How the Mongols used horses to create an empire - William T. Taylor

譯者: Lilian Chiu 審譯者: Helen Chang

People have been captivated by horses for a long time.

長久以來，人被馬深深吸引著。

They appear more than any other animal in cave paintings

在三萬年前就在洞穴壁畫中牠們，

dating back 30,000 years.

比其他動物都更常出現，

But how did horses make the journey from wild animals

但，馬是如何從野生動物轉變成

to ones humans could hitch themselves to and even ride,

人類可以拴住甚至乘騎的動物、

determining the fate of civilizations and dramatically altering history?

決定文明的命運，

還大大改變歷史？

Equids originally evolved in North America.

馬科動物最初是在北美演化出來的。

Sometime after 4 million years ago,

在四百萬年前之後的某個時候，

ancient equid species began trotting across the Bering land bridge.

古老的馬科物種開始穿越白令陸橋。

Eventually, they spread through Eurasia and into Africa,

最終，牠們遍及到 歐亞大陸各地並進入非洲，

diversifying into the lineages that would lead to modern-day horses,

產生多樣的後裔血統， 後來才演化成現代的馬、

donkeys, and zebras.

驢子，以及斑馬。

Early humans, including generations of the first people to live in the Americas,

早期的人類，包括數世代 最早居住在美洲的人，

hunted wild horses, sometimes fashioning their bones into tools.

會獵殺野馬，有時會把 牠們的骨頭製作成工具。

Then, between 15,000 and 5,000 years ago,

接著，在一萬五千年前 到五千年前這段時期，

likely because of a changing climate, hunting by humans,

很可能是因為氣候改變、人類獵殺，

and competition with bison,

以及和野牛的競爭，

horses disappeared from the American archaeological record.

馬便從美洲的考古記錄中消失了。

But they’d be back eventually.

但最終牠們重返了。

In the meantime, on the other side of the world around 2,000 BCE,

同時，在世界的另一端，

大約在西元前兩千年，

something very consequential happened:

非常必然的結果發生了：

people on the western Eurasian steppe domesticated horses.

在歐亞大草原西部的人馴養了馬。

By then, people in western Asia had already domesticated many animals

那時西亞的人已經馴化了許多種動物，

and begun using some of them to pull carts.

且開始用其中一些動物來拉車。

But, because horses were generally faster and more difficult to control,

但，因為一般來說 馬的速度較快且較難控制，

steppe people developed a bridle-and-bit system

草原人發展出了一種韁繩馬勒系統，

and chariots with lighter, spoked wheels.

以及輪子更輕且有煞車的馬車。

Horses were soon integrated into many ancient cultures.

很快地馬就成了 許多古老文化的一部分。

In contrast with horse-drawn charioteering,

相對於駕馭馬車，

horseback riding appears to have been less common at first.

一開始比較少見到 騎在馬背上的乘騎方式。

Archaeological evidence suggests that people who did mount horses

考古證據顯示，

初期真正騎上馬的人

during this early stage

did so without structured saddles or stirrups.

並沒有靠有結構性的馬鞍或馬鐙。

This sometimes altered or damaged the skeletons of riders and horses alike.

這個方式有時會改變或傷害 乘騎者和馬的骨骼。

People continued breeding for less aggressive horses

人持續繁殖出比較不凶猛的馬，

with greater endurance and weight-bearing abilities.

有更強的耐力和載重的能力的馬。

And they developed techniques and tools for improved control and comfort.

他們還發展出改善控制 和舒適度的技巧和工具。

After around 1000 BCE,

在大約西元前一千年之後，

cavalry appeared in combat across much of Asia.

在亞洲大部分的地方， 在戰鬥中都能見到騎兵。

Riders of steppe and desert cultures became renowned

大草原和沙漠文化的人

因為在馬背上的高超技藝而遠近馳名。

for their prowess on horseback.

Ceremonial horse sacrifice also made its way into the funerary traditions

用馬獻祭的儀式

也出現在一些文化的葬禮傳統中。

of some cultures.

