Did ancient Troy really exist? - Einav Zamir Dembin

翻译人员: Riley WANG 校对人员: Lipeng Chen

When Homer’s Iliad was first written down in the 8th century BCE,

在《荷马史诗》写就的公元前8世纪，

the story of the Trojan war was already an old one.

特洛伊战争已经算是 一个流传很久的故事了。

From existing oral tradition,

从传统的口头叙述中，

audiences knew the tales of the long siege,

人们知道在故事中 特洛伊城遭到长期围困，

the epic duels outside the city walls,

城墙外展开了传奇的对战，

and the cunning trick that finally won the war.

以及赢下战争所用到的狡猾计谋。

In the end, the magnificent city was burned to the ground,

这座辉煌的城市最终被付之一炬，

never to rise again.

再也没能重新崛起。

But had it ever existed?

但它真的存在么？

By the time the field of archaeology began to take shape in the 19th century,

19世纪时考古学研究初见雏形，

many were skeptical, considering the epic to be pure fiction,

许多人对特洛伊城持有怀疑态度， 认为史诗记载只不过是纯粹的虚构。

a founding myth imagining a bygone heroic era.

是一种对久远英雄年代 产生的神秘想象。

But some scholars believed

但是一些学者认为

that behind the superhuman feats and divine miracles

在这些超人功绩和神灵奇迹的背后，

there must have been a grain of historical truth -

必然会存在一丝历史意义上的真实性——

a war that was really fought,

一场真实发生过的战争，

and a place where it happened.

以及它发生的地点。

Frank Calvert was one such believer.

弗兰克·卡尔沃特就持有这种观点。

He had spent his youth traveling and learning about ancient civilizations

他在青年时期不断游历 并学习古代文明，

before accompanying his brother Frederick

之后陪伴哥哥弗雷德里克

on a diplomatic mission to the northwest Anatolian region of Çanakkale.

因外交任务来到了土耳其恰纳卡莱的 安纳托利亚的西北地区。

It was here that Homer described the Greek encampment

荷马就是在此处描绘了希腊军的营地

at the mouth of the Scamander river.

即斯卡曼德洛斯河口。

And it was here that fate brought Frank into contact

也是在此，命运让弗兰克

with a journalist and geologist named Charles Maclaren.

结识了记者，同时也是地质学家的 查尔斯·麦克拉伦

Locals and travelers had long speculated

当地人和游客长期以来都在猜测

that Troy might’ve stood on one of the surrounding hilltops.

特洛伊城可能位于周围的山峰之中。

But Maclaren had been one of the first

但是麦克拉伦则是

to publish a detailed topographical study of the area.

发布此地详细地形图的第一人。

He believed he had found the site –

他认为自己找到了遗址——

a 32-meter mound known by the name Hisarlık,

一个32米，名为希沙立克的土堆。

derived from the Turkish word for “fortress.”

其名字来源于土耳其语的“堡垒”。

Soon after meeting with him in 1847,

1847年，卡尔弗特见到麦克拉伦之后，

the Calverts bought 2,000 acres of farmland

便买下了2000公顷的农田，

that included part of the hill.

其中就包括这座山的一部分。

Before they could explore any further,

在他们继续进行探索之前，

the Crimean War broke out

克里米亚战争爆发了，

and forestalled their archaeological ambitions for several years.

使他们的考古雄心搁置了数年。

After the war’s end,

战争结束后，

Frank Calvert began to survey the site,

弗兰克·卡尔弗特开始考察这片地区。

but lacked the funds for a full excavation.

但是他缺乏进行全面发掘的资金。

This was where the wealthy German businessman

这时，轮到富有的德国商人

and amateur archaeologist Heinrich Schliemann came in.

同时也是业余考古爱好者的 海因里希·谢里曼出场。

At Calvert’s invitation,

应卡尔弗特之邀，

Schliemann visited the grounds in 1868, and decided to excavate.

谢里曼在1868年到访了此地 并决定进行挖掘。

Eager to find the ancient city,

他热切地希望找到这座古老城市，

Schliemann tore massive trenches all the way to the base of the hill.

他挖了大量沟渠， 一直通到山的底部。

There, he uncovered a hoard of precious artifacts,

就在那里，他发现了 聚集在一起的宝物，

jewelry,

珠宝，

and metalwork,

以及金属制品，

including two diadems and a copper shield.

包括两个皇冠和一个铜盾。

Schliemann took full credit for the discovery,

谢里曼认为此次发现 都是自己的功劳，

announcing that he had found Troy

并宣称自己找到了特洛伊城，

and the treasure of its king Priam.

找到了普利阿莫斯国王的宝藏。

But the real treasure was elsewhere.

但真正的宝藏却在别处。

When later archaeologists studied the site,

考古学家随后对遗址进行勘察，

they realized that the mound consisted of no less than nine cities,

他们意识到这个土堆 由九个以上的城市构成，

each built atop the ruins of the last.

每一个都是在 上一个废墟的基础上建成。

The layer Schliemann had uncovered dated back to the Mycenaean Age,

谢里曼发现的那层遗迹 可以追溯到迈锡尼时代，

more than 1,000 years too early for Homer.

这比荷马所在的年代早了1000多年。

But inside the mound was indeed evidence

但是土堆内的证据确实表明

for a city that had thrived during the Bronze Age,

青铜时代这里曾有某个繁盛的城市，

with charred stone,

那些烧焦的石头，

broken arrowheads,

破损的箭头，

and damaged human skeletons suggesting a violent end.

以及破损的人类骨架， 标志着一个暴乱的终结。

It was Troy VII, contained in the middle layers

在中层，包含着特洛伊VII遗迹

and now ravaged for a second time by Schliemann’s careless excavation.

由于谢里曼的鲁莽挖掘 而遭到了二次破坏。

The settlement, spanning some 200,000 square meters

城区覆盖了大约20万平方米，

and home to as many as 10,000 people,

多达1万人在此生活，

thrived until around 1180 BCE.

城市繁荣发展直至公元前1180年。

Its position at the southern entrance of the Dardanelles strait

它位于达达尼尔海峡的南方入口处，

would’ve made a formidable strategic location for both defense and trade.

使其占据坚固的战略位置 用以防御和贸易。

Most importantly, there are the remains of a massive fortification wall –

最重要的是， 这里有巨大的防御工事围墙的遗迹，

perhaps the very same one

也许普利阿莫斯王和赫克托尔

from which Priam and Hector once watched the Greeks approach.

就曾在此观望希腊人的进攻。

Of course, it’s difficult to be certain

当然，我们无法确定

that these ruins are the true remains of ancient Troy,

这些遗址是否是真正的特洛伊古城遗迹，

and scholars still dispute

学者们仍在争论

whether the Trojan War as described by Homer ever happened.

荷马描述的特洛伊战争是否真实发生过。

Yet the evidence is strong enough

但是在充足的证据面前，

that UNESCO has labelled Hisarlık the archeological site of Troy.

联合国教科文组织 将希沙立克认定为特洛伊古迹。

Regardless of its identity,

不管其身份如何，

thanks to persistence,

凭着坚持，

a bit of faith,

和一些信念，

and a lot of research,

以及大量的研究，

archaeologists are bringing the long-buried secrets

考古学家终于使这长久以来埋藏地下的

of an ancient, lost city to light.

古老失落的城市重见天日。