The rise and fall of the Assyrian Empire - Marian H Feldman

翻译人员: Christina Wang 校对人员: Monkey Luffy

“亚述很快意识到了一个惨痛的事实： 帝国就像庞氏骗局...

它们必须不断扩张才能避免瓦解。” ——Paul Kriwaczek, 《巴比伦》

Before the sun never set on the British Empire,

在日不落帝国升起之前， 在成吉思汗横扫大草原之前，

before Genghis Khan swept the steppe,

before Rome extended its influence to encircle the Mediterranean Sea,

在罗马帝国将自己的权力 扩展到地中海周边之前，

there was ancient Assyria.

古亚述帝国就已经存在了。

Considered by historians to be the first true empire,

历史学家认为 它是第一个真正的帝国，

Assyria’s innovations laid the groundwork for every superpower that’s followed.

因为亚述的创新为所有 以后的超级大国奠定了基础。

At its height, in the 7th century BCE,

在鼎盛时期的公元前七世纪， 亚述帝国已经横跨现在的伊拉克、

the Assyrian Empire stretched across modern Iraq,

Syria,

叙利亚、

Lebanon,

黎巴嫩、

Israel,

以色列、

and parts of Turkey,

部分的土耳其、

Iran,

and Egypt.

伊朗、

还有埃及。

Its wonders included a vast library and large botanical and zoological park.

它的大型图书馆和动植物园 也是古亚述的奇景之一。

But the story of Assyria’s rise to dominance began many centuries earlier,

不过古亚述帝国崛起的故事 开始于很多世纪前，

in the Late Bronze Age, in a city called Ashur.

在青铜器世纪的晚期， 一个叫阿舒尔（亚述古城）的城市。

Ashur was a tin and textiles trading center

阿舒尔是一个 锡器和纺织品的交易点，

located along the Tigris River in northern Iraq.

位于底格里斯河的岸边， 在伊拉克北部。

It shared its name with a god thought to be an embodiment of the city

阿舒尔也是一个神的名字， 被认为是代表了这个城市；

and later of the entire empire.

后来，代表了整个帝国。

For the administration-minded Assyrians, politics and religion were closely linked.

对于很有行政头脑的亚述人来说， 政治和宗教是密切相关的。

Around 1300 BCE, a high priest named Ashur-uballit I took the title of king

公元前 1300 年左右，一个名叫 阿舒尔·乌巴里特一世的大祭司

and initiated a tradition of military campaigns,

取得了王位，并开始了 战争扩张的传统，

effectively transforming Assyria from a city-state to a territorial state.

把亚述从一个城邦 变成了领土国家。

This meant that a single administrative entity

这意味着单单一个行政体

oversaw many places, cultures, and peoples.

监管了许多地区、文化、和民族。

For the next 150 years, Assyria extended its reach and thrived.

接下来的 150 年里， 亚述扩张了领土，发展繁荣。

In the 12th century BCE,

公元前 12 世纪时，

a mysterious catastrophe that still bewilders archaeologists

一场至今仍迷惑着 考古学家的神秘灾难

caused the Assyrians to lose much of their territory.

造成亚述失去了大部分的领土。

A few hundred years later, however,

不过几百年后，

Assyrian kings began a new round of conquests.

亚述国王开始了新一轮的扩张。

This time, they honed their administrative system

这次，他们改善了行政系统，

into an empire that would last generations.

使得他们成为了 能够代代延续的帝国。

Assyrians were military innovators and merciless conquerors.

亚述人是军事创新者， 也是无情的征服者。

During their conquests,

在征战时，

they used siege tactics and cruel punishments for those who opposed them,

他们采用了围城战术， 并对反抗者施加了残酷的惩罚，

including impalement and flaying.

包括刺刑和剥皮。

The growth of their empire was due, in part,

亚述帝国的壮大，一部分是由于

to their strategy of deporting local populations,

他们将本地人口驱逐到

then shifting them around the empire to fulfill different needs.

帝国的其它部分 来满足不同需求。

This broke peoples’ bonds with their homelands

此举打破了人们与故乡的联系，

and severed loyalties among local groups.

