E30 帝国秘史 | 你知道为什么要说“条条大路通罗马”吗

【戳右上角 点击订阅 不要错过每周的更新哦！！！】

RICCARDO AUCI

Begun in 312 B.C., the Appian Way is perhaps the most famous Roman road of all. It first united Rome with Capua and then was extended south to the port city of Brundisium on the coast of the Adriatic.

阿皮亚古道始于公元前312年，可能是罗马最著名的道路。它第一次统一了罗马和卡普亚，后来向南延伸到亚得里亚海岸的港口城市庞迪辛。

精选段落 

（注意：以下均为精选段落，段落之间未必有逻辑连贯性；如需查看全文，请移步讲义最下方原文链接，复制链接然后粘贴至搜索栏查看原文）

①Ancient Rome was famous for many things, many of them big and flashy. Gladiators, triumphs, and emperors often spring to mind, but perhaps Rome’s most enduring contribution to history is more humble: their roads (which all led back to Rome), a vast, interconnected network spanning as many as 200,000 miles at its maximum. 

古罗马出名东西有很多，大部分都又大又奢华。 人们最常想到的往往是角斗士、凯旋式和古罗马皇帝等。但是，罗马对历史最深远的贡献可能要更低调一些：那就是他们的路（就是“条条大路通罗马”的路），一个在鼎盛时期能达到20万英里长的大型道路网络。

②Roads were Rome’s “DNA” from the very beginning. Begun in 451 B.C. and finished a year later, the Lex XII Tabularum, or Law of the Twelve Tables, was the earliest set of written policies. Inscribed on 12 bronze tables, they spelled out procedures for trials, property ownership, crime and punishment, and civil rights. They also included rules for the road, setting a standard width of eight Roman feet for straight roads and 16 for curved. 

路，从最初就镌刻在罗马的基因里面。十二铜表法，从公元前451年起耗时一年时间创作而成，是古罗马最早的成文法。这套法规刻在12个铜表上，上面清楚地列出了罗马的诉讼程序、财产私有制、刑法和民法规定。此外，还有修路的规则，它规定了罗马道路的标准宽度——直路为罗马8尺，弯路为罗马16尺（直路2米4，弯路4米2）。

③Roman roads not only allowed for easier transport of soldiers, supplies, and trade, but also supported the growth of new communities and services. Many Roman roads were topped with a final layer of gravel; when passed over by a continuous stream of soldiers and carts, the roads grew dusty. 

罗马道路不仅仅能让行军、后勤保障和贸易更方便，还滋生了新的社区和服务行业。绝大多数罗马的道路上都铺了层沙粒，当有大量士兵和马车经过的时候，就会产生灰尘。

④To help travelers stay fresh, they could stop at a mansio, an official service establishment that sprang up along Roman roads. Hostels and relay stations were located at a distance equivalent to one day’s worth of travel. These facilities, grouped around a central courtyard, had stables and troughs for the horses, a place to eat, and sleeping quarters. Some offered public baths so travelers could wash off the dust. 

为了帮助旅行者保持清洁，他们可以驻足在服务驿站，一种沿着罗马道路兴起的官方服务机构。平均每隔一天左右的路程，就会有一个小旅馆和轮换站。这些设施围成一个庭院的形状，有给马准备的马厩、饮水槽以及供旅人们吃饭和睡觉的地方。

DEA/ALBUM

A relief depicting travelers arriving at a mansio, an official “rest stop” found along Roman roads. Museum of Roman Civilization, Rome

一幅浮雕，描绘的是游客到达罗马道路上的官方“休息站”mansio。罗马文明博物馆，罗马。

JAMES L. STANFIELD/NGS

A paved Roman road stretches across the landscape near present-day Aleppo, Syria. Rome built this highway to link Aleppo with the city of Antioch (modern Antakya in Turkey).

在今天的叙利亚阿勒颇附近，一条被铺好的罗马路绵延不绝。罗马修建了这条公路，连接阿勒颇和安提阿城(今土耳其的安塔基亚)。

精选语言点 

1. 词汇

1）flashy /'flæʃi/ adj. 夸张的，俗艳的

I don’t like driving flashy cars. 我不喜欢开太炫的车。

2）gladiator /'ɡlædi.eɪtər/ n. 角斗士

3）triumph /'traɪəmf/ n. 凯旋式，指罗马军事指挥官所能得到的最高荣誉的一种庆祝仪式

4）enduring /ɪn'dʊrɪŋ/ adj. 持久的

5）humble /'hʌmb(ə)l/ adj. 谦逊的

in my humble opinion 依拙见

6）inscribe /ɪn'skraɪb/ v. 刻写

7）curve /kɜrv/ n. 曲线，弯曲处

8）top /tɑp/ v. 盖在……顶上

Each cake was topped with a cherry. 每只蛋糕顶上都放了一颗樱桃。

9）mansio n. 罗马服务驿站

mansion n. 公馆，豪宅

10）hostel /'hɑst(ə)l/ n. 招待所

11）relay /rɪ'leɪ/ n. 轮换；转播

relay race 接力赛

a live relay 直播节目

relay station 轮换站

12）courtyard /'kɔrt.jɑrd/ n. （通常为城堡、大宅第等的）庭院

13）trough /trɔf/ n. 饮水槽，饲料槽

to have one's nose in the trough 拼命捞钱

2. 词组

1）spring to mind 在脑海中闪现

2）spell out 详细说明，明说；拼写

4）continuous stream 车水马龙之时

5）spring up 涌现

原文链接