The fascinating history of cemeteries - Keith Eggener

譯者: Lilian Chiu 審譯者: Helen Chang

Spindly trees,

細長的樹木，

rusted gates,

生鏽的大門，

crumbling stone,

裂開的石頭，

a solitary mourner—

隻身的哀悼者——

these things come to mind when we think of cemeteries.

想到公墓時，我們的腦海 會浮現這些東西。

But not so long ago,

但，不久之前，

many burial grounds were lively places,

許多墳地還是充滿生氣的地方，

with blooming gardens and crowds of people

有著綻放的花園和成群的人，

strolling among the headstones.

在墓碑間溜達。

How did our cemeteries become what they are today?

我們的公墓是怎麼變成 現在這個樣子的？

Some have been around for centuries,

有些墓地已經存在數世紀了，

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

像是世界上最大的「和平谷」，

where more than five million people are buried.

有五百萬人埋葬在那裡。

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

但大部分我們所知的公墓沒多少年。

In fact, for much of human history,

事實上，人類歷史上有很長的時期，

we didn’t bury our dead at all.

我們根本不埋葬死者。

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

我們古早的祖先有許多其他方式 來和已故的愛人告別。

Some were left in caves,

有些人被留在洞穴中，

others in trees

有些人留在樹下，或是山頂上。

or on mountaintops.

Still others were sunk in lakes,

還有些人會被沉入湖中，

put out to sea,

送到大海裡，以儀式的方式吃掉，

ritually cannibalized,

or cremated.

或是火化。

All of these practices,

所有這些做法，

though some may seem strange today,

雖然有些在現今看來起挺奇怪的，

were ways of venerating the dead.

但它們都是對死者 表示敬意的方式。

By contrast, the first known burials

相對的，我們所知最早的埋葬

about 120,000 years ago

是在大約十二萬年前，

were likely reserved for transgressors,

那時很可能是犯法者才會被埋葬，

excluding them from the usual rites

不讓他們使用一般用來

對死者表示敬意的儀式。

intended to honor the dead.

But the first burials revealed some advantages over other practices:

但最早的埋葬就顯示出了 一些其他做法沒有的優勢：

they protected bodies from scavengers and the elements,

埋葬能保護身體，不受 食腐動物與惡劣天氣的影響，

while shielding loved ones from the sight of decay.

且生者也不需要看見 他們所愛的人腐化。

These benefits may have shifted ancient people’s thinking

這些益處可能轉變了古人的想法，

toward graves designed to honor the dead,

改成去設計墓穴 來對死者表示敬意，

and burial became more common.

埋葬就變得更常見了。

Sometimes, these graves contained practical or ritual objects,

有時，這些墓穴中會有 實用或儀式性的物品，

suggesting belief in an afterlife

表示對來生的信仰，

因為死者可能會需要這些工具。

Communal burials first appeared in North Africa and West Asia

公墓埋葬最早出現在北非和西亞，

around 10 to 15,000 years ago,

時間是大約一萬到一萬五千年前，

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

差不多同時期，在這些地區 也出現了最早的永久居住地。

These burial grounds created permanent places to commemorate the dead.

這些墳地成為了 紀念死者的永久地。

The nomadic Scythians littered the steppes

遊牧的斯基泰人 讓大草原上到處都是墳塚，

with grave mounds known as kurgans.

叫做 kurgans（俄文）。

The Etruscans built expansive necropoles,

伊特魯里亞人建立廣闊的大墓地，

their grid-patterned streets lined with tombs.

他們的格狀街道旁邊就排著墳墓。

In Rome, subterranean catacombs housed

在羅馬，地下墓穴中會有

both cremation urns and intact remains.

火葬的甕以及完整的遺骸。

The word cemetery, or “sleeping chamber,”

公墓或「陵寢」這個詞，

was first used by ancient Greeks,

最早是由古希臘人所使用，

who built tombs in graveyards

他們在墳場中建立墓碑，

at the edges of their cities.

墳場位在城市的邊緣地帶。

In medieval European cities,

在中世紀歐洲的城市中， 基督教的教堂庭院

Christian churchyards provided rare, open spaces

會提供少量開放空間來收容死者，

that accommodated the dead,

but also hosted markets, fairs, and other events.

但同時也用來主辦市場、 市集，及其他活動。

Farmers even grazed cattle in them,

農夫甚至到這些地方牧牛，

believing graveyard grass made for sweeter milk.

他們相信墳地的草 能帶來更甜的牛奶。

As cities grew during the industrial revolution,

在工業革命期間，隨著城市成長，

large suburban cemeteries replaced smaller urban churchyards.

大型的郊區公墓取代了

較小的都市教堂庭院。

Cemeteries like the 110-acre Père-Lachaise in Paris

巴黎的拉雪茲神父 公墓有 110 英畝，

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

麻州劍橋的奧本山 公墓有 72 英畝，

were lushly landscaped gardens

這類公墓都有豐富的花園 及許多雕刻的石頭來美化，

filled with sculpted stones

and ornate tombs.

還有裝飾華麗的墓碑。

Once a luxury reserved for the rich and powerful,

曾經一度是保留給有錢人 和有權人的奢侈品，

individually marked graves

個別標記的墓地後來開放給

became available to the middle and working classes.

中產階級和勞動階級。

People visited cemeteries for funerals,

人們會前往公墓，參加葬禮，

but also for anniversaries, holidays,

也會在紀念日、假日前往，

or simply an afternoon outdoors.

或很單純就只是因為下午 想去戶外走走而前往。

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

但在十九紀世後期，

隨著更多公園和植物花園出現，

cemeteries began to lose visitors.

公墓的訪客開始流失。

Today, many old cemeteries are lonely places.

現今，許多老公墓 成了孤單的地方。

Some are luring visitors back with tours,

有些公墓用遊覽來吸引訪客回來，

concerts, and other attractions.

或用音樂會或其他方式製造吸引力。

But even as we revive old cemeteries,

但即使我們讓老公墓重新復甦，

we’re rethinking the future of burial.

我們仍然在思考埋葬的未來。

Cities like London, New York, and Hong Kong

像是倫敦、紐約、香港等城市，

are running out of burial space.

快要沒有埋葬空間了。

Even in places where space isn’t so tight,

即使是在空間沒有 那麼吃緊的地方，

cemeteries permanently occupy land

公墓也會永久性地佔據土地，

that can’t be otherwise cultivated or developed.

讓土地無法被用來耕種或開發。

Traditional burial consumes materials

傳統埋葬會消耗許多材料，

like metal, stone, and concrete,

如金屬、石頭，和水泥，

and can pollute soil and groundwater

且可能會污染土壤和地下水，

with toxic chemicals.

含有有毒化學物。

With increasing awareness of the environmental costs,

隨著越來越意識到環境成本，

people are seeking alternatives.

大家開始尋求替代方案。

Many are turning to cremation and related practices.

許多人轉向火化以及相關的做法。

Along with these more conventional practices,

除了這些比較常見的做法之外，

people can now have their remains shot into space,

現在大家也可以選擇 將遺骸發射到太空中、

used to fertilize a tree,

用來為樹木施肥，

or made into jewelry,

或是製成首飾、煙火，

fireworks,

and even tattoo ink.

甚至刺青墨水。

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

在未來，這類選擇

可能會完全取代埋葬。

Cemeteries may be our most familiar monuments to the departed,

公墓是對於亡者表示紀念的方式 當中我們最熟悉的一種，

but they’re just one step

但，紀念死者及對死者 表示敬意的過程不斷在演化，

in our ever-evolving process

of remembering and honoring the dead.

公墓只是這個過程中的 其中一步而已。