征服帝国 Grasp of Empire

the war is over, the treaties are signed. The bodies are buried. You’ve just been conquered by the greatest empire on the planet, and whether you’re a Gaul or a Carthaginian, whether your homeland is in the East or the West, life as you know it will never be the same again. Rome is coming to town.

战争已经结束，和约也已签订，尸体深埋入土。世界上最强盛的帝国髀睨征服。不管高卢人，迦太基人，不管国土在东方或西方，昔日生活永不复返，罗马大军已入城。

Rome conquered with the brute force of her military machine, sweeping entire peoples into her empire. At its height, the empire ruled 50 million people. Greeks, Etruscans, Gauls, Egyptians and countless others came together as a single civilization. But no one became Roman overnight.

罗马凭仗残暴军力四出征服，将所有人民纳入帝国治下。极盛时期，帝国统辖五千万人民，包括希腊人、伊特鲁利亚人、高卢人、埃及人及无数其他民族，融合成单一文明。但转化为罗马人绝非一夕之功。

In the single year, 80 AD the Emperor Titus staged the slaughter of 9,000 wild animals. Countless lions, tigers, elephants and giraffes traveled fantastic distances to die for frenzied audiences. In the single celebration the Emperor Trajan presented 10,000 gladiators, slaves and criminals doomed to savage combat for the amusement of Romans. The games were a kind of violent propaganda, cruel displays full of drama and excitement.

单单西元80年一年，提图斯皇帝就演出九千头野生动物屠杀大戏。无数狮、虎、象、鹿千里跋涉，只为在狂暴观众眼前赴死。光是一次庆典活动，图拉真皇帝就祭出万名斗士、奴隶与罪犯，在野蛮格斗中战死，以娱罗马人民。格斗是暴力宣传，残酷展示，充满戏剧性与刺激。

The public became addicted to the games and some ancient thinkers worried about the influence of so much violence on the viewer.

民众看格斗上瘾，令古代思想家忧心暴力对观众的影响。

From Rome and Africa to Britannia to the mysterious East, the message of the Roman arena was the same. Rome was the all powerful conqueror of all she surveyed, far flung lands, exotic beasts, criminals, barbarians, slaves, Christians all would perish at her command. But the games were just one of the ways Rome successfully seduced and cajoled and coerced

her many subjects. So vast an empire had to find ways to unify its diverse population. Everyone had to know what it meant to be roman.

从罗马到非洲，到大不列颠，到神秘的东方，罗马竞技场传达的讯息都相同。罗马以君临天下的征服者姿态环视各地，遥远的疆域、异邦野兽、罪犯、蛮夷、奴隶、基督徒，罗马一声令下就灰飞烟灭。格斗只是罗马手段之一，成功地诱拐、哄骗胁迫众多臣民。如此庞大的帝国必须有统合纷杂民族的措施，人人都必须了解身为罗马人的意义。

It didn’t hurt that Roman culture had so much to offer. Rome was a Republic. Citizens had the right to vote and were protected by a sturdy legal system. Rome’s military provided order and protection from invaders. And Rome’s economy was thriving thanks to the spoils of war and the riches of nature.

罗马文化之包罗万象是有益而无害。罗马是共和国，公民有投票权，也有坚定的法律制度保护。罗马也有军队维护秩序，并防范外敌侵略。罗马经济繁荣，归功于战利品和丰富的自然资源。

One of the secrets to Rome’s early success was her very favorable location. Blessed by a gentle climate and a long growing season. Roman territory included some of the most fertile farmland in all of Europe. The Tuscany countryside basks in sunshine 2,400 hours a year, the most of any European region. In the 3rd Century BC most of the land was devoted to growing corn or grain, also wheat, barley and a coarse cereal called aul.

罗马早期成功秘密之一是理想的地理位置。气候温和，生长季节长，罗马领土包含全欧洲最肥沃的农地。土斯坎乡野全年有2400小时的日照，为欧洲全区之冠。西元前三世纪，大半土地都种玉米或谷类，种植小麦、大麦和一种粗糙的谷物。

At first, Rome was simply a collection of small family farms, but before long the empire expanded well beyond the limits of a modest city state and entered the world stage. In 146 BC, when Rome finally conquered her first great enemy Carthage in North Africa, her destiny changed dramatically. Suddenly a world power, Rome commanded not only Italy, but most of the Mediterranean world. By 140 BC, Rome was still a democratic republic, but now she was also undeniably an empire controlling more than a quarter of a million square miles. More than four million people lived under Roman rule. The Great War of Expansion brought a tidal wave of riches back to Rome, a flood of instant wealth that acted like gasoline on the flames of a young economy. Spoils of war included art, jewelry, gold and other finery, along with a different kind of commodity, slaves. Now that the Rome was a world power, the rules of the game changed dramatically. Conquered people were no longer guaranteed citizenship or any benefits of empire. Now if you lost the war, you were probably taken captive.

