纪录片《大英博物馆世界简史》 004一对游泳的驯鹿（2）

They are making objects that are less about physically¹ changing the world than about exploring the order and the patterns that they see in it. In short, they are making art. Why? Why do all modern humans share the compulsion to make works of art? Why does man the toolmaker everywhere turn into man the artist?

他们进行物品创造的目的，再也不仅仅是为了纯粹的从物理上去改变周遭的世界，而更是为了去探索他们在大自然中观察出来的众多规律与模式。简而言之，他们在创造艺术。为什么呢？为什么所有现代人类有这种创造艺术品的通性？为什么全球范围内原来是工具创造者的人类变成了艺术创造者的人类？

Our two reindeer² represent the oldest piece of art in any British art gallery or museum, and it's alarmingly delicate. We keep it in a climate-controlled case and we hardly ever move it, because with any sudden shock it could just crumble³ to dust. It was made during the end of the last Ice Age, around 13,000 years ago. And it's a sculpture carved from the tusk⁴ of a mammoth⁵ - it must have been towards the end of the tusk, because it's slim, slightly curved, and it's about eight inches long.

我们这件双驯鹿展品代表着任何英国艺术画廊或博物馆馆藏的最古老艺术品，它却是如此惊人地脆弱。我们一直把它保存在严格控制气候变化的展示台里，几乎不曾移动过；因为任何突然震动都可能使它瞬间崩溃，化为一地尘埃。这艺术品成型于最后一次冰河时期，大约一万三千年左右，一件雕刻在猛犸象牙上的雕塑作品。肯定利用的是象牙的接近尾端部分，因为其型状纤细、略呈弧形；它约八英寸长。

The two reindeer swim closely, one behind one the other, and the sculptor⁶ has brilliantly exploited the tapering⁷ shape of the tusk. The smaller, female reindeer is in front with the very tip of the tusk forming the tip of her nose; and behind her, in the fuller part of the tusk, comes the larger male.

这对游水中驯鹿紧紧相随，一前一后；而且雕塑家极巧妙地完全利用了象牙尾端逐渐变细的特点。雌鹿在前，象牙细细的尖端构成了它的鼻子尖；紧随其后的是雄鹿，身型较大，就占据了型状较粗的象牙主体部分。

Because of the curve, both animals have their chins up and their antlers are tipped back, exactly as they would when swimming - and along the undersides, their legs are at full stretch, giving a marvellous impression of streamlined movement. It's a superbly observed piece - and it can only have been made by somebody who has spent a long time watching reindeer swimming across rivers.

因为这象牙天然的曲线，这对动物都仰着下巴，鹿角翘向背部，游水的神态活灵活现；顺着下面两侧的边缘，它们四腿充分伸展，栩栩如生地重现出流线型运动之感。这艺术确是精确入致观察的结晶。只有花费很长时间观察过驯鹿游水过河的人，才能创造出这件艺术品。

And it's probably no coincidence that it was found by a river, in a rock shelter at Montastruc in central France.

而它出土于法国中部 Montastruc河畔边的一处岩石庇护处，这点也可能不是巧合。

This carving⁸ is an amazingly realistic representation of the reindeer who, 13,000 years ago, were roaming in great herds⁹ across Europe.

这雕塑品逼真而惊人地重现了一万三千年前驯鹿群的姿态，成千上万，浩浩荡荡，游遍欧洲大陆。

The continent at this time was far colder than it is today; the landscape consisted of open, tree-less plain, rather like the landscape of Siberia now and, for human hunter-gatherers in this unforgiving terrain¹⁰, reindeer were one of the best hopes for survival. Their meat, skin, bones and antlers could supply pretty well all the food and the clothing you needed, as well as the raw materials for tools and weapons.

当时的欧洲大陆远比现代更加冷寒；主要地貌是一空旷无限、寸木不生的辽原，与现代的西伯利亚景观颇为相似；对于作为狩猎采集者的远古人类而言，在这种严酷无情的地形中，驯鹿便是其生存最大希望之一。它们的肉、皮毛、骨骼与鹿角给你提供了可避寒、可裹腹的衣食，同时还是制作工具与武器的原材料。只要你能捕猎到驯鹿，一切都会好起来的。

As long as you could hunt reindeer, you were going to be alright. So, it's not surprising that our 'homo sapiens' artist knew the animals very well, and that he chose to represent them.

因此，我们的“智人”艺术家对驯鹿的一切了如指掌，而且选择将这种动物运用到艺术品中去，也就不足为奇了。

1 physically   

adj.物质上，体格上，身体上，按自然规律

参考例句：

• He was out of sorts physically,as well as disordered mentally.他浑身不舒服，心绪也很乱。
• Every time I think about it I feel physically sick.一想起那件事我就感到极恶心。

2 reindeer   

n.驯鹿

参考例句：

• The herd of reindeer was being trailed by a pack of wolves.那群驯鹿被一只狼群寻踪追赶上来。
• The life of the Reindeer men was a frontier life.驯鹿时代人的生活是一种边区生活。

3 crumble   

vi.碎裂，崩溃；vt.弄碎，摧毁

参考例句：

• Opposition more or less crumbled away.反对势力差不多都瓦解了。
• Even if the seas go dry and rocks crumble,my will will remain firm.纵然海枯石烂，意志永不动摇。

4 tusk   

n.獠牙，长牙，象牙

参考例句：

• The wild boar had its tusk sunk deeply into a tree and howled desperately.野猪的獠牙陷在了树里，绝望地嗥叫着。
• A huge tusk decorated the wall of his study.他书房的墙上装饰着一支巨大的象牙。

5 mammoth   

n.长毛象；adj.长毛象似的，巨大的

参考例句：

• You can only undertake mammoth changes if the finances are there.资金到位的情况下方可进行重大变革。
• Building the new railroad will be a mammoth job.修建那条新铁路将是一项巨大工程。

6 sculptor   

n.雕刻家，雕刻家

参考例句：

• A sculptor forms her material.雕塑家把材料塑造成雕塑品。
• The sculptor rounded the clay into a sphere.那位雕塑家把黏土做成了一个球状。

7 tapering   

adj.尖端细的

参考例句：

• Interest in the scandal seems to be tapering off. 人们对那件丑闻的兴趣似乎越来越小了。
• Nonproductive expenditures keep tapering down. 非生产性开支一直在下降。

8 carving   

n.雕刻品，雕花

参考例句：

• All the furniture in the room had much carving.房间里所有的家具上都有许多雕刻。
• He acquired the craft of wood carving in his native town.他在老家学会了木雕手艺。

9 herds   

兽群( herd的名词复数 )； 牧群； 人群； 群众

参考例句：

• Regularly at daybreak they drive their herds to the pasture. 每天天一亮他们就把牲畜赶到草场上去。
• There we saw herds of cows grazing on the pasture. 我们在那里看到一群群的牛在草地上吃草。

10 terrain   

n.地面，地形，地图

参考例句：

• He had made a detailed study of the terrain.他对地形作了缜密的研究。
• He knows the terrain of this locality like the back of his hand.他对这一带的地形了如指掌。