Mesopotamia
美音、自然拼读、分级阅读与词汇复习
Table of Contents Introduction.
导言表。
4 The Ubaid.
4"乌贝德".
5 Uruk, the First City.
5 乌鲁克一城.
7 Warring City-States.
7个战城-州.
11 Prosperity and Advancement.
11 繁荣与进步。
13 Fall of an Empire.
13个帝国的倒下。
15 Glossary.
15 词汇。
16 Introduction Human beings have been around for nearly two hundred thousand years.
16 导言. 人类已经存在近20万年。
They did not, however, form civilized societies until relatively recently.
然而,它们直到最近才形成文明社会。
A civilized society is one that has rules and policies that help groups of people live and work together.
一个文明的社会是一个有规则和政策,帮助人民群体共同生活和工作的社会。
One of the earliest examples of a civilized society was found in ancient Mesopotamia.
文明社会的最早例子之一出自古代美索不达米亚.
Mesopotamia was located where Turkey, Syria, Iraq, and Kuwait are now.
美索不达米亚曾是土耳其,叙利亚,伊拉克,科威特现在的所在地.
This “land between two rivers” was the birthplace of civilization.
这种“两河相接的土地”是文明的发源地。
The name Mesopotamia means “the land between two rivers,” referring to its location between the Tigris and Euphrates Rivers.
美索不达米亚这个名称的意思是“两条河流之间的土地”,指的是它位于底格里斯河和幼发拉底河之间。
The Ubaid The heart of ancient Mesopotamian civilization was between the Tigris and Euphrates Rivers.
乌贝德 古代美索不达米亚文明的中心在底格里斯河和幼发拉底河之间.
That land came to be known as the Fertile Crescent.
那块地被称为"发酵新月"
The first people to live in Mesopotamia settled the southernmost region of the crescent.
最早居住在美索不达米亚的人定居了新月最南端的地区.
Today, this area is Iraq and Kuwait.
今天,该地区是伊拉克和科威特。
Modern archaeologists came across ancient stone tools, bricks, and pottery near the Euphrates River.
现代考古学家出道于幼发拉底河附近的古代石器,砖石和陶器.
These artifacts told stories about the lives of these ancient people.
这些文物讲述了这些古人的生活.
The items show that farming settlements existed as early as 5000 bce.
这些项目表明,农业定居点早在5000bce就存在。
Researchers named these early settlers the Ubaid after the site where the artifacts were found.
研究人员以发现文物的地点命名这些早期定居者为Ubaid.
A small mosaic box thought to be a case for a musical instrument depicts life in early Mesopotamia.
一个小马赛克盒子被认为是乐器的一个案例,描绘了美索不达米亚早期的生活.
The Ubaid were the first people to settle the land known as Sumer.
乌贝德是最早定居被称作"苏美尔"的土地的人.
Before the Ubaid formed settlements, they and other Sumerian tribes were nomadic hunters and gatherers.
在乌贝德人建立定居点之前,他们和其他苏美尔部落都是游牧的猎人和采集者.
They roamed from place to place in search of food and water.
他们到处找食物和水
In time, the Ubaid found ways to live in one place.
随着时间的推移,乌贝德找到了一种生活方式.
They drained marshes and grew crops in the rich soil.
他们在丰富的土壤中排出沼泽并种植农作物.
They built irrigation canals to bring water to drier areas.
他们建造了灌溉渠,为干燥地区取水.
In addition, they made pottery from river clay and wove baskets from reeds that grew in shallow water.
此外,他们还用河道粘土制作陶器,用在浅水中生长的芦苇编织出花篮.
The river’s riches not only met their personal needs but also provided goods for trade with travelers.
河流的财富不仅满足了他们的个人需要,而且还为与旅行者进行贸易提供了货物。
Major trade routes from Asia and Europe went through the rich plains of Sumeria.
来自亚洲和欧洲的主要贸易路线穿过了富饶的苏美尔平原.
Items that the Ubaid could not grow or make themselves were obtained from traders.
Ubaid不能种植或制造的物品是从贸易商那里得到的。
Copper lion heads were commonly used as protective guardian figures on Mesopotamian structures.
在美索不达米亚结构上,铜狮头被普遍用作保护性监护人人物.
Uruk, the First City Over the years, more Sumerian settlements sprang up in the Fertile Crescent.
乌鲁克,第一城市 多年来,更多的苏美尔人定居点在发酵新月兴起.
Some grew to become true cities and eventually city-states.
有些人成长为真正的城市,并最终成为城市国家.
Most important was the city of Uruk (modern-day Warka, Iraq).
最重要的是乌鲁克市(现代为伊拉克的瓦尔卡).
From 4100 through 3000 bce, Uruk was the area’s center of authority and trade.
从4100到3000 bce,乌鲁克是该地区的权威和贸易中心.
At one point, Uruk had up to eighty thousand residents.
乌鲁克一度有多达8万居民.
The city covered more than 2.
城市覆盖了2个以上.
6 square kilometers (1 sq.
6平方公里(1平方公里)。
mi.)
