Run, sail, or hide? How to survive the destruction of Pompeii - Gary Devore

譯者: Amanda Zhu 審譯者: Claire Hsu

It’s a bustling day in Pompeii.

這天的龐貝城十分熱鬧。

Fabia visits the Temple of Venus and offers a sacrificial dove to the goddess,

法比亞來到維納斯神廟， 向女神獻祭一隻鴿子，

asking her to bless her brother’s upcoming wedding.

請求祂祝福哥哥即將到來的婚禮。

After a quick visit to the market,

很快地逛過市場後，

she spots her brothers, Lucius and Marcus, crossing the Forum.

她看見她的兄弟 盧修斯和馬庫斯穿過集會廣場。

They’re off to relax at the public baths.

他們正要去公共浴場輕鬆一下。

Marcus spent the morning helping a master craftsman lay a grand mosaic floor

今早，馬庫斯幫忙一位工匠師傅 鋪設宏偉的馬賽克地板，

while Lucius worked in the brickyard.

而盧修斯則在磚瓦廠上工。

It’s been 17 years since an earthquake hit Pompeii and its neighbor Herculaneum,

龐貝城和相鄰的赫庫蘭尼姆城 距上次發生大地震已經 17 年了，

and there’s still construction and repair work to do.

重建和修復的工作尚未完成。

Fabia and her brothers discuss the recent tremors everyone’s been feeling.

法比亞和她的兄弟們談到了 每個人最近都感受到的小地震。

Lucius jokes that there’ll always be work for men who rebuild walls in Pompeii.

盧修斯開玩笑地說， 在龐貝重建城牆的人永遠不會失業。

He tells them how eager he is to bind hands with his sponsa, or bride-to-be.

他也說他很渴望趕快和準新娘結連理，

The siblings begin discussing tomorrow’s wedding—

他們開始討論明天的婚禮，

but a deafening boom interrupts them.

但是震耳欲聾的隆隆聲打斷了他們。

They watch Vesuvius spew smoke, ash, and rock high into the air—

他們看著維蘇威火山 朝空中噴出煙霧、灰燼和岩石，

and realize they've been living in the shadow of a volcano.

意識到他們一直生活在火山的陰影下。

They embrace and pray to Venus for protection and Vulcan for mercy.

他們互相擁抱並祈求 維納斯女神的保護和火神的憐憫。

Each must now choose how to survive.

現在每個人都必須選擇保命之道。

They have three options: seek shelter, escape to the south on foot,

他們有三種途徑： 尋找掩護、徒步逃往南方，

or flee to the west by sea.

或循海路逃往西方。

Lucius rushes home but can’t find his sponsa.

盧修斯衝回家，卻找不到他的未婚妻。

He decides to wait for her and lights an oil lamp.

他決定等她，然後點了一盞油燈。

Ash and pumice begin raining over Pompeii.

火山灰和火山石 開始在龐貝上空如雨般落下。

Fabia shelters with her husband, Claudius, and their daughters.

法比亞與她的丈夫克勞迪斯 和他們的女兒一起在屋簷下避難。

But after a few hours, their roof groans under the weight of volcanic debris,

但過了幾小時，他們的屋頂 在火山碎片的重壓下發出吱嘎聲。

and they realize they can't stay.

他們意識到不能待在這裡了，

They decide to travel southeast, away from the volcano.

決定向東南方移動，遠離火山。

The family joins swarms of people wading through hot ash on the cardo maximus

他們全家和蜂擁的人潮一起 涉過南北大街上的熱灰，

and begins navigating towards one of Pompeii’s southern gates.

往龐貝城的其中一道南門前進。

Marcus finally reaches his home in Herculaneum

馬庫斯終於抵達 他在赫庫蘭尼姆城的家，

and gathers his wife and children.

並齊聚他的妻小。

They decide to escape by sea.

他們決定循海路逃難。

But as they approach the docks,

但當他們接近碼頭時，

they discover waves brimming with volcanic matter,

發現海浪中充滿著火山物質，

making it impossible for boats to navigate close enough to shore.

