论文部分内容阅读
The Maya civilization is a Mesoamerican civilization,noted for the only known fully developed written language of the pre-Columbian Americas, as well as its spectacular art, monumental architecture, and sophisticated mathematical and astronomical systems. Initially established during the Preclassic period, many of these reached their apogee of development during the Classic period ,and continued throughout the Post classic period until the arrival of the Spanish. At its peak, it was one of the most densely populated and culturally dynamic societies in the world.
玛雅文化是中美洲文化的一种，以高度发展的前美洲哥伦比亚书面语言、惊人的艺术成就、不朽的建筑设计、复杂的数学及天文体系而著名。玛雅文化最初开始于先古时期，其主要的成就高峰均出现于古典时期，并将辉煌延续到了整个后古典时期，直到西班牙人的到来。在玛雅文化的颠峰时期，玛雅成为了世界上人口最密集、最富有文化活力的社会之一。
■ Pyramids and temples
Often the most important religious temples sat atop the towering Maya pyramids, presumably as the closest place to the heavens.While recent discoveries point toward the extensive use of pyramids as tombs, the temples themselves seem too rarely,more over they are used to blazon forth of their stateliness. Residing atop the pyramids,some were over two-hundred feet.The temples were impressive and decorated structures themselves.Commonly topped with a roof comb,or superficial grandiose wall, these temples might have served as a type of propaganda.As occasionally the only structure to exceed the height of the jungle, the roof combs atop the temples were often carved with representations of rulers that could be seen from vast distances. Beneath the proud temples sat the pyramids that were, ultimately, a series of platforms split by steep stairs that would allow access to the temple.
金字塔和神庙
在玛雅文明中，级别最高的神庙通常坐落于高耸的玛雅金字塔之上，被认为是离天堂最近的地方。然而最新的发现表明金字塔普遍被用做坟墓，而神庙本身却很少用于埋葬，更多的是作为宣扬统治者的威严之用。神庙屹立于金字塔之上，有的高达200英尺。这些庙宇雄伟壮观，结构考究。其顶部通常建有条脊或壮观的墙体。条脊作为唯一高于丛林的建筑结构，通常被刻以统治者的标志，即使在很远的地方也看得到。在金字塔的下方有一系列的被倾斜的台阶所分割的平台，这些台阶均可通向神庙。
■ Hieroglyphic
One of the greatest shows of Mayan artistic ability and culture is the hieroglyphic stairway located at Copan. The stairway is an iconographical complex composed of statues, figures, and ramps in addition to the central stairway ,which together portray many elements of Mayan society. Every kind of forms is present as well as many pictorial references of sacrifice and their gods. More importantly than all the imagery captured with in this monument, however, is the history of the royal descent depicted in the hieroglyphs and various statues.
象形文字
位于Copan的象形文字结构的楼梯是玛雅人艺术才能和玛雅文化的最佳代表之一。这类楼梯除了建有可展现玛雅社会方方面面的中心楼梯之外，还修建了众多的雕像、图形以及小的斜坡。祭祀用品和他们所信奉的神灵也以千变万化的形态展示于此。与那些在纪念碑上被腐蚀的雕刻肖像相比，更重要的是用象形文字和各种雕像记载下来的皇室家谱。
■ Writing tools
Although the archaeological record does not provide examples,Maya art shows that writing was done with brushes made with animal hair and quills. Codex-style writing was usually done in black ink with red highlights, giving rise to the Aztec name for the Maya territory as the "land of red and black".
书写工具
尽管考古学家们没有提供什么例子，但是玛雅艺术告诉我们他们的书写是通过用动物毛发和羽茎制成的刷子来完成的。古典的书写通常是用黑色的墨水来完成的，并配以红色的墨水以示强调，玛雅领地也正因此而拥有了“红与黑的土地”这一阿兹特克名字。
■ Mathematics
Mayan numerals in common with the other Mesoamerican civilizations,the Maya used a base 20 and base 5 numbering system. Also,the pre-classic Maya and their neighbors independently developed the concept of zero by 36 BC. Inscriptions show them on occasion working with sums up to the hundreds of millions of dates so large it would take several lines just to represent it.They produced extremely accurate astronomical observations;their charts of the movements of the moon and planets are equal or superior to those of any other civilization working from naked eye observation.
数学
玛雅数字与其他的中美州数字一样，玛雅人使用20位制和5位制来计数。同时，早在公元前36年，玛雅人和他们的邻居就已经独立地提出了0的概念。刻在石头上的一些字迹表明玛雅人仅仅使用几行字就可以进行高达数亿的计算。他们也进行了极为准确的天文观察；虽然他们通过肉眼进行天文观察，但他们所推算出的月亮及其他星球的运行周期等同于甚至精确于其他文明在这一领域的成就。
The art of the Maya, as with every civilization, is a reflection of their lifestyle and culture.The art was composed of delineation and painting upon paper and plaster, carvings in wood and stone, clay and stucco models. However, Mayan culture disappeared suddenly and mysteriously. The accurate reasons of its disappearance have not been found by archaeologists.Some scholars thought that the Maya were overpopulated and they overexploited their environment and millions of them died. That is to say,heavily-polluted environment led to this catastrophe. What sorts of lessons can be drawn from the Maya collapse?
