纪录片《大英博物馆世界简史》 046阿卜杜勒马立克金币(1)

046：EPISODE 46 - Gold coins of Abd al-Malik 阿卜杜勒马立克金币

Gold coins of Abd al-Malik (minted between 696 and 697 AD) from Damascus, Syria

Almost every day a news broadcaster tells us that the world has just suddenly changed. The hyperbole of 24-hour news coverage¹ is littered with clich?s: every day, it seems, the world is never going to be quite the same again. But there 'have' been moments in history when the world was indeed suddenly changed, and the people living at the time knew it.

"This was a new beginning." (Hugh Kennedy)

"I think it is a way of imagining not only the past but the future." (Professor Madawi al-Rasheed)

"What went on before wasn't really relevant, this was a new dispensation." (Hugh Kennedy)

This series is a history told through 'things', and this programme is about two coins-about what we would now call a currency change. But they're two coins that sum up one of the greatest political upheavals² ever-the permanent transformation³ of the Middle East in the years following the death of the Prophet Muhammad. For Muslims, the clock of history was reset⁴ when, in 622 in the Christian⁵ calendar, Muhammad and his followers⁶ moved from Mecca to Medina. That event, the Hijra, became for Islam Year 1 of an entirely⁷ new calendar. For his followers, the prophet's teachings had so transformed society that time had begun again.

这两枚第纳尔概括了世界史上最重大的一次政治与宗教巨变：先知穆罕默德去世后，中东发生了永久性的改变。对穆斯林来说，穆罕默德 及其信徒从麦加迁到麦地那是历史的起点。这次希吉拉事件发 生于基督教纪元的622年，也是伊斯兰新历中的希吉拉元年。在信徒眼中，穆罕默德的教义从根本上改变了世界，因此时间重新开始了。

The objects we'll encounter this week will show something of what the world looked like at this particular moment. They were all made in the years around Muhammad's death in the year Hijra 11, 632 AD, and we're travelling to China and Mexico, England and Korea. Everywhere we'll be looking at the interaction of power and faith.

接下来的几件物品都表现了世界在这一关键时刻的样貌。它们都大致制作于穆罕默德去世那一年，即希吉拉11年，公元632年前后，分别来自叙利亚、中国、英国、秘鲁和韩国，向我们展示了这些地区权力与信仰的交互作用。

In the 50 years after the death of the Prophet, Arabian armies shattered the political status quo across the Middle East, conquering Egypt and Syria, Iraq and Iran. The power of Islam had spread as far in a few decades as Christianity and Buddhism⁸ had in as many centuries.

先知去世后约50年，阿拉伯军队便改变了中东的政治现征服了埃及、叙利亚、伊拉克和伊朗。几十年间，伊斯兰教的势力范围就达到了基督教和佛教在几百年间所传播的范围。

We're in Damascus in the mid-690s, and the inhabitants of the city all have a strong sense that their world is in transition.

七世纪九十年代中期，大马士革的居民们一定发现自己的生活正发生翻天覆地的变化。

1 coverage   

n.报导，保险范围，保险额，范围，覆盖

参考例句：

• There's little coverage of foreign news in the newspaper.报纸上几乎没有国外新闻报道。
• This is an insurance policy with extensive coverage.这是一项承保范围广泛的保险。

2 upheavals   

突然的巨变( upheaval的名词复数 )； 大动荡； 大变动； 胀起

参考例句：

• the latest upheavals in the education system 最近教育制度上的种种变更
• These political upheavals might well destroy the whole framework of society. 这些政治动乱很可能会破坏整个社会结构。

3 transformation   

n.变化；改造；转变

参考例句：

• Going to college brought about a dramatic transformation in her outlook.上大学使她的观念发生了巨大的变化。
• He was struggling to make the transformation from single man to responsible husband.他正在努力使自己由单身汉变为可靠的丈夫。

4 reset   

v.重新安排，复位；n.重新放置；重放之物

参考例句：

• As soon as you arrive at your destination,step out of the aircraft and reset your wristwatch.你一到达目的地，就走出飞机并重新设置手表时间。
• He is recovering from an operation to reset his arm.他做了一个手臂复位手术，正在恢复。

5 Christian   

adj.基督教徒的；n.基督教徒

参考例句：

• They always addressed each other by their Christian name.他们总是以教名互相称呼。
• His mother is a sincere Christian.他母亲是个虔诚的基督教徒。

6 followers   

追随者( follower的名词复数 )； 用户； 契据的附面； 从动件

参考例句：

• the followers of Mahatma Gandhi 圣雄甘地的拥护者
• The reformer soon gathered a band of followers round him. 改革者很快就获得一群追随者支持他。

7 entirely   

ad.全部地，完整地；完全地，彻底地

参考例句：

• The fire was entirely caused by their neglect of duty. 那场火灾完全是由于他们失职而引起的。
• His life was entirely given up to the educational work. 他的一生统统献给了教育工作。

8 Buddhism   

n.佛教（教义）

参考例句：

• Buddhism was introduced into China about 67 AD.佛教是在公元67年左右传入中国的。
• Many people willingly converted to Buddhism.很多人情愿皈依佛教。