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

譯者: Lilian Chiu 審譯者: Helen Chang

Before the sun never set on the British Empire,

在太陽還沒照耀在大英帝國之前，

before Genghis Khan swept the steppe,

在成吉斯汗橫掃 西伯利亞大草原之前，

before Rome extended its influence to encircle the Mediterranean Sea,

在羅馬將其影響力延伸至 地中海周圍之前，

there was ancient Assyria.

古老的亞述就存在了。

Considered by historians to be the first true empire,

歷史學家認為亞述是 第一個真正的帝國，

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

亞述的創新，為後續 所有的強權立下了根基。

At its height, in the 7th century BCE,

在公元前七世紀，亞述的巔峰時期，

the Assyrian Empire stretched across modern Iraq,

它的領土延伸至現今的伊拉克、

Syria,

敘利亞、

Lebanon,

黎巴嫰、

Israel,

以色列、

and parts of Turkey,

土耳其的一部分、

Iran,

and Egypt.

伊朗，

以及埃及。

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

它的奇蹟包括一間巨大圖書館， 以及大型的植物和動物公園。

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

但亞述帝國興起成為主宰的故事， 早在許多世紀之前的青銅器時代末期，

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

就已經在亞述古城阿舒爾開始了。

Ashur was a tin and textiles trading center

阿舒爾是錫和紡織品的貿易中心，

located along the Tigris River in northern Iraq.

位在北伊拉克的底格里斯河邊。

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

阿舒爾是神的名字， 祂被視為該市的化身，

and later of the entire empire.

後來則是整個帝國的化身。

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

對於具有行政頭腦的亞述人來說， 政治和宗教是密切相關的。

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

約公元前一千三百年，名為阿舒爾 烏巴里特一世的大祭師取得王位，

and initiated a tradition of military campaigns,

開始了軍事戰役的傳統，

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

很有效地將亞述從城市國家 轉變為領土國家。

This meant that a single administrative entity

那意味著，單一個行政實體

oversaw many places, cultures, and peoples.

要監督許多地方、文化、民族。

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

接下來的一百五十年， 亞述向外拓展，興旺繁榮。

In the 12th century BCE,

在公元前十二世紀，

a mysterious catastrophe that still bewilders archaeologists

一場至今仍讓考古學家 感到迷惑的神秘大災難

caused the Assyrians to lose much of their territory.

造成亞述失去了大部分的領土。

A few hundred years later, however,

然而，幾百年後，

Assyrian kings began a new round of conquests.

亞述國王又開始了新一波的征戰。

This time, they honed their administrative system

這次，他們的行政系統是磨練過的，

into an empire that would last generations.

讓他們能夠成為足以 持續數世代的帝國。

Assyrians were military innovators and merciless conquerors.

亞述人是軍事創新者， 也是無情的征服者。

During their conquests,

在征戰過程中，

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

他們採用圍攻戰略， 並對反抗的人施以殘酷的刑罰，

including impalement and flaying.

包括刺刑和剝皮。

The growth of their empire was due, in part,

他們的帝國能夠成長，有部分是因為

to their strategy of deporting local populations,

他們的策略是將當地人口驅逐，

then shifting them around the empire to fulfill different needs.

將他們依不同的需求 轉移到帝國各處。

This broke peoples’ bonds with their homelands

這做法打破了人民與其家園的連繫，

and severed loyalties among local groups.

並切斷了地方團體之間的忠誠。

Once the Assyrians conquered an area,

一旦亞述人征服了一個地區，

they built cities connected by well-maintained royal roads.

他們會建造城市， 用善加維護的皇家道路連結。

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

通常，當新國王上任時， 他會建立一個新的首都。

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

每一次搬遷，

都會有新宮殿和寺廟建立起來，

並大肆揮霍在裝飾上。

Although kings claimed absolute power,

雖然國王有絕對的權力，

we know that an extensive system of courtiers,

我們知道有個延伸體制，包含廷臣、

provincial officials,

省官員，

and scholars influenced affairs.

以及學者所左右的事務。

At least one woman, Sammuramat, ruled the kingdom.

王國至少曾被一位女性 統治過：薩穆拉瑪特。

Assyrian rulers celebrated their military excursions

亞述統治者慶祝其軍事遠征的方式，

by having representations of their exploits

是把他們的代表功績

carved into the walls of their newly built palaces.

刻到新建宮殿的牆壁上。

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

但，儘管這些紀錄反映出了 一個無情戰爭國家的模樣，

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

亞述國王也對地區的 文化傳統感興趣，

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

特別是巴比倫尼亞， 南方的另一個獨立國家。

Babylonia had been a cultural leader for millennia,

巴比倫尼亞數千年來都是文化領袖，

stretching back to the beginning of writing

最早可追溯到書寫的發明，

at the end of the 4th millennium BCE.

即公元前四千年末期。

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

亞述把自己視為是這項傳統的 繼承者以及保護者。

Assyrian rulers supported scholars

亞述統治者會支持學者，

in specialties ranging from medicine to magic,

其專長範圍從醫學到魔法都有，

and the capital cities, like Ninevah,

而首都城市，如尼尼微，

were home to elaborate parks and gardens

有著精心設計的公園和花園，

that housed plants and animals from around the empire.

收羅來自帝國各地的植物和動物。

One of Assyria’s final rulers, Ashurbanipal,

亞述的最後統治者之一， 亞述巴尼拔，

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

派學者到巴比倫尼亞去 收集和複製古老的文學作品。

Ashurbanipal’s library took the form of clay tablets

亞述巴尼拔的圖書館 形式是用泥土刻寫板，

inscribed with cuneiform in the languages of Akkadian and Sumerian.

用阿卡德和蘇美 語言的楔形文字刻寫。

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

圖書館遺失於公元前 612 年 尼尼微的最後一次掠劫。

But thanks to a 19th century archaeological excavation,

但，好在有十九世紀的 一次考古挖掘，

many masterpieces of ancient literature,

許多古老文學的傑作，

including the Epic of Gilgamesh and the Babylonian Creation Epic,

包括吉爾伽美什史詩及 巴比倫尼亞創建史詩，

survive today.

都存留到現在。

After centuries of rule,

在數世紀的統治之後，

the Assyrian Empire fell to the Babylonians and Medes

在公元前 612~609 年間，亞述帝國

between 612 and 609 BCE.

落到了巴比倫尼亞人 和米底亞人的手中。

Yet the innovations that the Assyrians  pioneered live on.

然而，亞述人開拓的創新 仍得以存活下來。

Their emphasis on constant innovation,

他們很強調經常創新、

efficient administration,

有效率的行政、

and excellent infrastructure

出色的基礎建設，

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

為該區域以及全球後來的每一個帝國

and across the globe.

設立了標準。