使得船隻無法航行到岸。

Trying to keep calm for their children, they huddle underneath covered boat docks.

在孩子面前，他們試圖保持鎮定， 一家人擠在船塢的屋頂之下。

Now, the deadliest phase of the disaster begins.

現在，災難最致命的階段開始了。

At this point, the force throwing the volcanic material, or tephra,

此時，火山往空中噴發 火山灰的力道減弱，

into the air diminishes, and it comes crashing down.

使得火山灰大量墜落。

Hot ash and noxious gas billow out in a wave known as a pyroclastic surge.

熱灰和有毒氣體如波浪般滾滾而出， 這是所謂的「火山噴湧」。

This first surge engulfs Herculaneum.

第一波吞沒了赫庫蘭尼姆城。

One hour later, another three times as strong

一個小時後，另一波帶著三倍的力道，

collapses the town’s remaining structures.

壓垮了城鎮中餘留的建築。

These have yet to reach Pompeii,

此時這些噴湧尚未到達龐貝城，

but buildings are ablaze in the hot, sulfurous air.

但建築物已在炙熱 又充滿硫磺的空氣中燃燒。

Lucius climbs out of his closet and tries his front door,

盧修斯從衣櫥裡爬出來， 試著打開前門，

but a deep blanket of ash and stone won’t let it budge.

但外頭厚重的灰燼和石頭 使他開不了門。

His lamp flickers and dies.

他的油燈微弱地閃爍幾下，熄滅了。

After more than 14 hours, at times walking through ash up to their chests,

經過 14 多個小時，法比亞、 她的家人和其他及早離開的人，

Fabia, her family, and the others who left early enough,

即使得走過漫及胸前的火山灰， 他們仍繼續前進，

climb the southern Latarri mountains.

接著爬上拉塔里南部的山峰。

They reach a peak and pause to look back.

他們到達峰頂，停下來回頭看，

Another pyroclastic surge rushes across the valley, crashes into Pompei,

另一股火山碎屑湧過山谷， 沖向龐貝城，

and sheers off the upper levels of the town’s buildings.

削去了城鎮裡建築物的上層樓。

Fighting back tears, Fabia continues to push her family on towards safety,

法比亞忍住眼淚， 繼續催促家人朝安全地帶前進，

praying for her brothers and fellow townspeople.

同時也為她的兄弟和同胞祈禱。

According to modern analysis, the eruption may have lasted days or weeks.

根據現代的分析， 噴發可能持續數天或數週。

When it was over, almost 300 square kilometers were decimated,

噴發結束時，將近 300 平方公里的區域被摧毀，

and Pompeii and Herculaneum lay under up to 65 feet of tephra.

龐貝城和赫庫蘭尼姆城 被埋在深達 65 英尺的火山灰之下。

Despite some disorganized looting and digging,

儘管經歷過沒有組織的偷盜和挖掘，

these towns remained buried until official excavations began in the mid-1800s.

這些城鎮仍然被掩埋著，

直到 19 世紀中葉， 官方才正式開始挖掘。

Archaeologists have since analyzed skeletal evidence and volcanic deposits

此後，考古學家分析了 遺骸和火山沉積物，

to reconstruct a timeline of Herculaneum and Pompeii’s final moments.

以重建赫庫蘭尼姆城 與龐貝城之終結的時間表，

They've revealed a poignant glimpse at the experiences of the eruption's victims.

並讓我們得以瞥見 火山爆發受害者的悲慘經歷。

Much of our understanding of ancient Roman life—

我們對古羅馬生活的瞭解

from food and furniture to architecture and economics—

——從食物和傢俱， 到建築風格和經濟活動——

comes from these ruins.

大多來自這些廢墟。

In their time, they were simply provincial towns in the Bay of Naples.

在那個時代，它們只是 那不勒斯灣的普通城鎮。

But their rediscovery has given us an unparalleled view into the ancient world

但重新發現它們使我們對古代世界 和被災難摧毀的生命

and the lives that were devastated by disaster.

有了前所未有的瞭解。