Real life sunken cities - Peter Campbell

譯者: Regina Chu 審譯者: SF Huang

While touring the remains of ancient Alexandria, Egypt,

遊覽埃及古城亞歷山卓的遺跡時，

there are a few things that present-day explorers should look for.

有幾個現代探險家應該找尋的目標。

First, as you travel along the Great Harbor,

首先，當你沿著亞歷山大港參觀時，

keep your eyes open for large columns and statues.

睜大雙眼留意週遭的大石柱和雕像。

Across the bay to your left is the island where the Great Lighthouse once stood.

海灣對面左邊的島，就是著名的 亞歷山大燈塔曾經座落之地。

And as you make your way through the palaces of the Royal Quarter

穿過埃及艷后的皇城宮殿，

and reach the area where the Library of Alexandria once stood,

到達亞歷山卓圖書館的遺址後，

keep your eyes open for sharks.

要注意鯊魚！

Because if you visit this section of Alexandria,

因為如果你拜訪 亞歷山卓城內的這片區域，

you'll be fifteen feet deep in the Mediterranean Sea.

你是位於 15 呎深的地中海中！

Though people are most familiar with Plato's fictional Atlantis,

雖然大眾最熟悉的 是柏拉圖所虛構的亞特蘭提斯，

many real underwater cities actually exist.

但是，許多海底城市是真實存在的。

Places like Alexandria,

像是亞歷山卓大港、

Port Royal, Jamaica,

牙買加的皇家港、

and Pavlopetri, Greece.

希臘的帕夫洛彼特里。

Sunken cities are studied by scientists

科學家研究沉沒的城市，

to help us understand the lives of our ancestors,

讓我們了解祖先的生活、

the dynamic nature of our planet,

地球大自然的動態

and the impact of each on the other.

及兩者間相互的影響。

Water is essential for life, food sources, and transport,

水是生命、食物來源及運輸的要素，

so many cities have been built along coast lines and river banks.

因此，許多城市 都沿著海岸或河岸建造。

However, these benefits also come with risks

然而，水能載舟亦能覆舟。

because natural forces that can sink a city are at their doorstep.

因為，淹沒城市的大自然力量，

近在咫尺。

Take, for instance, an earthquake.

以地震為例，

June 7, 1692 seemed like a normal morning in Port Royal, Jamaica,

1692 年 6 月 7 日， 看似尋常的早晨，

牙買加皇家港── 當時全球最富有的港口之一，

then one of the richest ports in the world,

but when a massive earthquake struck,

卻遭遇了極大的強震，

two-thirds of Port Royal immediately sank to its rooftops.

三分之二的皇家港頓時沉沒滅頂。

Today, many buildings and elements of everyday life

現今，許多建築物及 日常生活的物件，

remain surprisingly intact on the sea floor, frozen in time.

仍出奇地完好無損， 保存在海底、凍結在時間中。

That includes a 300-year-old pocket watch that stopped at 11:43,

其中，包括一支有著 300 年歷史的懷錶，

時間停在 11:43，

the moment Port Royal slipped beneath the Carribean.

即皇家港沉入加勒比海的那一刻。

And during the winter of 373 BCE,

而在西元前 373 年的冬天，

the Greek city of Helike was struck by an earthquake so strong

希臘古城赫里克受強震侵襲，

力量如此強大，

that it liquefied the sandy ground upon which the city was built.

導致建城時的砂質地基液化。

Minutes later, a tsunami struck the city,

數分鐘後，海嘯侵襲這座城市，

and Helike and its inhabitants sunk downwards into the Mediterranean Sea.

赫里克這座城市及其居民 全被吞沒在地中海裡。

Centuries later, Roman tourists would sail on the lagoon that formed

幾世紀後，羅馬觀光客 在沉城形成的潟湖上，

and peer down at the city's remains.

乘船俯瞰這座海底城的遺跡。

Earthquakes are sudden, unpredictable disasters

地震是突發、不可預期的災難，

that have drowned cities in an instant.

過去在瞬間淹沒過好幾座城市。

Luckily, however, throughout history,

然而幸運的是，縱觀歷史，

the majority of sunken cities were not submerged by a single cataclysmic event,

多數沉沒的城市

都不是因為單一災難事件而淹沒，

but by a combination of more gradual processes.

而是一連串漸進的過程 綜合在一起的結果。

For instance, Pavlopetri, the oldest known sunken city,

舉例而言，帕夫洛彼特里， 這座已知最古老的海底城市，

was built on the southern coastline of Greece 5,000 years ago.

五千年前在希臘南海岸建城。

It's an example of a city that was submerged

它是由於地殼均衡型海平面變動，

due to what is called isostatic sea level change.

而造成城市沉沒的例子。

18,000 years ago when the Ice Age ended,

一萬八千年前，當冰河時期結束時，

glaciers began melting and the sea level rose globally until about 5,000 years ago.

冰河開始融化，全球海平面上升 直到五千年前才停止。

Isostatic sea level change isn't caused by that melt water,

地殼均衡型海平面變動， 並非由融冰的水所造成的。

but rather the Earth's crust slowly springing back

而是因為冰川重量的釋放，

from the released weight of the glaciers,

使得地殼慢慢地回彈。

making some places rise, and others sink.

造成某些地方升起，某些地方下沉。

The ground around Pavlopetri is still sinking

帕夫洛彼特里附近的地面，

仍以每年一公釐的速度下沉。

at an average rate of a millimeter per year.

But the ancient inhabitants were able to move gradually inland

但是，古代居民能逐漸往內陸遷移，

over several generations

在歷時數代後，

before they finally abandoned the city about 3,000 years ago.

最終在 3,000 年前棄城。

Today, divers swim over the streets of Pavlopetri

今天，潛水的人 游過帕夫洛彼特里街道，

and peer through ancient door jams

從古代的門框側柱窺視

into the foundations of houses and community buildings.

房屋地基及社區建築。

They learn about the people who lived there by observing what they left behind.

他們觀察遺留下的物品， 得知當時居民的生活方式。

Natural geological events, such as earthquakes and tsunamis,

自然的地質事件，例如地震及海嘯，

will continue to shape our continents,

會繼續形塑改變我們的陸地，

just as they have for millions of years.

就像過去幾百萬年一樣。

As increased global warming melts our polar ice caps at accelerated rates

隨著全球暖化加速極地冰帽融化，

and sea levels rise,

及海平面不斷地上升，

we will be forced to adapt,

我們會像帕夫洛彼特里居民一樣，

like Pavlopetri's inhabitants.

被迫適應這樣的生活環境。

Undoubtedly, over the coming centuries,

毫無疑問，幾世紀後，

some of the coastal areas that we live in today

現今人們居住的一些海岸地區，

will eventually be claimed by the water, too -

最終也會被海水所吞噬。

cities like Venice,

城市如 : 威尼斯、

New Orleans,

紐奧良、

Amsterdam,

阿姆斯特丹、

Miami,

邁阿密

and Tokyo.

及東京。

Imagine what future civilizations will learn about us

想像一下，當未來文明的人們，

as they swim around the ancient ruins of the cities that we live in today.

游過我們所留下的城市遺跡時， 會學到些什麼。