A day in the life of an ancient Greek architect - Mark Robinson

翻译人员: Elena W 校对人员: Yolanda Zhang

As dawn breaks over Athens, Pheidias is already late for work.

雅典黎明时分， 菲迪亚斯上班已经迟到了。

The year is 432 BCE,

现在是公元前 432 年，

and he’s the architekton, or chief builder,

菲迪亚斯是帕特农神庙——

for the Parthenon— Athens’ newest and largest temple.

雅典最新最大的 一座神庙的首席建筑师。

When completed, his masterpiece will be an enormous shrine to the goddess Athena,

完成之时，他的杰作将成为 雅典娜女神的圣殿，

and a testament to the glory of the Athenians.

也是雅典人荣耀的见证。

But when he arrives onsite he finds five epistatai, or city officials,

但当他来到建筑工地时，

waiting to confront him.

等待他的是 5 位城管。

They accuse Pheidias of embezzling gold

他们指控菲迪亚斯盗用了

designated for the temple’s sacred central statue.

那些本要用来建造 神庙中央雕像的黄金。

He has until sundown to provide all the temple’s expenses

在太阳下山之前， 他必须拿出整个建筑工程

and account for every flake of gold— or face the judgement of the courts.

以及每一片黄金用途的开销明细—— 否则他将面对法庭的审判。

Though he’s insulted by these false charges, Pheidias isn’t surprised.

虽然菲迪亚斯觉得被诬告侮辱， 但这完全在他意料之中。

Pericles, the politician who commissioned the Parthenon,

伯里克利， 负责建造神庙的政治家，

has many enemies in city government,

在政府当中有许多敌人。

and this project is somewhat controversial.

这个项目本身也备受争议。

The public is expecting a classic temple in the Doric style:

百姓们希望看到 一座多立克式的古典神庙：

simple columns supporting a horizontal entablature,

简单的圆柱支撑着楣构，

crowned with a triangular roof.

顶部有着三角形的屋顶。

But Pheidias’ plans are far more radical by Athenian standards.

但菲迪亚斯的计划 在雅典人眼中是相当极端的。

His designs combine Doric columns with a sweeping Ionic frieze,

他的设计结合了多立克柱式 和爱奥尼式的雕带，

hosting a vast panorama of the city’s Great Panathenaic festival.

展示着泛雅典娜节 当日城市的风景。

Not only will this sculpture show humans and gods side by side—

这座雕像不仅 将人与神并肩展示——

something never before seen in a temple’s décor—

这在以前的神庙装饰 中从未出现过——

it will also cost much more than the traditional approach.

它的成本也比 传统神庙高出不少。

Praying to the Gods that his colleagues have been keeping track of their spending,

向神明祈祷希望同事 一直都有记录花费之后，

Pheidias sets off to prove his innocence.

菲迪亚斯出发去证明他的清白。

First, he checks in with his architects Iktinos and Callicrates.

首先，他找到了建筑师们， 伊克提诺斯和卡拉克拉特。

Rather than using a blueprint,

他们没有使用蓝图，

they pore over the syngraphai, or general plan,

而是仔细研究了总体规划书

and paradeigma, a 3D model.

以及建筑的 3D 模型。

Without an exact blueprint, the team often has to resolve issues in real time,

因为没有明确的蓝图，团队只能依靠 精细的计算以及对于对称性的直觉，

guided only by careful calculation and their instinct for symmetry.

一边建造一边解决问题，

Maintaining this symmetry has proven especially difficult.

事实证明，维持这种 对称性是非常困难的。

The Parthenon is built on a curve with the columns leaning slightly inwards.

帕特农神庙建造在弧面上， 柱子稍微向内弯曲。

To project strength,

为了结构稳固，

and potentially keep the columns looking straight from a distance,

以及确保圆柱从远处 看起来是直的，

the architects incorporated entasis, or slight bulging, in each column.