(中文(简体) ).
and had huge buildings temple, served as a center of worship and sacrifice.
并拥有巨大的建筑 寺庙,作为一个礼拜和牺牲的中心。
A drawing (top) shows a ziggurat from ancient Mesopotamia.
一张图(上)显示出出出自古美索不达米亚的zi.
The stone base of Uruk’s ziggurat (bottom) still sits at its original site.
乌鲁克的Ziggurat(下方)的石基仍然坐落在原地.
Uruk was where Mesopotamian pictographs first appeared.
乌鲁克是美索不达米亚象形文字最早出现的地方.
Pictographs are symbols used in writing.
象形文字是用在文字上的符号.
This early written language grew out of Uruk’s role as a center of trade and business.
这种早期的书面语言源于乌鲁克作为贸易和商业中心的作用.
Simple images were marked on clay tablets to add up workers’ rations and as a record of goods.
在粘土平板上标出简单的图像,以补充工人的口粮和货物记录。
Over time, pictographs changed into a system of writing known as cuneiform.
随着时间推移,象形文字变成了一种被称为"cuneiform"的书写系统.
Symbols stood for sounds rather than objects.
符号代表声音而不是对象。
These sound symbols could be used to write in any language.
这些声音符号可用于以任何语言书写.
An account of monthly grain rations was written in cuneiform script on a clay tablet around 2350 bce.
在2350 bce左右的粘土平板上,用出库奈弗克文字写出月度谷物口粮的叙述.
This phonologic system had several advantages over a pictographic system.
这种相声学系统比相声学系统有几种优点.
Since the same set of symbols could be shuffled to form different words, fewer symbols were needed.
由于同一套符号可以被洗发来形成不同的单词,所以需要的符号较少.
The system also made it easier to express abstract concepts that would be difficult to show as pictures.
该系统还使那些难以作为图片展示的抽象概念更容易被表达出.
Clay tablets marked with wedge-shaped cuneiform symbols provide information about Sumerian life during that era.
以楔形圆形符号标记的克莱平板提供了那个时代苏美尔人生活的信息.
Residents of Uruk and other city-states within Sumeria lived in structured societies.
苏美尔地区乌鲁克和其他城邦的居民生活在结构化的社会中。
At the highest level was a priest-king.
在最高一级是牧师王.
That person led various other ranking officials, such as a leader of the plow, leader of the law, and so on.
此人还领导了其他各种级别官员,如犁头人,法相等.
Women of that time were granted many of the same rights as men.
当时的妇女享有许多与男子相同的权利。
Trade became an important way to enhance the roles of city rulers.
贸易成为加强城市统治者作用的重要途径.
Leaders sought more and more luxury items to show off their influence and power.
领导人寻求越来越多的奢侈品来展示他们的影响力和力量。
Ancient Paycheck Beveled-rim bowls were mass-produced in Uruk.
在乌鲁克大量出产了古老的Bevered-rim碗.
They were used throughout the region as measuring and rationing tools to pay workers since wages at the time were calculated in bowls of grain.
由于当时的工资是用一碗谷物来计算的,因此在整个区域都被用作衡量和配给工人工资的工具。
The clay tablet was used for keeping account of the rationed goods.
粘土平板用于记录配给货物。
One of the most famous and celebrated rulers was King Gilgamesh (Bilgames in Sumerian).
最有名和最有名的统治者之一是吉尔伽美什国王(英语:Bilgames in Sumerian).
Gilgamesh is believed to have ruled Uruk around 2700 bce during the Early Dynastic Period (2900–2350 bce).
吉尔伽梅什据信在早期的发作时期(2900–2350 bce)统治了约2700 bce.
He became an epic hero of song and legend.
他成为了歌曲和传说的史诗英雄.
Poems were written about his 126-year reign.
诗被写到他的126年统治.
He was said to be a demigod, the son of King Lugalbanda and the Sumerian mother-goddess Ninsumun.
据说他是一个神通,是卢加尔班达国王和苏美尔人的母亲-神明宁苏蒙的儿子.
Gilgamesh is credited with building the massive wall that protected Uruk.
吉尔伽米什建造了保护了乌鲁克的大型墙被誉为功劳.
That wall still stands today.
这座墙今天仍然站着。
In 2003, German scientists found a tomb in a Euphrates riverbed that they thought belonged to Gilgamesh.
2003年,德国科学家在幼发拉底河床发现了一座他们认为属于吉尔伽美什的坟墓.
It was quite similar to the tomb described in the epic.
它与史诗所描述的墓葬相当相近.
The Epic of Gilgamesh The Epic of Gilgamesh is a collection of ancient Mesopotamian poems that tell of the exciting adventures of an ancient king’s battles, struggles, and achievements as he strives to attain immortality.
吉尔伽美什之相 吉尔伽美诗集(Epic of Gilgamesh)是一首古美索不达米亚诗集,讲述了一位古代国王在努力实现长生不老的过程中所经历的激动人心的历险.
It is also believed to be the oldest surviving literary work in history.
也有人认为是史上保存最久的文学作品.
