The rise and fall of the Byzantine Empire - Leonora Neville

翻译人员: Ziwen Yan 校对人员: Lipeng Chen

Most history books will tell you the Roman Empire fell in the fifth century CE.

很多历史书告诉我们 罗马帝国在公元5世纪逐渐没落。

But this would’ve come as a great surprise to the millions of people

但这个事实会让生活在

who lived in the Roman Empire up through the Middle Ages.

中世纪罗马帝国的百万居民们震惊。

This medieval Roman Empire,

中世纪的罗马帝国，

which we usually refer to today as the Byzantine Empire,

在今日又称为拜占庭帝国，

began in 330 CE.

在公元 300 年建立。

That’s when Constantine, the first Christian emperor,

康斯坦丁，这时的第一任基督徒国王

moved the capital of the Roman Empire to a new city called Constantinople,

将罗马帝国的首都迁到君士坦丁堡，

which he founded on the site of the ancient Greek city Byzantion.

这个新首都建在古希腊城市拜占庭的遗迹上。

When the Visigoths sacked Rome in 410

当西哥特人在 410 年攻陷罗马城

and the Empire’s western provinces were conquered by barbarians,

罗马帝国的西边领域也被野蛮人占领时，

Constantine’s Eastern capital remained the seat of the Roman emperors.

康斯坦丁建立在东边的首都被保存了下来。

There, generations of emperors ruled for the next 11 centuries.

正是在君士坦丁堡，罗马国王们 延续了长达11个世纪的统治。

Sharing continuity with the classical Roman Empire

和历史悠久的罗马帝国共存的拜占庭帝国

gave the Byzantine empire a technological and artistic advantage over its neighbors,

比它的邻国多了几分科技和艺术的优势，

whom Byzantines considered barbarians.

拜占庭人将邻国们看作野蛮人。

In the ninth century, visitors from beyond the frontier

在第九世纪，来自远方的游者们

were astonished at the graceful stone arches and domes

被君士坦丁堡皇宫里

of the imperial palace in Constantinople.

优美的拱门和穹顶而震撼。

A pair of golden lions flanked the imperial throne.

一对黄金狮子守在皇座两侧；

A hidden organ would make the lions roar as guests fell on their knees.

藏在狮身内的风琴会将客人们吓倒在地。

Golden birds sung from a nearby golden tree.

黄金鸟在附近的黄金树上歌唱

Medieval Roman engineers even used hydraulic engines

中世纪的罗马工程师们甚至利用水利发动机

to raise the imperial throne high into the air.

将皇座举向空中。

Other inherited aspects of ancient Roman culture

其他流传下来的古罗马文化

could be seen in emperors’ clothing,

在国王的衣着上也有体现，

from traditional military garb to togas,

从传统的战袍到日常长袍。

and in the courts,

在法庭上，

which continued to use Roman law.

罗马帝国的法律也被保留了下来。

Working-class Byzantines would’ve also had similar lives

劳动阶层的拜占庭人过着和

to their Ancient Roman counterparts;

古罗马帝国人民相似的生活；

many farmed or plied a specific trade,

农民们在固定的领域进行贸易，

such as ceramics,

比如说瓷艺，

leatherworking,

皮革加工，

fishing,

捕鱼，

weaving,

编制，

or manufacturing silk.

或者制造丝制品。

But, of course, the Byzantine Empire

但当然，拜占庭帝国

didn’t just rest on the laurels of Ancient Rome.

没有在罗马帝国的桂冠下止步不前。

Their artists innovated, creating vast mosaics and ornate marble carvings.

他们的艺术家发明创造了 大量华丽的马赛克与大理石雕刻。

Their architects constructed numerous churches,

他们的建筑师们筑造了大量的教堂，

one of which, called Hagia Sophia,

其中最著名的一所叫做圣索菲亚大教堂，

had a dome so high it was said to be hanging on a chain from heaven.

这座教堂有着被形容为从天堂吊下的穹顶。

The Empire was also home to great intellectuals such as Anna Komnene.

拜占庭帝国也同样是许多智者的家乡， 如安娜·科穆宁那。

As imperial princess in the 12th century,

作为一名12世纪的公主，

Anna dedicated her life to philosophy and history.

