗麦粒肿的医疗方法就涉及洋葱、

garlic,

大蒜、

wine,

葡萄酒，

and various other ingredients containing very effective antibiotic and antibacterial properties.

以及其他各种含有非常有效抗生素和抗菌成分的材料。

Rudimentary surgeries were also taking place.

当时也在进行着一些粗糙的外科手术。

An 11th century skull discovered in the Wharram Percy Medieval Village showed that a heavy blow to the head had been treated by cutting away part of the bone in the skull to relieve pressure on the brain.

在沃拉姆珀西中世纪村庄发现的一个11世纪的头骨显示，曾有人通过切除头骨上的部分骨头来缓解对大脑的压力，以此治疗头部遭受的重击。

With the discovery of anesthesia over a millennia away, 語法

由于距离麻醉学的发现还有一千多年的时间，

we don't care to consider just how painful such a procedure may have been. 講解

我们根本不愿去想象这样的手术过程会有多么痛苦。

Across Europe,

在整个欧洲，

the fall of Rome had seen people return to a mostly isolated lifestyle, 語法

罗马的陨落让人们退回到了主要孤立的生活方式，

with most people living in small communities or farmsteads.

大多数人生活在小型社区或农庄里。

Yet, major cities and establishments did survive, 語法

然而，主要城市和机构确实存活了下来，

and settlements such as those near modern York even exploded in population. 習語

像现代约克附近的定居点人口甚至呈爆炸式增长。

These primitive cities were fairly squalid by modern comparison,

与现代相比，这些原始城市相当肮脏，

with none of that famed Roman plumbing or luxuries such as public baths and waterworks.

没有罗马著名的管道系统，也没有公共浴场和水利工程这样的奢华设施。

Refuse in the form of trash, 用詞

垃圾、

dung,

粪便，

and rotting timber were discarded directly into the streets,

和腐烂木材形式的废弃物被直接扔到街道上，

and deposits built up at a rate of roughly 1 inch a year. 講解

这些沉积物以大约每年1英寸的速度堆积。

In these horrible conditions,

在这些可怕的条件下，

parasites and disease proliferated,

寄生虫和疾病肆虐，

and the average life expectancy was a shocking 31 years. 用詞

平均预期寿命只有令人震惊的31岁。

Violence,

暴力、

disease,

疾病，

and poor nutrition all created a very high infant mortality rate. 用詞

以及营养不良共同导致了非常高的婴儿死亡率。

But if a child was one of the lucky few who made it to 20 years, 短語動詞

但如果一个孩子是活到20岁的少数幸运儿之一，

he or she could typically expect to live into his or her 40s. 短語搭配

他或她通常有望活到40多岁。

Life in the Dark Ages was often short,

黑暗时代的生活往往是短暂、

brutal,

残酷

and fraught with hardships. 短語搭配

且充满苦难的。

The fall of Rome created a power and cultural identity vacuum within a continent that had for centuries identified itself solely as Roman.

罗马的陨落在长达几个世纪只认同自己是罗马人的这片大陆上，造成了权力和文化认同的真空。

And with Rome gone,

随着罗马的消失，

vengeful barbarians rampaged across the bones of the empire and effectively stamped out the last remnants of Roman society, 講解

复仇心切的野蛮人在帝国的遗骸上肆虐，几乎彻底抹去了罗马社会的最后残余，

including its economy,

包括其经济、

law,

法律，

and order,

秩序，

and scientific knowledge.

以及科学知识。

Yet, the Dark Ages didn't completely stop the development of human civilization, 表達脈絡

然而，黑暗时代并没有完全停止人类文明的发展，

as it's so often believed.

尽管人们通常这样认为。

Outside of Europe,

在欧洲之外，

life continued on relatively unchanged,

生活继续相对未变，

with mighty Eastern kingdoms rising and falling,

强大的东方王国崛起又衰落，

and the influence of the Islamic caliph expanding across Africa and the Middle East.

伊斯兰哈里发的影响力扩张到了非洲和中东。

But for the average peasant of Dark Age Britannia,

但对于黑暗时代不列颠尼亚的普通农民来说，

life remained a struggle for survival. 短語搭配

生活依然是为生存而挣扎。

Families had to fight to produce enough food to feed themselves,

家庭必须拼命生产足够的食物来养活自己，

while often being brutalized by competing warlords or self-appointed lords. 語法

同时还要经常受到相互竞争的军阀或自封领主的残暴对待。