纪录片《文明》 第16期 创世纪的第二个瞬间（16）

Excavations¹ in Iraq in the 1920s and '30s

二十世纪二十和三十年代在伊拉克的出土物

began to reveal how intensive irrigation of the planes

揭示了在底格里斯河和幼发拉底河之间的

between the rivers Tigris and Euphrates had allowed

平原上的集约灌溉是如何促使

the world's first true cities to arise.

世界上第一个真正城市群的崛起

By about 5,000 years ago,

到大约五千年前为止

cities with tens of thousands of inhabitants,

拥有成千上万的人口的城市

such as Ur and Uruk,

比如乌尔和乌鲁克

were producing art

产生了展现

that reflected the self-image of the powerful.

强者形象的艺术

Here is the Standard of Ur

这是乌尔军旗

where mosaic² inlaid in bitumen³

沥青上镶嵌的马赛克图案

showed the scenes that mattered most.

展现了当时最为重要的场景

Soldiers march,

士兵行军

war wagons⁴ roll,

战车前进

and on the reverse, a court convenes⁵

在其背面 是一个宫廷聚会的场景

with the king depicted⁶ larger than his priests and courtiers,

国王的尺寸大于他的祭司和朝臣们

ranged below the catering⁷ classes, the toilers and hewers.

第二层是侍从阶级 最下面一层是苦工

It's a complete social world,

这是个完整的社会风貌

and it came with writing.

与之一起被发掘的 还有这些文字

These scripts usually recorded administrative⁸ matters,

这些文稿通常记录着行政事务

but sometimes told the stories of heroes

有些也讲述英雄事迹

and deities⁹.

和神明故事

1 excavations   

n.挖掘( excavation的名词复数 )；开凿；开凿的洞穴（或山路等）；（发掘出来的）古迹

参考例句：

• The excavations are open to the public. 发掘现场对公众开放。
• This year's excavations may reveal ancient artifacts. 今年的挖掘可能会发现史前古器物。 来自辞典例句

2 mosaic   

n./adj.镶嵌细工的，镶嵌工艺品的，嵌花式的

参考例句：

• The sky this morning is a mosaic of blue and white.今天早上的天空是幅蓝白相间的画面。
• The image mosaic is a troublesome work.图象镶嵌是个麻烦的工作。

3 bitumen   

n.沥青

参考例句：

• Bitumen paper can be burnt to gain energy.沥青纸可以焚烧以获得能量。
• In fact,a speciality crude is suitable only for bitumen production.事实上，这种特性的原油只适宜于生产沥青。

4 wagons   

n.四轮的运货马车( wagon的名词复数 )；铁路货车；小手推车

参考例句：

• The wagons were hauled by horses. 那些货车是马拉的。
• They drew their wagons into a laager and set up camp. 他们把马车围成一圈扎起营地。

5 convenes   

召开( convene的第三人称单数 )； 召集； （为正式会议而）聚集； 集合

参考例句：

• The Premier convenes and presides over the executive meetings and plenary meetings of the State Council. 总理召集和主持国务院常务会议和国务院全体会议。 来自汉英非文学 - 中国宪法
• Chinese woman tenth the National People Congress convenes grandly today in Beijing. 中国妇女第十次全国代表大会今天在北京隆重召开。

6 depicted   

描绘，描画( depict的过去式和过去分词 )； 描述

参考例句：

• Other animals were depicted on the periphery of the group. 其他动物在群像的外围加以修饰。
• They depicted the thrilling situation to us in great detail. 他们向我们详细地描述了那激动人心的场面。

7 catering   

n. 给养

参考例句：

• Most of our work now involves catering for weddings. 我们现在的工作多半是承办婚宴。
• Who did the catering for your son's wedding? 你儿子的婚宴是由谁承办的？

8 administrative   

adj.行政的，管理的

参考例句：

• The administrative burden must be lifted from local government.必须解除地方政府的行政负担。
• He regarded all these administrative details as beneath his notice.他认为行政管理上的这些琐事都不值一顾。

9 deities   

n.神，女神( deity的名词复数 )；神祗；神灵；神明

参考例句：

• Zeus and Aphrodite were ancient Greek deities. 宙斯和阿佛洛狄是古希腊的神。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• Taoist Wang hesitated occasionally about these transactions for fearof offending the deities. 道士也有过犹豫，怕这样会得罪了神。 来自汉英文学 - 现代散文