安娜为哲学和历史奉献了她的一生。

Her account of her father’s reign is historians’ foremost source

安娜对于自己父亲统治的记载是历史学家们

for Byzantine political history at the time of the first crusade.

研究第一次十字军东征时期 政治历史的重要资料来源。

Another scholar, Leo the Mathematician,

另一位学者，数学家利奥

invented a system of beacons that ran the width of the empire—

发明了能跨越整个国家宽度的烽火——

what’s now Greece and Turkey.

也就是如今的希腊和土耳其。

Stretching more than 700 kilometers,

这个系统横跨700公里以上，

this system allowed the edge of the Empire to warn the emperor of invading armies

在军队入侵时可以让边疆的士兵警告城内国王，

within one hour of sighting them at the border.

从发现敌情到通报的过程只需要1小时。

But their advances couldn’t protect the Empire forever.

但是他们先进的发明无法永远保护国家。

In 1203, an army of French and Venetian Crusaders

1203 年， 法国和威尼斯的十字军军队

made a deal with a man named Alexios Angelos.

和一个名叫亚历克西斯·安哲洛的人达成了协议。

Alexios was the son of a deposed emperor,

亚历克西斯是一个被废黜国王的儿子，

and promised the crusaders vast riches

他许诺十字军们大量的财富

and support to help him retake the throne from his uncle.

只要十字军帮助他从自己叔叔手里抢回皇位。

Alexios succeeded, but after a year,

亚历克西斯成功继位， 但过了一年，

the population rebelled and Alexios himself was deposed and killed.

他被造反的人民废黜然后杀害。

So Alexios’s unpaid army turned their aggression on Constantinople.

没有拿到报酬的十字军 向君士坦丁堡发泄了怒火。

They lit massive fires,

他们多次纵火，

which destroyed countless works of ancient and medieval art and literature,

摧毁了大量中世纪的艺术文学收藏，

leaving about one-third of the population homeless.

三分之一的人口流离失所。

The city was reclaimed 50 years later by the Roman Emperor Michael Palaiologos,

君士坦丁堡在 50 年后被 罗马国王麦克尔八世重新夺回，

but his restored Empire never regained all the territory

但是并没有完全收复以前

the Crusaders had conquered.

十字军们所占领的领地。

Finally, in 1453, Ottoman Emperor Mehmed the Conqueror captured Constantinople,

终于在 1453 年， 奥斯曼帝国国王 穆罕默德二世攻陷君士坦丁堡，

bringing a conclusive end to the Roman Empire.

宣告了罗马帝国决定性的终结。

Despite the Ottoman conquest,

尽管罗马帝国已被奥斯曼帝国占领，

many Greek-speaking inhabitants of the Eastern Mediterranean

许多讲希腊语的地中海东岸居民

continued to call themselves Romans until the early 21st century.

继续称自己为“罗马人”， 直到21世纪初。

In fact, it wasn’t until the Renaissance

事实上，在文艺复兴时期

that the term “Byzantine Empire” was first used.

“拜占庭帝国”的叫法才第一次出现。

For Western Europeans,

对于西欧人来说，

the Renaissance was about reconnecting with the wisdom of antiquity.

文艺复兴代表着重温古代智慧。

And since the existence of a medieval Roman Empire

从中世纪罗马帝国的存在就能看出

suggested there were Europeans who’d never lost touch with antiquity,

有些欧洲人从来没有忘记古代的成就。

Western Europeans wanted to draw clear lines between the ages.

西欧人试图画出清晰的界线

To better distinguish the classical, Latin-speaking, pagan Roman Empire

来分清传统的、拉丁语普及、异教徒的罗马帝国

from the medieval, Greek-speaking, Christian Roman Empire,

与中世纪， 希腊语普及， 基督教的罗马帝国，

scholars renamed the latter group Byzantines.

学者们将后一种命名为拜占庭。

And thus, 100 years after it had fallen, the Byzantine Empire was born.

因此， 在罗马帝国没落的100年后， 拜占庭帝国诞生了。