為什麼黑暗時代的生活糟透了：英語精讀講義

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

殘存的西羅馬帝國普遍被認為殞落於9月4日，

476 AD,

也就是西元476年，

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

當時弗拉維烏斯·奧多亞塞廢黜了羅慕路斯·奧古斯都，並宣布自己為全義大利的統治者。

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

然而，羅馬在至少一個世紀前就已經基本處於崩潰狀態，

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

到西方最後一位羅馬皇帝在位時，

Rome existed more by name than fact. 慣用語

羅馬早已名存實亡。

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

羅馬的崩潰在整個歐洲留下了權力真空，

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

讓這片大陸陷入了長達數個世紀的連綿戰火與文化停滯，史稱「黑暗時代」。

Hello and welcome to the Infographics Show.

大家好，歡迎來到 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

我們要來看看古英格蘭在黑暗時代的一天生活是怎樣的。

England or Britannia,

英格蘭，或者不列顛尼亞，

as it was known back then, 文法

也就是它當時的叫法，

had been only partially conquered by the Romans,

僅僅被羅馬人部分征服，

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

羅馬人將他們的推進範圍限制在著名的哈德良長城以內。

The Romans never fully subjugated the local tribes.

羅馬人從未完全征服當地的部落。

So, with the fall of Rome,

因此，隨著羅馬的衰亡，

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

不列顛尼亞成了一片毫無王法、由敵對軍閥和自立為王的人各自為戰的土地。

For these early rulers,

對於這些早期的統治者來說，

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

他們的王國和統治權僅僅延伸到他們的士兵所能到達的地方，

and the hapless peasants caught in the middle 慣用語

而夾在中間的倒楣農民

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

通常會被迫向不同的統治者繳納稅款和貢品，因為他們都宣稱這片土地歸自己所有。

Governments didn't exist at this time,

當時並沒有政府機構存在，

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

所謂的政府服務，也不過就是全副武裝的士兵來到你門前要求交稅罷了。

With the collapse of Rome,

隨著羅馬的崩潰，

the entire European continent experienced an economic crash,

整個歐洲大陸經歷了經濟崩潰，

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

製陶和建築等主要產業幾乎在一夜之間消失殆盡。

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

由於缺乏一個強大的中央政府來鑄造硬幣和執行貨幣政策，

civilization across Europe returned back to bartering, 文法

整個歐洲的文明倒退回了物物交換的狀態，

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

而稅收則以貿易商品、

food,

食物，

or even physical service in the lord's army.

甚至是在領主軍隊中服勞役的形式徵收。

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

封建主義最終開始以其最原始的形式生根發芽，

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

地方領主將部分土地賞賜給受寵的士兵，

typically cavalrymen,

通常是騎兵，

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

因為那個時代的這些精銳士兵因其擁有的馬匹而備受重視，

since trained warhorses became much rarer.

畢竟受過訓練的戰馬變得越來越稀有。

When a local lord died,

當一個地方領主去世時，

there were often no clear lines of succession, 用詞

往往沒有明確的繼承順序，

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

這往往引發國王在世的家族成員與其他結怨貴族之間的全面戰爭。

Religion continued to spread across Europe.

宗教繼續在歐洲各地傳播。

Judaism and Islam competed with paganistic beliefs,

猶太教和伊斯蘭教與異教信仰相抗衡，

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

但年輕且仍在發展的基督教信仰迅速在整個大陸贏得了支持。

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

《新約》中耶穌反抗專制猶太長老的榜樣，在當時深受殘暴領主壓迫的農民中引起了極大的共鳴。

However, the clergy was not truly organized yet,

然而，神職人員當時尚未真正組織起來，

and the authority of the church,

教會的權威，

which was still based primarily in Italy,

當時主要還是紮根在義大利，

was not fully recognized as far north as Britain. 文法

在像不列顛這樣偏北的地方並沒有得到完全的認可。

Different brands of Christianity appeared, 用詞

基督教出現了不同的派別，

leading to interfaith conflict and further dividing the population.

導致了不同信仰間的衝突，進一步分裂了民眾。

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

神職人員開始作為一個獨立的社會階層出現，

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

但他們大多彼此獨立，不受任何中央控制結構的管轄。

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

這些早期基督徒幫助保存了大量古代文本和知識，否則這些可能已經被狂暴的野蠻人永遠摧毀，

securing Roman books and manuscripts with their growing monasteries.

他們隨著修道院的發展保護了羅馬書籍和手稿。

Life for the average peasant was difficult,

普通農民的生活是艱難、

dangerous,

危險

and tough.

且殘酷的。

With the collapse of industry,

隨著工業的崩潰，

most people worked as sustenance farmers, 用詞

大多數人作為維持生計的農民勞作，

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

種植出勉強糊口的食物，然後用僅有的一點多餘糧食換取金屬工具等必需品。

Wheat,

小麥、

barley,

大麥、

oats,

燕麥，

and rye were staple crops of the time,

以及黑麥是當時的主要農作物，

and they were supplemented by beans and peas.

