The Rise 罗马崛起 - 05

But above all, the Etruscans were famous for their open displays of affection between men and women. It shocked the ancient world.

The Greeks who knew the Etruscans from very early on before Rome was, anything before Rome was, saw that the Etruscan people gave a position to women that the Greeks certainly wouldn’t. Not only were women part of the entire house, women reclined at banquets with men which, for a Greek, was absolutely unthinkable.

It is no shame for the Etruscans to be seen having sexual experiences, for this too is normal there. It seems to be the local custom. ---Posidonious

And they show no shame in sensuous¹ acts. While the torches are still lit, servants bring in courtesans, sometimes even their own wives, and they all engage in lovemaking, publicly. ---Theopompus.

The Greeks, and later the Romans, loved to embroider² scandalous stories about the decadence³ of the Etruscans. They were almost certainly untrue. But it is true that the Etruscans created memorable⁴ portraits of sensual pleasure. After the Etruscans, the idea of portraying⁵ such intimacy⁶ between men and women disappeared from western art for almost 2,000 years.

The change began with the Romans who grew up in their shadow. The first Romans were primitive⁷, tough backwoodsmen. They resented the Etruscans but had everything to learn from them, including the darker sides of civilization. Like all ancient people, the Etruscans were rigidly⁸ divided by class. Brutal⁹ rituals enforced the power and prestige of the nobility. Etruscans staged games at the funerals of important men. The losers were killed. Their blood celebrated¹⁰ the prestige of the dead man and was an offering to his spirit. The wrestlers were slaves captured in warfare¹¹. Their lives were worth nothing. Only their deaths were significant. The practice of human sacrifice was common in the ancient world. The Etruscans were no exception. The blood of slaves and captives watered the ground at state rituals throughout the Mediterranean¹². Romans inherited the Etruscan taste for sacrificial blood. Gladiatorial combat was the Roman equivalent of these gory¹³ celebrations of power.

1 sensuous   

adj.激发美感的；感官的，感觉上的

参考例句：

• Don't get the idea that value of music is commensurate with its sensuous appeal.不要以为音乐的价值与其美的感染力相等。
• The flowers that wreathed his parlor stifled him with their sensuous perfume.包围著客厅的花以其刺激人的香味使他窒息。

2 embroider   

v.刺绣于(布)上；给…添枝加叶，润饰

参考例句：

• The editor would take a theme and embroider upon it with drollery.编辑会将一篇文章，以调侃式的幽默笔调加以渲染。
• She wants to embroider a coverlet with flowers and birds.她想给床罩绣上花鸟。

3 decadence   

n.衰落，颓废

参考例句：

• The decadence of morals is bad for a nation.道德的堕落对国家是不利的。
• His article has the power to turn decadence into legend.他的文章具有化破朽为神奇的力量。

4 memorable   

adj.值得回忆的，难忘的，特别的，显著的

参考例句：

• This was indeed the most memorable day of my life.这的确是我一生中最值得怀念的日子。
• The veteran soldier has fought many memorable battles.这个老兵参加过许多难忘的战斗。

5 portraying   

v.画像( portray的现在分词 )；描述；描绘；描画

参考例句：

• The artist has succeeded in portraying my father to the life. 那位画家把我的父亲画得惟妙惟肖。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• Ding Ling was good at portraying figures through careful and refined description of human psychology. 《莎菲女士的日记》是丁玲的成名作，曾引起强烈的社会反响。 来自汉英文学 - 中国现代小说

6 intimacy   

n.熟悉，亲密，密切关系，亲昵的言行

参考例句：

• His claims to an intimacy with the President are somewhat exaggerated.他声称自己与总统关系密切，这有点言过其实。
• I wish there were a rule book for intimacy.我希望能有个关于亲密的规则。

7 primitive   

adj.原始的；简单的；n.原(始)人，原始事物

参考例句：

• It is a primitive instinct to flee a place of danger.逃离危险的地方是一种原始本能。
• His book describes the march of the civilization of a primitive society.他的著作描述了一个原始社会的开化过程。

8 rigidly   

adv.刻板地，僵化地

参考例句：

• Life today is rigidly compartmentalized into work and leisure. 当今的生活被严格划分为工作和休闲两部分。
• The curriculum is rigidly prescribed from an early age. 自儿童时起即已开始有严格的课程设置。

9 brutal   

adj.残忍的，野蛮的，不讲理的

参考例句：

• She has to face the brutal reality.她不得不去面对冷酷的现实。
• They're brutal people behind their civilised veneer.他们表面上温文有礼，骨子里却是野蛮残忍。

10 celebrated   

adj.有名的，声誉卓著的

参考例句：

• He was soon one of the most celebrated young painters in England.不久他就成了英格兰最负盛名的年轻画家之一。
• The celebrated violinist was mobbed by the audience.观众团团围住了这位著名的小提琴演奏家。

11 warfare   

n.战争(状态)；斗争；冲突

参考例句：

• He addressed the audience on the subject of atomic warfare.他向听众演讲有关原子战争的问题。
• Their struggle consists mainly in peasant guerrilla warfare.他们的斗争主要是农民游击战。

12 Mediterranean   

adj.地中海的；地中海沿岸的

参考例句：

• The houses are Mediterranean in character.这些房子都属地中海风格。
• Gibraltar is the key to the Mediterranean.直布罗陀是地中海的要冲。

13 gory   

adj.流血的；残酷的

参考例句：

• I shuddered when I heard the gory details.我听到血淋淋的详情，战栗不已。
• The newspaper account of the accident gave all the gory details.报纸上报道了这次事故中所有骇人听闻的细节。