How Art Made The World 说服的艺术 -05

What this individual had discovered was something that we today take for granted. Art, as personal adornment¹, enhances your status, it lifts you above your peers and our king was the first leader in Britain to exploit what would become a universal human trait. And it's something that leaders from the time of Stonehenge to the present day have exploited, the adornments of office enhance your power. This power of art may now finally explain how such a colossal² monument came to be built. It must have taken a leader of great power to organize the hundreds of people needed for such an undertaking³.

Our foreigner arrived with his gold around the time that Stonehenge was built. And it's likely that it was he who organized this construction. What's more, he may well have intended Stonehenge as the ultimate symbol of his power. If our king did indeed build this, the most impressive prehistoric⁴ temple in Europe, then adornment had played a crucial role in his achievement. Art had become a political tool. It was the dawn of a new era.

And it wasn't just in ancient Britain. In other parts of the world from Egypt to Mesopotamia, leaders were also discovering the power of art. Kings competed to wear evermore dazzling adornments and to build evermore fabulous⁵ structures. The images had a magical effect on those who saw them. But there was a catch. Kingdoms were growing in size, but the bigger they became, the harder it was for the leaders to communicate their power. Their new subjects simply couldn't see them.


word to remember:

catch: 1)setback, difficulty困难(文中意思) 2)trick诡计 eg:Watch out for the catch!

info. (from qqyyffaa)

Mesopotamia
美索不达米亚：古代西南亚介于底格里斯河和幼发拉底河之间的一个地区，位于现在的伊拉克境内。可能在公元前 5000年以前就开始有人在此定居。这一地区孕育了众多的人类早期文明，其中包括苏美尔文明、阿卡德文明、巴比伦文明和亚述文明。蒙古侵略者在 公元 1258年破坏了该地区发达的灌溉系统之后，这一地区的重要性就此减小

1 adornment   

n.装饰；装饰品

参考例句：

• Lucie was busy with the adornment of her room.露西正忙着布置她的房间。
• Cosmetics are used for adornment.化妆品是用来打扮的。

2 colossal   

adj.异常的，庞大的

参考例句：

• There has been a colossal waste of public money.一直存在巨大的公款浪费。
• Some of the tall buildings in that city are colossal.那座城市里的一些高层建筑很庞大。

3 undertaking   

n.保证，许诺，事业

参考例句：

• He gave her an undertaking that he would pay the money back with in a year.他向她做了一年内还钱的保证。
• He is too timid to venture upon an undertaking.他太胆小，不敢从事任何事业。

4 prehistoric   

adj.（有记载的）历史以前的，史前的，古老的

参考例句：

• They have found prehistoric remains.他们发现了史前遗迹。
• It was rather like an exhibition of prehistoric electronic equipment.这儿倒像是在展览古老的电子设备。

5 fabulous   

adj.极好的；极为巨大的；寓言中的，传说中的

参考例句：

• We had a fabulous time at the party.我们在晚会上玩得很痛快。
• This is a fabulous sum of money.这是一笔巨款。