並以豆類和豌豆作為補充。

Apples,

蘋果、

plums,

李子、

berries,

漿果，

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

以及各種堅果在當季時會被食用，

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

不過黑暗時代農民的主要飲食還是各種穀物磨成粉做成的麵包。

Locally caught fish,

當地捕獲的魚，

and sometimes even deer or wild boar,

甚至有時還有鹿肉或野豬肉，

were an occasional treat,

都是難得的美食，

but animal proteins were rare,

但動物蛋白非常罕見，

with sheep raised for their wool and milk,

因為養羊是為了獲取羊毛和羊奶，

and beef being too pricey for most people.

而牛肉對大多數人來說太貴了。

People also consumed large quantities of very weak ale,

人們還飲用大量度數很低的麥芽酒，

as most drinking water was unsafe.

因為大部分飲用水都不安全。

Though popularized by myths, 文法

儘管在神話中被廣為傳頌，

mead was actually a very rare drink,

但蜂蜜酒實際上是一種非常罕見的飲料，

enjoyed mostly only by the elite.

大多只有少數菁英才能享用。

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

像鐵匠這樣的熟練工匠極為罕見且備受重視，

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

而中世紀的商人或工匠行會當時還不存在。

Education was all but non-existent,

教育幾乎不存在，

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

通常只有神職人員才具備閱讀能力。

Most nobles were illiterate.

大多數貴族都是文盲。

Farmers not only worked the lands, 文法

農民們不僅要在土地上勞作，

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

還經常在非收穫季節被徵召服兵役，

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

因為大多數領主使用的是徵召而來的軍隊，而不是全職的職業軍人。

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

黑暗時代的醫學在英格蘭主要依靠被稱為「wortcunning」的草藥療法。

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

像使用水蛭排出體內壞血這種做法，以及對神奇療法的迷信使用，都十分盛行，

and sadly,

可悲的是，

most ailments became fatal.

大多數疾病都成了絕症。

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

然而，在羅馬醫術絕跡之後，真正醫學的一些基礎正在被重新發現，

with medical treatments for things such as styes involving onion,

比如治療麥粒腫的醫療方法就涉及洋蔥、

garlic,

大蒜、

wine,

葡萄酒，

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

以及其他各種含有非常有效抗生素和抗菌成分的材料。

Rudimentary surgeries were also taking place.

當時也在進行著一些粗糙的外科手術。

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.

在沃拉姆珀西中世紀村莊發現的一個11世紀的頭骨顯示，曾有人透過切除頭骨上的部分骨頭來緩解對大腦的壓力，以此治療頭部遭受的重擊。

With the discovery of anesthesia over a millennia away, 文法

由於麻醉技術要到一千多年後才被發現，

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

我們根本不願去想像這樣的手術過程會有多麼痛苦。

Across Europe,

在整個歐洲，

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

羅馬的殞落讓人們退回到了主要孤立的生活方式，

with most people living in small communities or farmsteads.

大多數人生活在小型社區或農莊裡。

Yet, major cities and establishments did survive, 文法

然而，主要城市和機構確實存活了下來，

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

像現代約克附近的定居點人口甚至呈爆炸式增長。

These primitive cities were fairly squalid by modern comparison,

與現代相比，這些原始城市相當骯髒，

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

沒有羅馬著名的管道系統，也沒有公共浴場和水利工程這樣的奢華設施。

Refuse in the form of trash, 用詞

垃圾、

dung,

糞便，

and rotting timber were discarded directly into the streets,

和腐爛木材形式的廢棄物被直接扔到街道上，

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

這些沉積物以大約每年1英寸的速度堆積。

In these horrible conditions,

在這些可怕的條件下，

parasites and disease proliferated,

寄生蟲和疾病肆虐，

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

平均預期壽命只有令人震驚的31歲。

Violence,

暴力、

disease,

疾病，

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

以及營養不良共同導致了非常高的嬰兒死亡率。

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

但如果一個孩子是活到20歲的少數幸運兒之一，

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

他或她通常有望活到40多歲。

Life in the Dark Ages was often short,

黑暗時代的生活往往是短暫、

brutal,

殘酷

and fraught with hardships. 片語搭配

且充滿苦難的。

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

羅馬的殞落在長達幾個世紀只認同自己是羅馬人的這片大陸上，造成了權力和文化認同的真空。

And with Rome gone,

隨著羅馬的消失，

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

復仇心切的野蠻人在帝國的遺骸上肆虐，幾乎徹底抹去了羅馬社會的最後殘餘，

including its economy,

包括其經濟、

law,

法律，

and order,

秩序，

and scientific knowledge.

以及科學知識。

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

然而，黑暗時代並沒有完全停止人類文明的發展，

as it's so often believed.

儘管人們通常如此認為。

Outside of Europe,

在歐洲之外，

life continued on relatively unchanged,

生活繼續相對未變，

with mighty Eastern kingdoms rising and falling,

強大的東方王國崛起又衰落，

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

伊斯蘭哈里發的影響力擴張到了非洲和中東。

But for the average peasant of Dark Age Britannia,

但對於黑暗時代不列顛尼亞的普通農民來說，

life remained a struggle for survival. 片語搭配

生活依然是為生存而掙扎。

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

家庭必須拚命生產足夠的食物來養活自己，

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

同時還要經常受到相互競爭的軍閥或自封領主的殘暴對待。