评论
打印
Segment 2A; introduction.
第一节，介绍
We begin the formal lecture part of this class
我们这节课
by taking a look at the world
首先来看一下
as it was around 1500AD.
1500年世界的情况
The year 1500 sounds suspiciously round,
1500这个数字听起来过于完整
in fact the year 1500 itself
实际上它和
wasn't much different from 1499 or 1501
1499年或者1501年没有什么太大的区别
or any of those other years
和1498之类的也是一样
but if you look 50 years before 1500,
但如果我们看的是1450年
50 years after 1500AD
或者1550年
you'll encounter a great deal of
你会看到期间
relevant historical development.
发生了很多相关历史变革
The last half of the 15th century
15世纪的下半叶
saw the fall of the Byzantine Empire,
见证了拜占庭帝国的瓦解
or if you prefer;
或者，如果大家愿意的话
the eastern Roman Empire.
东罗马帝国的瓦解
It saw the creation of the Russian empire,
它见证了俄罗斯帝国的建立
first known as Muscovy,
古俄罗斯帝国
and it saw Columbus' first voyage to the America's.
它还见证了哥伦布的第一次美洲航行
The first half of the 16th century
16世纪的上半叶
saw the Portuguese discovery of Brazil,
葡萄牙发现了巴西
the reformation of the western church
西方教会进行了改革
and the high point of the Ottoman Empire.
奥斯曼帝国达到顶峰
The United States of America
美国当时
was not even a gleam in anybodies eye
还不在大家的视线中
but the United States' creation and development
但是美国的建立和发展
depended greatly on the events
和我们今天要讲的内容
we're going to be covering in this lecture,
密切相关
so stay tuned.
所以做好准备
In segment 2B the Old World, 1500AD,
第二节 1500年的欧洲世界
we examine the state of the European world
我们来看一下地理大发现
before the age of discovery.
之前的世界
The Byzantine Empire
拜占庭帝国
had wheezed to its sad end in 1453,
在1453年结束了自己的苟延残喘
itself a continuation of the Roman Empire
它是罗马帝国的延续
and they believed that they were the Roman Empire.
而且拜占庭人也自诩为罗马人
The Byzantine State was replaced in spirit,
拜占庭帝国在精神上
if not in physical form,
如果不是形式上
by the rising Russian Empire.
被新兴的俄罗斯帝国替代
Western Europe was likewise in chaos
西欧则处于一片混乱中
as France and Great Britain were
法国和英国
pummeling each other to death
在百年战争中
in the so called 100 years war.
打得不可开交
The 100 years was also ended in 1453.
百年战争也在1453年结束
France became an absolute monarchy
法国成为君主专制国家
in which the French King literally was the law.
法国国王就象征着法律
Great Britain had to undergo
英国则需要经历
a round of civil wars
一系列的内战
before resuming its status
才会成为
as a constitutional kingdom.
君主立宪制国家
Italy meanwhile was so fractured into city states
意大利还处于四分五裂之中
that it was incapable of concerted action.
无法采取一致行动
The only truly stable nations were
唯二稳定的国家就是
Spain and Portugal,
西班牙和葡萄牙
this fact enabled Spain and Portugal
这也是西班牙和葡萄牙
to search for new markets
得以在"印度"
and new sources of materials
这片神秘的土地上
in the mysterious land called the Indies.
开拓新的市场，获得原料
Segment 2C;
第三节
the new world to 1500AD introduces us
1500年的新大陆将我们带到
to life in the Americas before the Europeans arrived.
欧洲人来之前美洲人的生活状况
To the south the mighty empires of the Mayans,
南部神奇的玛雅国度
Incans and Aztecs demonstrated that
印加古国和阿兹特克证实了
Native Americans could and did build
美洲土著人能够也确实建立了
magnificent civilizations
伟大的文明
and even magnificent empires.
和伟大的帝国
Had their weaponry been equal
要是他们使用的武器和入侵者一样
the Spanish Conquistadors
那么这些西班牙人
may well have been sent packing
可能就会被
by the Incans or the Aztecs.
打回老家
The simpler lifestyles of
北部美洲印第安人的
the northern American Indians
生活方式较为简单
is more difficult to reconstruct
目前因为缺乏史料
due to the lack of written records
和纪念碑
and the shortage of major monuments.
而难以复原
But the lives of the northern Americans
但是他们的生活
were no less fascinating
也同样精彩
as any visitor to the Cahokia mounds
任何去过卡俄基亚遗址
which are just across the river from St Louis
在圣路易斯河对面的游客
can tell you.
都可以告诉你这一点
To claim as the Europeans actually did that
欧洲人声称
the indigenous people of the Americas,
美洲的土著人
the so called Indians,
也就是印第安人
were without any culture is just flat out absurd.
没有文化，这完全是荒谬的
In segment 2D;
第四节
wave of exploration,
探索热潮
Europeans made their way to the new world,
欧洲人发现新大陆
also known thanks to an obscure Italian explorer
也就是美洲，要归功于一位不知名的意大利探险家
and his German map maker buddy as the Americas.
和他负责制图的德国伙伴
The Vikings were the first Europeans
维京人是最早到达北美的
to reach North America,
欧洲人
as early as 1000AD.
大约是在1000年
Spain came next in 1492AD
西班牙人在1492年到来
followed closely by the Portuguese.
之后紧跟的就是葡萄牙人
At one point the Pope even signed off on a deal
当时教皇还签署了协议
splitting the new world between Spain and Portugal,
要把新大陆分给西班牙和葡萄牙
the treaty of Tordesius.
托尔德西里亚斯条约
Once they got their domestic affairs
当法国和英国
straightened out,
终于把内部事务解决完
and this was in the middle 1500's,
也就是在16世纪中叶的时候
the French and British
它们也开始了
began exploring the Americas.
对美洲的探索