One royal Scythian burial site from around the 9th century BCE

有一個大約西元前九世紀的 塞西亞皇家墓地

contained the remains of approximately 200 horses fitted with riding gear.

就有大約兩百匹馬的遺骨，

還配有乘騎的裝備。

Officials in ancient China recognized how advantageous horses were

古時中國的官員承認 馬讓他們的鄰國多麼佔優勢，

for their neighbors

and some coveted larger numbers of them for their own empire.

還有些人為自己的帝國覬覦更多的馬。

Around 100 BCE, the Chinese emperor reportedly ordered a 30,000-man army west

大約西元前一百年，中國皇帝

據稱命令一支三萬人的軍隊西行，

that laid siege to a city and had its king killed—

包圍一座城市，並殺害其君主——

all for 3,000 of the so-called “heavenly horses” of Ferghana.

全是為了得到三千匹 所謂的「汗血寶馬」。

Between the 4th and 8th centuries CE,

在西元第四世紀到第八世紀時，

steppe horsemen spread riding technologies like stirrups across cultures.

大草原騎馬者將乘騎相關技術 如馬鐙傳播到各文化中。

And nomadic groups eventually coalesced into unstoppable forces on horseback.

而遊牧族群最終聯手成為 馬背上所嚮無敵的勢力。

The Mongol Empire rose to power in the 13th century,

十三世紀，蒙古帝國得勢，

and raided, traded, and toppled empires over previously unthinkable distances.

襲擊、貿易、顛覆以前 根本不能肖想的遙遠帝國。

They developed a horse-backed postal relay system

他們發展出一種 靠馬的郵政遞送系統，

that stretched more than 60,000 kilometers.

能延伸到六萬公里的距離。

Their imperial successes relied on the well-being of their horses—

帝國的成功仰賴其馬匹的健康——

and leaders knew it.

而領導者知道這一點。

In 1252, before launching his next military campaigns,

1252 年，

在發動接下來的軍事行動之前，

Möngke Khan sent officials ahead to prohibit cattle grazing

蒙哥汗預先派官員去禁止牛的放牧，

so there’d be plentiful pastureland for their steeds.

這樣就會留有豐富的牧地 給他們的駿馬。

Horses continued to spread,

馬持續擴散到各地，

eventually spurring equestrian empires reaching a south of the Sahara.

最終讓騎馬帝國抵達 到撒哈拉沙漠的南部。

By the mid-14th century, the Mali Empire was said to have had

到十四世紀中，

據稱馬利帝國有一萬多的騎兵部隊，

a cavalry of more than 10,000

that controlled some 1 million square kilometers of West Africa.

掌控西非約一百萬平方公里的土地。

And by 1500, horses were finally reintroduced to the Americas.

到了 1500 年，

馬終於又再被引入美洲。

They appear to have escaped Spanish control rapidly

牠們似乎很快就逃離了 西班牙人的控制，

as Indigenous people from the Pampas to the Great Plains

因為從彭巴斯到大草原的原住民

exchanged them via expansive trade networks.

用廣大的貿易網路做馬的交易。

Colonization and trade spread horses even further around the globe.

殖民和貿易讓馬更進一步 普及到全球各地。

And well into the 20th century they were a widespread and essential means

到了二十世紀，

牠們已經成為一種普及 且重要的旅行和交通工具。

of travel and transport.

This didn’t come without problems:

這個現象仍有帶來問題：

issues of hygiene and animal welfare emerged,

衛生和動物福利的議題浮上檯面，

especially in cities.

特別是在城市中。

And many human hubs transformed with the introduction

而且許多人類聚集中心轉型了，

因為出現了非生物模式的交通方式，

of non-living modes of transport, like the automobile.

比如汽車。

Nevertheless, people have maintained their multifaceted relationships with horses—

儘管如此，人仍然維持著 和馬的多面向關係——

riding, herding, racing, or admiring them—

騎馬、牧馬、賽馬，或欣賞馬——

from the steppes of Mongolia to the prairies of Montana,

自此，從蒙古的大草原， 到蒙大拿州的草原都是如此。

ever since.