起初，罗马只是小型家庭农场的集合，但不久帝国版图扩张，远超出城邦规模，跃上世界舞台。西元前146年，罗马终于首次征服大敌--北非迦太基，从此国运大改，罗马一跃而为世界强权，不仅意大利，地中海大半区域全都落入掌握。一直到

西元前140年，罗马仍是民主共和国，但无可否认，也是帝国强权，统辖领土超过25万方哩，统治居民超过四百万。扩张领土的战争带回一波波财富，瞬间涌入的大量财富对新兴经济有如火上浇油。战利品包括艺术品、珠宝、黄金及其他华美物品，附带特种商品—奴隶。罗马既为世界强权，政策也随之大转弯，被征服民族不再确保取得公民权或任何帝国权益，如今战争失利，即成阶下囚。

“The only way in which we could have a city like Rome, a city of a million people perhaps, the only way that could exist in the ancient world is if the goods from the huge empire flood into it to help it survive in a very basic way. You can not feed a population of a million on the local hinterland of a city. That’s one of the first ways in which provinces are exploited.”

“唯一能再造罗马城市百万人口大城的方式，或者说上古时代唯一能支持这座大城的方式是庞大帝国的物资不断流入，供应基本的生活所需。光靠城市本身郊区来喂养百万人口绝对不行，这就是各行省首先被剥削的方式之一。”

Fantastic amounts of grain now came from north Africa, Sicily and Sardinia. The city of Rome alone devoured 400,000 tons each year almost a quarter of which was now given away to the poor. The Army needed another hundred and fifty thousand tons to stay on its feet. Rome also imported spices and perfumes from the East, olive oil and fish sauce from Spain pottery from Gaul. Rome’s appetites were insatiable and yet her exports were meager by any standards. A great many ships entered port full and left empty. But for all the riches she consumed the huge city did trade something of great worth. What Rome exported to her colonies and provinces above all was Romaness.

惊人数量的谷物从北非西西里与萨丁尼亚输入，每年单单罗马一个城市就要消耗40万吨粮食，其中四分之一要赈济贫民，军队也需要15万吨来供养。罗马也从东方进口香料和香水，从西班牙进口橄榄油和鱼酱，从高卢进口陶器，罗马胃口奇大，永不知足，然而出口却微乎其微。大批船舶满载进港，却空船离港，但相对于所挥霍的财富，这座巨城也以等值回馈。罗马输出到各殖民地及各行省首要的就是罗马风格。

They called it caementum –the first true concrete. It’s the key reason why so much of what Rome built still survives today. Romans built cities in a very particular very orderly fashion, usually laying out the streets in a grid. The Roman city was so consistent you could say they built the same city over and over, more than a thousand times, more than 600 times

in Africa alone. Many modern cities including London, Paris and Bonn were actually built directly on top of their Roman foundations. And Roman architecture is still the image of power and order throughout the Western world today. Curiously, the one Roman city that has no grid, but narrow winding streets with twists and turns is Rome herself. The reason, it grew up organically over centuries, unlike most Roman outposts which were planned cities. But Rome did serve as a model in many other ways. The perfect city, Romans believed always had the same key elements temples, theaters, baths, roads and outdoor public spaces. Of course, you needed a marketplace and most certainly, a brothel. A traditional sign such as this one in the African city of Bulla Regia pointed the way for visitors. Almost without fail in a city of importance there was at least one amphitheater. Still the most recognized symbol of the empire the famous Colosseum in Rome was the model for hundreds of amphitheaters throughout the provinces.

他们称之为水泥，即首次问世的真正混凝土，是罗马建筑至今仍健在的关键原因。罗马人以特定整齐划一的风格建造城市，通常是先规划棋盘式街道。罗马城市一致性极高，可以说是一遍又一遍地建造同一个城市，建造了上千次，但是非洲就超过六百次。许多现代化城市包括伦敦、巴黎和波恩其实都是直接建筑在古罗马地基之上。至今罗马建筑在西方世界仍是代表权利与秩序的象征。令人惊讶的是唯一未形成棋盘式街道，街道迂回曲折，蜿蜒缠绕的就是罗马城本身。主要是因为几世纪以来随机成长的关系。不像多半罗马边城都是事先经过规划。但罗马确实在其他方面树立起典范，罗马人一致认为完美的城市一定得有相同的要素：神庙、剧院、浴场、道路以及户外公共场所，市场既不可少，妓院更不可缺，传统标志在非洲布拉瑞吉为访客指点迷津。重要大城几乎至少都有圆形剧场，不过帝国最显著的标志还是罗马著名的大竞技场，它是散布各行省数百座露天竞技场的典范。

“What pleasure can a civilized mind find when a magnificent animal is stabbed again and again with a hunting spear? ” Cicero.

