美国学生人类历史第43期:希腊人(2)

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　　不过在各处的高山顶上，他们也看见了爱琴海人的城堡。他们没敢对之下手。爱琴诲人士兵使用金属刀剑与长矛，赫愣人知道，凭自己手里的粗陋石斧，绝对是讨不到任何便宜的。在许多世纪里，他们就这样四处游荡，往来于一个又一个山谷与山腰。后来，等全部的土地都被他们占领，他们便定居下来作了农民。

　　That moment was the beginning of Greek civilisation². The Greek farmer, living within sight of the Aegean colonies, was finally driven by curiosity to visit his haughty³ neighbours. He discovered that he could learn many useful things from the men who dwelt behind the high stone walls of Mycenae, and Tiryns.

　　这就是希腊文明的开始。这些希腊农民住在看得见爱琴海人殖民地的地方，终于忍不住好奇心，去拜访了他们的高傲邻居。他们发现，原来自己可以从这些居住在迈锡尼和蒂林斯的高大石墙后面的人们那里学到许多有用的东西。

　　He was a clever pupil. Within a short time he mastered the art of handling those strange iron weapons which the Aegeans had brought from Babylon and from Thebes. He came to understand the mysteries of navigation. He began to build little boats for his own use.

　　他们是绝顶聪明的学生。没用多久，便学会了如何使用爱琴海人从巴比伦和底比斯买回的那些奇怪的铁制武器，也弄懂了航海的奥秘。于是，他们开始自己建造小船，出海航行。

　　And when he had learned everything the Aegeans could teach him he turned upon his teachers and drove them back to their islands. Soon afterwards he ventured forth⁴ upon the sea and conquered all the cities of the Aegean. Finally in the fifteenth century before our era he plundered⁵ and ravaged⁶ Cnossus and ten centuries after their first appearance upon the scene the Hellenes were the undisputed rulers of Greece, of the Aegean and of the coastal⁷ regions of Asia Minor⁸. Troy, the last great commercial stronghold of the older civilisation, was destroyed in the eleventh century B.C., European history was to begin in all seriousness.

　　当他们学会了爱琴海人的所有技艺，便掉转矛头，把自己的老师赶回了爱琴海岛屿。不久，他们冒险渡海，征服了爱琴海上的所有城市。最后，在公元前15世纪，他们洗劫了克诺索斯，将其夷为平地。就这样，在赫愣人初次登上历史舞台10世纪后，他们成为了整个希腊、爱琴海和小亚细亚沿岸地区的无可争议的主人。公元前11世纪，古老文明的最后一个伟大贸易中心特洛伊被希腊人摧毁。欧洲历史于此便真正开始了。

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