The fascinating history of cemeteries - Keith Eggener

翻译人员: Jenny Tian 校对人员: Carol Wang

Spindly trees,

细长的树木，

rusted gates,

生锈的大门，

crumbling stone,

摇摇欲坠的石头，

a solitary mourner—

孤独的哀悼者——

these things come to mind when we think of cemeteries.

当我们想到墓地时， 这些景象常常会浮现在脑海中

But not so long ago,

但不久之前，

many burial grounds were lively places,

许多墓地都是热闹的地方，

with blooming gardens and crowds of people

百花盛开，

strolling among the headstones.

攒动的人群漫步在墓碑之间。

How did our cemeteries become what they are today?

我们的墓地是如何 演变成今天的样子的？

Some have been around for centuries,

有些已经存在了几个世纪，

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

比如世界上最大的 Wadi al-Salaam墓地，

where more than five million people are buried.

那里埋葬了五百万余人。

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

但现今广为人知的大多数墓地 一般没有如此久远的历史。

In fact, for much of human history,

事实上，人类历史的大部分时间里，

we didn’t bury our dead at all.

我们根本没有将死者埋葬。

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

我们的古代祖先有许多其他方式 与死去的亲人分别。

Some were left in caves,

有的将死者留在洞穴里，

others in trees

有些留在树上，

or on mountaintops.

或是山顶上。

Still others were sunk in lakes,

还有一些沉入湖中，

put out to sea,

或者投入海中，

ritually cannibalized,

或者举行仪式吃掉死者，

or cremated.

或者火化。

All of these practices,

所有这些做法，

though some may seem strange today,

虽然有些在今天看起来很奇怪，

were ways of venerating the dead.

却是当时对死者表示尊重的方式。

By contrast, the first known burials

相比之下，最早为人所知的埋葬，

about 120,000 years ago

在大约12万年前，

were likely reserved for transgressors,

很可能仅限于对违法违规者施用，

excluding them from the usual rites

旨在将他们排除在

intended to honor the dead.

纪念死者的常规仪式之外。

But the first burials revealed some advantages over other practices:

但最初的埋葬揭示了一些 优于其他做法的优势：

they protected bodies from scavengers and the elements,

即保护尸体免受食腐动物 和自然力量的侵害，

while shielding loved ones from the sight of decay.

同时免使亲人们目睹尸体腐烂。

These benefits may have shifted ancient people’s thinking

这些利处可能已经改变了古人

toward graves designed to honor the dead,

对于旨在纪念死者的坟墓的想法，

and burial became more common.

埋葬变得更加普遍。

Sometimes, these graves contained practical or ritual objects,

有时候，这些坟墓包含着 实用或祭祀的物件，

suggesting belief in an afterlife

暗示对死后世界的信仰，

死者可能需要这样的工具。

Communal burials first appeared in North Africa and West Asia

公共的埋葬首先出现在北非和西亚。

around 10 to 15,000 years ago,

大约1万年前或1万五千年前，

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

和这些区域最早的永久定居点 出现时间大致相同，

These burial grounds created permanent places to commemorate the dead.

这些墓地建造了 纪念死者的永久性场所。

The nomadic Scythians littered the steppes

游牧塞西亚人在草原上

with grave mounds known as kurgans.

散落着坟墩，人们称之为墓穴。

The Etruscans built expansive necropoles,

伊特鲁里亚人建造了广阔的墓地，

their grid-patterned streets lined with tombs.

他们网格图案的街道 两旁排列着墓穴。

In Rome, subterranean catacombs housed

在罗马，地下墓穴安放着

both cremation urns and intact remains.

火葬瓮和完整的遗骸。

The word cemetery, or “sleeping chamber,”

“墓地”这个词，或者叫作“睡房”，

was first used by ancient Greeks,

是古希腊人最早使用的词，

who built tombs in graveyards

他们在位于城市

at the edges of their cities.

边缘的墓地建造墓穴。

In medieval European cities,

在中世纪的欧洲城市，

Christian churchyards provided rare, open spaces

基督教教堂院内 提供很罕见的开放空间，

that accommodated the dead,

用以容纳死者，

but also hosted markets, fairs, and other events.

但它也是集市、 集会和其它活动的场所。

Farmers even grazed cattle in them,

农民甚至在那里牧牛，

believing graveyard grass made for sweeter milk.

认为墓地草产出的牛奶更甜。

As cities grew during the industrial revolution,

随着城市在工业革命期间的发展，

large suburban cemeteries replaced smaller urban churchyards.

大型郊区公墓取代了 较小的城市教堂院落墓地。

Cemeteries like the 110-acre Père-Lachaise in Paris

比如巴黎110英亩的 Père-Lachaise墓地，

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

还有马萨诸塞州剑桥市 72英亩的奥本山墓地，

were lushly landscaped gardens

都是郁郁葱葱的园景花园，

filled with sculpted stones

拥有无数雕刻的石头

and ornate tombs.

和华丽的墓穴。

Once a luxury reserved for the rich and powerful,

曾为权势阶层特权的奢侈墓地，

individually marked graves

后来中产阶层

became available to the middle and working classes.

和工人阶级亦可享用。

People visited cemeteries for funerals,

人们来墓地不仅为了参加葬礼，

but also for anniversaries, holidays,

而且纪念日和假期也来，

or simply an afternoon outdoors.

或者只是下午到墓地走走。

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

到了19世纪末，随着更多的公共 公园和植物园的出现，

cemeteries began to lose visitors.

公墓开始失去了光顾者。

Today, many old cemeteries are lonely places.

今天，许多古老的墓地成了 孤独的地方。

Some are luring visitors back with tours,

有些墓地通过举办 游览、音乐会及其他盛会，

吸引参观者们回来。

concerts, and other attractions.

But even as we revive old cemeteries,

但即使我们使以往的墓地复兴，

we’re rethinking the future of burial.

也在重新思考今后埋葬的问题。

Cities like London, New York, and Hong Kong

伦敦、纽约和香港这样的城市，

are running out of burial space.

几乎没有再建墓地的土地了。

Even in places where space isn’t so tight,

即使在土地不那么紧缺的地方，

cemeteries permanently occupy land

公墓永久占用土地，

that can’t be otherwise cultivated or developed.

一经占用，便不能 再进行耕种或开发。

Traditional burial consumes materials

传统的墓葬消耗材料，

like metal, stone, and concrete,

比如金属、石头和混凝土，

and can pollute soil and groundwater

而且会使土壤和地下水受到

with toxic chemicals.

有毒化学物质的污染。

With increasing awareness of the environmental costs,

随着环境成本意识的增强，

people are seeking alternatives.

人们正在寻找其他选择，

Many are turning to cremation and related practices.

许多人更倾向于火葬和相关做法。

Along with these more conventional practices,

除了这些较为传统的做法，

people can now have their remains shot into space,

人们现在可以 将他们的遗体射入太空，

used to fertilize a tree,

或者用来给树木施肥，

or made into jewelry,

或将其制成珠宝、

fireworks,

烟花、

and even tattoo ink.

甚至纹身墨汁。

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

将来，诸如此类选择可能会 完全替换墓葬。

Cemeteries may be our most familiar monuments to the departed,

墓地可能是我们对逝者 最熟悉的纪念地，

but they’re just one step

然而，这只是我们缅怀祭奠死者

in our ever-evolving process

的不断进化过程中

of remembering and honoring the dead.

向前迈出的一步。