并切断了地方团体之间的忠诚。

Once the Assyrians conquered an area,

当亚述人征服了一个地区，

they built cities connected by well-maintained royal roads.

他们会建立城市，并通过 维护良好的皇家道路连接在一起。

Often, when a new king came to power, he would build a new capital.

经常，当新国王上任时， 他会建立一个新的首都。

With each move, new palaces and temples were erected and lavishly decorated.

每一次迁都时，都会建起 金碧辉煌的宫殿和寺庙。

Although kings claimed absolute power,

尽管国王拥有绝对的权力，

we know that an extensive system of courtiers,

我们知道亚述也有着一个 大规模的，包括了朝臣、

provincial officials,

地方官员、

and scholars influenced affairs.

和学者的系统，影响着国家事务。

At least one woman, Sammuramat, ruled the kingdom.

至少有一位女性，萨穆·莱姆特， 统治过亚述王国。

Assyrian rulers celebrated their military excursions

亚述统治者庆祝军事征程的方式

by having representations of their exploits

是把代表了掠夺的内容

carved into the walls of their newly built palaces.

刻到新宫殿的墙上。

But despite the picture of a ruthless war state projected by these records,

虽然这些记录描绘了 一个无情的战争国家，

the Assyrian kings were also interested in the cultural traditions of the region,

亚述国王们也对 不同地区的文化传统有着兴趣，

especially those of Babylonia, a separate state to the south.

特别是巴比伦尼亚， 南边的一个独立国家。

Babylonia had been a cultural leader for millennia,

巴比伦尼亚千年以来 都是文化的引领者，

stretching back to the beginning of writing

最早可追溯到公元前四千年末期

at the end of the 4th millennium BCE.

书写的发明。

Assyria saw itself as the inheritor and protector of this tradition.

亚述把自己视为 这项传统的继承者和保卫者。

Assyrian rulers supported scholars

亚述统治者帮助了各种学者，

in specialties ranging from medicine to magic,

研究范围从医学到魔法都有，

and the capital cities, like Ninevah,

而首都，像是尼尼微，

were home to elaborate parks and gardens

有着设计精妙的公园和花园，

that housed plants and animals from around the empire.

收藏了帝国各地的动植物。

One of Assyria’s final rulers, Ashurbanipal,

亚述末期的统治者之一， 亚述巴尼拔，

sent scholars throughout Babylonia to gather up and copy ancient literary works.

遣派了学者到巴比伦尼亚 来收集和复制古文学作品。

Ashurbanipal’s library took the form of clay tablets

亚述巴尼拔的图书馆用的是 粘土制成的板子，

inscribed with cuneiform in the languages of Akkadian and Sumerian.

刻着阿卡得和苏美尔的楔形文字。

The library was lost during the final sack of Ninevah in 612 BCE.

公元前 612 年，在最后尼尼微 被掠夺时，图书馆遗失了。

But thanks to a 19th century archaeological excavation,

不过，通过 19 世纪的考古挖掘，

many masterpieces of ancient literature,

许多古代文学的巨作，

including the Epic of Gilgamesh and the Babylonian Creation Epic,

包括《吉尔伽美什史诗》 和《巴比伦创世史诗》，

survive today.

得以留存至今。

After centuries of rule,

经过了数百年的统治，

the Assyrian Empire fell to the Babylonians and Medes

亚述帝国败于巴比伦尼亚和米底，

between 612 and 609 BCE.

于公元前 612 到 609 年亡国。

Yet the innovations that the Assyrians  pioneered live on.

然而亚述人开拓的发明延续了下来。

Their emphasis on constant innovation,

他们强调的不断创新、

efficient administration,

高效率的行政管理、

and excellent infrastructure

和出色的基础设施

set the standard for every empire that’s followed them in the region

为后来在这个地区、 乃至全世界的帝国

and across the globe.

建立了标准。

有没有一些东西是 所有帝国共同具有的？

跨越文化和大陆， 哪些主题不断浮现？

观看此视频列表 来得出你的结论，

或者把你的想法发到留言区。