Stone tablets inscribed with individual poems date back to about 2100 bce.
刻有个别诗歌的石碑可以追溯到约2100 bce.
The epic tale describes Gilgamesh wearing the skins of lions he slew.
这个史诗故事描述了吉尔伽米什穿着他所杀狮子的皮肤.
Warring City-States As the Sumerian city-states expanded and thrived, they began to fight with each other for control of the region.
交战城市国家 随着苏美尔城邦的扩张和繁荣,他们开始为争夺对该地区的控制权而相争.
War became more and more common.
战争变得越来越普遍.
The earliest detailed record of Sumerian warfare shows a battle between the Mesopotamian city-states of Lagash and Umma in 2525 bce.
关于苏美尔战争的最早详细记录显示,美索不达米亚城市-拉加什州和乌玛州于2525年相接而来.
Figures and writing on an upright stone column called a stele (STEE-lee) show soldiers carrying swords, spears, and shields into battle.
数字和写在一个名为"斯泰尔"(STEE-lee)的直立石柱上,显示士兵携带剑,长矛和盾牌投入战斗.
Military leaders rode in wheeled carts pulled by pairs of onagers, a native species of donkey.
军事领导人骑着轮式的推车,由一对驴子所拉出,这是一头土生土长的驴。
Trade routes supplied the materials needed to craft the tools of warfare.
贸易路线提供了制造战争工具所需的材料。
Blacksmiths had discovered that two soft metals, copper and tin, could be smelted together to make a harder substance.
铁匠发现有两种软金属,即铜和锡可以被一起熔炼来制造更硬的物质.
This alloy, known as bronze, was used for making swords and spear tips.
这种被称作"青铜"的合金被用来制作剑和矛尖.
Tin, however, was rare.
然而,锡是罕见的。
It could only be obtained from traders from central Asia or Europe.
它只能从中亚或欧洲的贸易商那里获得。
Disrupting trade routes was a way to keep weapons out of the hands of an opposing army.
破坏贸易路线是防止武器落入敌对军队手中的一种方法。
This fragment from a stele is one of the oldest known historical documents.
这是史上最古老的历史文献之一
It describes the war between Lagash and Umma.
它描述了拉加什和乌玛之间的战争.
The Sumerians’ fighting came to an end when King Sargon of Akkad took control of the region in about 2340 bce.
苏美尔人的战斗在阿卡德国王萨尔贡于2340 bce左右控制了该地区后结束.
He united the city-states into the Akkadian Empire.
他将城邦统一为阿卡德帝国.
Sargon maintained control by placing key trusted allies in positions of power.
萨尔贡通过将关键信任的盟友置于权力位置来维持控制.
The Akkadian empire lasted until 2150 bce.
阿卡德帝国一直持续到2150 bce.
At its peak, it stretched from the Mediterranean Sea in the west and Arabia in the south to Iran in the east and the Anatolian Peninsula in the north.
其最高峰从西部的地中海和南部的阿拉伯到东部的伊朗和北部的安纳托利亚半岛.
The Akkadians did not speak Sumerian.
阿卡德人不会说苏美尔语。
However, they adapted the Sumerian cuneiform script to write in their own language.
然而,他们改编了苏美尔语cuneiform(英语:Cuneiform (film))的脚本来用自己的语言来写作.
The Sumerian languages were only used in official and religious ceremonies.
苏美尔语只在官方和宗教仪式中使用.
The earliest Sumerian literary works credited to a person were poems written by Sargon’s daughter Enheduanna.
最早的苏美尔文学作品是萨尔贡的女儿恩赫杜安娜所写的诗作.
She served as high priestess in the city of Ur.
她在乌尔城出任大祭司.
Among her poems were many verses praising the goddess Inanna, the most popular deity in Mesopotamia.
她的诗作中有许多诗歌来赞美女神伊南娜,是美索不达米亚最受欢迎的神.
Prosperity and Advancement Peace during the Akkadian empire brought progress to Mesopotamia.
阿卡德帝国时期的繁荣与进步和平给美索不达米亚带来了进步.
Mesopotamia created the first postal system.
美索不达米亚创建了第一个邮政系统.
Clay tablets were inscribed with cuneiform messages, then wrapped in clay envelopes.
克莱平板上刻有圆锥形信息,再用粘土信封包裹.
An envelope was marked with the seal of the sender and the name and address of the recipient.
信封上标有发件人的印章和收件人的姓名和地址.
No one but the recipient could read the message because the clay envelope had to be broken in order to get to what was inside.
只有接收者才能读取信息,因为为了达到里面的东西,粘土信封必须被打破.
A central government enforced laws and regulations.
中央政府执行法律法规。
Trade networks expanded, and commerce boomed.
贸易网络扩大,商业繁荣.
Business was conducted using cylinder seals—carved tubes that were pressed into clay.
业务是使用被压入粘土的圆柱形密封管进行。
Pressing one’s seal into the clay was like signing one’s name today.
把封印塞入粘土就像今天的签名。
The Mesopotamians also developed the idea of numerical place value.
美索不达米亚人也发展出数值地值的概念.