“一颗文明的心怎能欢欣雀跃，观赏着雄壮的野兽受猎矛一再猛刺？”----西塞罗

Lands that were once Roman are today divided among more than 40 nations. From the Atlantic to the Euphrates, from the Sahara to Scotland, more than two million square miles. Romans built a stunning network 53,000 miles of paved roads, connecting the empire. Roman roads put end to end would

have circled the Earth twice. And they were so well built many survive to this day with the original paving stones. Like the American Interstate system, Roman roads made it possible to defend a huge territory. The endless byways also accommodated tax collectors, traders and messengers as they traveled from exotic Egypt all the way to the hostile Scottish Moors. A fast courier could travel nearly 200 miles in a day. The army could reach anywhere in the empire in a matter of weeks. The march from Rome to Spain was said to take just 27 days. The phenomenon of Roman roads explains much about how Rome spread her influence around the world and even across the centuries to our own time. From the ruts carved into ancient roads by chariot wheels 2,000 years ago, we get the modern railway gauge for American and European trains. Wherever three major roads crossed news was often posted for travelers. The Latin word for such a crossroads was trivia or trivia, literary a three-road junction. Roads also carried Roman culture throughout the empire.

一度纳入罗马版图的领地如今分成40个以上的国家，从大西洋到幼发拉底河，从撒哈拉沙漠到苏格兰，占地超过两百万平方英哩。罗马人建造惊人的道路网，总计五万三千哩铺石道路，综横贯穿整个帝国，将所有罗马道路首位连接，可绕地球两圈。铺造技术之高明使当年所铺道路遗留至今。就如美国洲际道路系统一般，罗马可借道路防卫广阔的疆域。也有无尽的岔路供收税官、旅人与信差使用，从异乡埃及直通危险的苏格兰沼泽区。最快的驿差一天可奔驰将近两百哩。军队可在数周内抵达帝国任何一处，罗马进军西班牙的时间据说只花了27天。罗马道路的现象足以解释罗马如何将影响散播到世界各地，甚至跨越世纪深入我们的时代。两千年前远古道路上战车车轮刻画出的车辙就是今日欧美火车铁轨的轨距。只要有三条主要道路相交，就会为旅人张贴公布消息，拉丁语称三岔路为Trivia，意思就是三条路的交叉口。道路也将罗马文化散播到帝国全境。

Public baths, fountains and even the wealthiest homes were provided with clean running water. Sewers channeled waste into rivers or seas providing a level of sanitation not matched for nearly 2,000 years and still not met today in some parts of the world.

大众浴场、喷泉甚至豪门宅邸都有清静流水供应，下水道将废水导引入河川或海洋，提供将近两千年无人可比的卫生环境，甚至今日世界上某些地区都还比不上。

On the whole, the provinces thrived under roman rule. But if many enjoyed the prosperity of empire, what of those who suffered cruelly to provide

it? There was a well known saying in ancient Rome, “Every slave is an enemy we harbor. ” In deed, every master feared his slaves, some with very good reason. By the 1st Century AD the number of slaves had skyrocketed. Now an astonishing one in three inhabitants of the Roman Empire was a slave, around 16 million people. Slaves still worked the fields, but now many also toiled in mills, gold and silver mines and other labor-intensive industries.

整体而言，各行省在罗马统治下繁荣发达。但众多人口享受帝国的繁荣，却也有人为提供享受受尽非人道的折磨。古罗马有一句著名的俗谚“每一名奴隶都是我们收养的敌人”。的确，所有主子都怕手下奴隶，有些人惧怕是势所必然。到西元第一世纪，奴隶数目暴涨，创下罗马帝国每三个居民就有一个奴隶的惊人纪录，总计有一千六百万名奴隶。奴隶仍然在田野中耕种，另有许多在磨坊、金银矿坑及其他劳力密集工业中苦干。

The poorest were wretched while the top of the heap were as wealthy as the Empire herself. And the Roman Empire was rich. While the empire grew, there was good reason for Rome’s fantastic wealth. With each new conquest the spoils of the world flooded into Rome. It was an unbeatable formula. Constant victory and war brought a steady flow of gold, riches and slaves. As long as Rome won rich new territories she would continue to flourish. In the 1st Century AD, the empire’s population was around 50 million people and still growing. With little central planning and scant mass production the empire managed not only to feed its huge army but also its poor. About half of all people living in cities depended on the government’s grain dole something the poor had come to think of as a right along with games in the arena.