建筑师们在每一根圆柱上 都添加了轻微的凸起。

For the temple’s other elements,

而对于神庙的其他元素，

the team calculates symmetry by employing relatively consistent proportions

团队通过设计中 比较一致的比例

across the design.

来计算对称性。

But their shifting plans require constant recalculations.

但他们不断变更的计划 需要经常重新计算。

After helping solve one such computation,

在完成了一个这样的计算后，

Pheidias collects his colleagues’ gold records

菲迪亚斯从同事那里 拿到了黄金消费的记录，

and heads off to receive a special delivery.

然后出发去收取 一件特殊的货物。

Immense marble blocks for the Parthenon’s pediment have just arrived

神庙三角形楣饰 需要的巨型大理石

from quarries at Mount Pentelikon.

刚从潘特利康山的采石场运来。

The usual ramps would collapse

普通的坡道会在

under the weight of these 2 to 3 ton stone blocks,

这些 2 到 3 吨重的 石块的重压下倒塌，

so Pheidias orders the construction of new pulleys.

所以菲迪亚斯 下令建造新的滑轮。

After recording the additional expense

在记录下额外的费用

and supervising the construction all afternoon,

并监督了整个下午的施工后，

he finally arrives at the sculpture workshop.

菲迪亚斯终于 来到雕像的工作坊。

His sculptors are carving 92 mythical scenes, or metopes,

他的雕塑家们正在 雕刻 92 个用来装饰神庙的

to decorate the temple.

神话场景。

Every carving depicts fighting from different epic battles—

每一个雕刻都讲述了 不同的史诗级战斗场面——

each a mythical representation of Greece’s victory over Persia

描绘着希腊 40 年前

about 40 years earlier.

战胜波斯的场景。

No temple has ever used so many metopes before,

从来没有神庙使用过 这么多神话场景，

and each scene adds to the temple’s ballooning expenses.

每一个都让神庙的费用大增。

Finally, Pheidias turns to his primary responsibility,

最后，菲迪亚斯 回到他的首要责任，

and the focal point of the entire temple.

也是整座神庙的焦点。

Covered in thick layers of gold, minutely decorated,

覆盖了层层黄金、装饰精心、

and towering above her worshippers,

高高耸立在崇拜者之上的

this will be a statue of the city’s patron and protector: Athena Parthenos.

雅典的守护者与保护者： 处女雅典娜。

When the temple is complete, throngs will gather on its perimeter—

神庙完成之时， 大批人潮将聚集此地

offering prayers, performing sacrifices,

向这位智慧女神

and pouring libations for the goddess of wisdom.

祷告、献祭、奠酒。

Pheidias spends the rest of the day

菲迪亚斯用剩下的时间

designing finishing touches for the statue,

来设计雕像的收尾工作。

and as the light fades, the epistatai arrive to confront him.

当光线逐渐暗淡时， 圣公会已经赶来，准备与他对质。

After looming over his records, they look up triumphantly.

看到他的记录后， 他们得意洋洋地望向他。

Pheidias may have accounted for the temple’s general spending,

菲迪亚斯虽然记载了 神庙的总体开销，

but his records show no mention of the statue’s gold.

但他的记录里并没有 提到建造雕像使用的黄金。

At that moment, Pericles himself arrives to save his chief builder.

这时，伯里克利亲自前来 解救自己的首席建筑师。

The temple’s sponsor tells them that all the gold on the statue

伯里克利告诉他们， 雕像上的黄金可以

can be removed and weighed individually to prove Pheidias’ innocence.

可以被全部移除并一一称重， 由此证明菲迪亚斯的清白。

Assigning laborers to the task—

在分配完执行 这项任务的工人

and charging the officials to watch them late into the night—

以及看官他们的官员后，

Pheidias and his patron leave their adversaries

菲迪亚斯和他的恩人 将他们的对手

to the mercy of mighty Athena.

交到了雅典娜女神的手下。