玛雅文化是玛雅人生活方式的一种反映。其文化成就范围很广：从创作于纸张和灰泥之上的简略图形和绘画，到木雕、石雕，以及陶土和灰泥制成的模型……然而，玛雅文化却突然神秘地消失了。考古学家们还未探索出其消失的准确原因。一些学者们认为玛雅的人口过多，资源过度开发也许是他消失的原因。也就是说环境导致了这一灾难。而我们又应从玛雅文化的陷落中得到怎样的教训呢？
※编辑：Nina
玛雅文化是中美洲文化的一种，以高度发展的前美洲哥伦比亚书面语言、惊人的艺术成就、不朽的建筑设计、复杂的数学及天文体系而著名。玛雅文化最初开始于先古时期，其主要的成就高峰均出现于古典时期，并将辉煌延续到了整个后古典时期，直到西班牙人的到来。在玛雅文化的颠峰时期，玛雅成为了世界上人口最密集、最富有文化活力的社会之一。
■ Pyramids and temples
Often the most important religious temples sat atop the towering Maya pyramids, presumably as the closest place to the heavens.While recent discoveries point toward the extensive use of pyramids as tombs, the temples themselves seem too rarely,more over they are used to blazon forth of their stateliness. Residing atop the pyramids,some were over two-hundred feet.The temples were impressive and decorated structures themselves.Commonly topped with a roof comb,or superficial grandiose wall, these temples might have served as a type of propaganda.As occasionally the only structure to exceed the height of the jungle, the roof combs atop the temples were often carved with representations of rulers that could be seen from vast distances. Beneath the proud temples sat the pyramids that were, ultimately, a series of platforms split by steep stairs that would allow access to the temple.
金字塔和神庙
在玛雅文明中，级别最高的神庙通常坐落于高耸的玛雅金字塔之上，被认为是离天堂最近的地方。然而最新的发现表明金字塔普遍被用做坟墓，而神庙本身却很少用于埋葬，更多的是作为宣扬统治者的威严之用。神庙屹立于金字塔之上，有的高达200英尺。这些庙宇雄伟壮观，结构考究。其顶部通常建有条脊或壮观的墙体。条脊作为唯一高于丛林的建筑结构，通常被刻以统治者的标志，即使在很远的地方也看得到。在金字塔的下方有一系列的被倾斜的台阶所分割的平台，这些台阶均可通向神庙。
■ Hieroglyphic
One of the greatest shows of Mayan artistic ability and culture is the hieroglyphic stairway located at Copan. The stairway is an iconographical complex composed of statues, figures, and ramps in addition to the central stairway ,which together portray many elements of Mayan society. Every kind of forms is present as well as many pictorial references of sacrifice and their gods. More importantly than all the imagery captured with in this monument, however, is the history of the royal descent depicted in the hieroglyphs and various statues.
象形文字
位于Copan的象形文字结构的楼梯是玛雅人艺术才能和玛雅文化的最佳代表之一。这类楼梯除了建有可展现玛雅社会方方面面的中心楼梯之外，还修建了众多的雕像、图形以及小的斜坡。祭祀用品和他们所信奉的神灵也以千变万化的形态展示于此。与那些在纪念碑上被腐蚀的雕刻肖像相比，更重要的是用象形文字和各种雕像记载下来的皇室家谱。
■ Writing tools
Although the archaeological record does not provide examples,Maya art shows that writing was done with brushes made with animal hair and quills. Codex-style writing was usually done in black ink with red highlights, giving rise to the Aztec name for the Maya territory as the "land of red and black".
书写工具
尽管考古学家们没有提供什么例子，但是玛雅艺术告诉我们他们的书写是通过用动物毛发和羽茎制成的刷子来完成的。古典的书写通常是用黑色的墨水来完成的，并配以红色的墨水以示强调，玛雅领地也正因此而拥有了“红与黑的土地”这一阿兹特克名字。
■ Mathematics
Mayan numerals in common with the other Mesoamerican civilizations,the Maya used a base 20 and base 5 numbering system. Also,the pre-classic Maya and their neighbors independently developed the concept of zero by 36 BC. Inscriptions show them on occasion working with sums up to the hundreds of millions of dates so large it would take several lines just to represent it.They produced extremely accurate astronomical observations;their charts of the movements of the moon and planets are equal or superior to those of any other civilization working from naked eye observation.
数学
玛雅数字与其他的中美州数字一样，玛雅人使用20位制和5位制来计数。同时，早在公元前36年，玛雅人和他们的邻居就已经独立地提出了0的概念。刻在石头上的一些字迹表明玛雅人仅仅使用几行字就可以进行高达数亿的计算。他们也进行了极为准确的天文观察；虽然他们通过肉眼进行天文观察，但他们所推算出的月亮及其他星球的运行周期等同于甚至精确于其他文明在这一领域的成就。
The art of the Maya, as with every civilization, is a reflection of their lifestyle and culture.The art was composed of delineation and painting upon paper and plaster, carvings in wood and stone, clay and stucco models. However, Mayan culture disappeared suddenly and mysteriously. The accurate reasons of its disappearance have not been found by archaeologists.Some scholars thought that the Maya were overpopulated and they overexploited their environment and millions of them died. That is to say,heavily-polluted environment led to this catastrophe. What sorts of lessons can be drawn from the Maya collapse?
玛雅文化是玛雅人生活方式的一种反映。其文化成就范围很广：从创作于纸张和灰泥之上的简略图形和绘画，到木雕、石雕，以及陶土和灰泥制成的模型……然而，玛雅文化却突然神秘地消失了。考古学家们还未探索出其消失的准确原因。一些学者们认为玛雅的人口过多，资源过度开发也许是他消失的原因。也就是说环境导致了这一灾难。而我们又应从玛雅文化的陷落中得到怎样的教训呢？
※编辑：Nina