赤贫者境遇凄惨，上首者富可敌国。罗马帝国也的确富有。帝国成长茁壮时，罗马当然握有天大财富，每次征服，全世界的战利品大量流入罗马，是无与伦比的常规。在不断胜利与战争下，黄金、财富与奴隶稳定流入。只要罗马赢得富有新疆土，就能持续繁荣发展。西元第一世纪，帝国人口约五千万，仍继续成长。中央绝少参与规划加上勉强足够的量产，帝国不仅供养大批军队，也赈济贫民。城中半数民众依赖政府发放谷物救济。贫民视之为当然权利，与观赏竞技场搏斗同为权利。

“You hear the expression ‘bread and circus’ and really it’s bread and games, food and games. It was the government giving people what they wanted to keep them happy. It’s the same way that we have tax deductions and we have holidays and we have other things to keep our citizens happy, so

did the Romans provide this kind of fun and games for its people. And ultimately, if anything it was part of what drew down the empire. Eventually in Rome, they had a 170 days of games. That’s really a 170 holidays. That’s half the year, figure it out. ”

“我们常听到一种说法：面包与杂技，其实是面包与搏斗，也就是食物与格斗，这是政府安抚人民情绪的手段，与今日各种手法一样，我们有所得税减免、假日，还有其他安抚公民的手段。罗马提供人民搏斗、玩乐，最终它却拖垮帝国走向灭亡之路，最后罗马格斗日高达170天，等于170天假日，算算看，那可是相当于半年。”

So the final push took them eastward. The last great conquest was Dacia, a rich empire in modern day Romania. The emperor Trajan’s great victory there in 106 AD brought spectacular spoils back to Rome, tens of thousands of slaves, a hundred and eighty-two tons of gold a hundred and sixty-five thousand tons of silver. Treasure enough to transform the city of Rome. Grand new monuments including the spectacular Trajan’s Column depicting every phase of the Dacian Wars. Treasure enough to stage the last great victory celebration, 35 days of non-stop games and partying. This great hall of spoils was spectacular and awe-inspiring, but it was also the last. Never again would splendor on this scale rain down on the empire. It was a grand and glorious time, a time of excess and celebration.

最后罗马向东推进，征服位于今日罗马尼亚的富有帝国达契亚。西元106年图拉真皇帝的伟大胜利带回可观的战利品，成千上万的奴隶，182吨黄金、16万5千吨白银。所搜刮的财富足以重建罗马城，竖立崭新的纪念碑，包括壮观的图拉真圆柱，描绘达契亚战争各阶段战事。也足以上演最后一场光荣胜利的庆典，一连35天格斗、宴会不断。战利品纪念堂宏伟壮观，令人叹为观止。但这也是最后一场盛事，帝国从此再无如此大规模的壮丽气象，这是光辉荣耀的时刻，是挥霍无度的庆典。

At the same time, far to the North, Rome faced a different threat. Barbarians had been massing along the borders for some time. It’s impossible to know if the German tribe perceived the weakness of this moment, some desperate change in Rome’s luck in the throes of the plague. What we do know is they chose this moment to attack. For the first time in 200 years a foreign army crossed a boundary – the Danube River and invaded the Roman Empire. The Roman Legions chased them back but it was only a taste of what was to come. Rome was now, and forever after looking

over her shoulder.

此时在遥远的北方，罗马也面临其他威胁，蛮邦夷人已经骚扰边疆多时。日耳曼部落是否见有机可乘我们不得而知，罗马在瘟疫的痛苦折磨中，国运急转直下，只知日耳曼乘隙攻击。两百年来首支外国部队跨越多瑙河边界，入侵罗马帝国。罗马军团击退外侮，但却只是初尝外患滋味，罗马从今以后都必须小心提防。

Did anyone actually notice the bloom was off the rose? It’s more likely the moment quietly came and went. The empire was, by no means, at an end. Its fortune would ebb and flow for centuries yet. But the greatest empire the world had ever know was now slipping through Rome’s grasp. Whatever you choose to call it, arrogance, greed, corruption, cynicism or simple bad luck, whatever it was, one day the slow decay of power and glory began. And the Roman Empire ceased its splendid rise.

可有人注意到风华不再？它应该是悄悄地来去，但帝国绝非已趋灭亡，它的财富持续消退，但仍维系几世纪之久，然而我们心目中世界上最伟大的帝国已从罗马手中溜走。不管你如何批评，傲慢、贪婪、腐败、乖戾，或者纯粹是厄运当头，不管什么原因，有一天权利与荣耀逐渐衰落，罗马帝国不再光芒万丈。