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They recognized it even further
建立者们在发明美国政府时
when they invented the American government.
进一步采用了罗马传统
The senior House of the United States legislature
美国立法机关的上院
is named the Senate, the same
被称作参议院
as the Roman's senior legislative body.
和罗马高级立法机关的名字一样
The chief executive of the United States
美国的首席行政长官
is the president, a term derived from
被称作总统，这个词来自
the Latin verb praesidio,
拉丁语的动词praesidio
which means to sit at the front.
意思是坐在前排
The chief executive of every state is the governor,
每个州的行政长官是州长
this is derived from the Latin noun gubernator,
来自拉丁语的名词gubernator
which is itself derived from the Greek noun
这个词源于希腊名词
kybernetes or steersman.
kybernetes或steersman
The democratic ideals developed,
民主思想得到发展
even if they were not always actually practiced,
尽管罗马人和希腊人没有
by the Romans and ancient Greeks
在实际中应用这些理论
formed the basis of American citizenship to this day.
但是这些思想形成了美国今天的公民身份
Questions of cultural influence aside,
撇开文化影响的问题不看
it's not hard to see a common bond
不难发现古罗马人
between ancient Romans and modern Americans.
和现代美国人的共同点
From ancient Roman literature, primarily poetry,
从古罗马文献，主要是诗，可以看到
we know that the Romans enjoyed
我们知道罗马人
the ancient form of situation comedies,
喜欢古老形式的情景喜剧
that they were very fond of violent contact sports
他们喜欢暴力的身体接触项目
and that they took great pride
罗马人为国家的军事成就
in their nation's military achievements.
感到自豪
Archeology teaches us that the ancient Romans
考古学告诉我们古罗马人
built roads and buildings everywhere
在各地建造公路和建筑
and built them to last.
而且这些设施通过了时间的考验
And that they were very fond of a sauce called garum,
他们很喜欢一种叫鱼酱油的酱
made from the squeezings of rancid fish guts.
是压榨腐臭的鱼内脏做成的
Wherever you find Roman settlements,
在罗马人居住的地方
you will find busted up jars of garum.
总能发现打破的罐子中装着鱼酱油
The ancient Romans, like us,
古罗马人，和我们一样
were very skeptical of their politicians.
对政治家持怀疑态度
And later on, they were skeptical of their emperors.
之后，他们对皇帝持怀疑态度
That did not, however, keep Roman politics
但是，这样并没有阻止
from being a blood sport
罗马政治成为流血运动
complete with rioting in the streets.
同时伴随着街上的暴乱
No matter how downtrodden
不管罗马的下层社会
the Roman lower classes might be,
如何被践踏
a Roman politician or Roman emperor
罗马政治家或者罗马皇帝
who didn't take the people seriously
如果不认真对待民众
often came to a bad end.
就不会有好结果
On the one hand, the ancient Romans
一方面，古罗马人
were fixated on the importance of
念念不忘保持光辉国家传统
upholding their glorious national traditions,
的重要性，所谓的
the so-called mos maiorum or ways of the ancestors. mos maiorum
或祖先的方法
Consider this a warning, I will use the term
提醒一句，这学期，我会
mos maiorum over and over again this semester.
不停地使用mos maiorum
On the other hand, the ancient Romans
另一方面，古罗马人
were almost always quite tolerant
对新的民族和新方法
of new peoples and new ways,
非常宽容
and even of new religions,
对新的宗教也很宽容
provided these new religions didn't offend
前提是这些新的宗教不会
the mos maiorum, look I said it again, too much.
触犯mos maiorum，又说了一次
Rome's two millennia of growth, decline and fall
罗马的发展，衰落和消亡历经两千年
have fascinated historians to this very day.
这一切至今还吸引历史学家
Over its more than 2 thousand years of existence,
存在的两千多年时间中
Rome passed from near utter insignificance
罗马从无足轻重的地方
to a regional power,
变成了地区大国
from a regional power to a world power
从地区大国变成了世界大国
and from a world power
从世界大国变成了
to the most powerful nation of its day,
当时最强大的国家
perhaps of any time.
也许是人类历史上最强大的国家
Upon becoming the most powerful nation of its day,
自从成了当时最强大的国家
internal distress in the time of Christ
耶稣时期的国内贫困
forced Rome to change from democracy to
迫使罗马从民主制
something called the Principate,
转向元首统治
monarchy wrapped up in the package of a democracy.
表面是民主，内核是君主政体
For nearly 2 centuries,
在接近两个世纪的时间中
this new Roman Principate maintained
新的罗马元首统治
Rome's status as the world's only super power,
确保罗马是世界上仅有的超级大国
until internal and external pressures
直到内外交困
began to tear Rome apart, again.
迫使罗马分裂
The so-called decline and fall of Rome,
所谓的罗马的衰亡
a concept popularized by enlightenment historian
这是启蒙运动历史学家爱德华·吉本
Edward Gibbon has been held up for,
普及的概念，他认为
as a warning for civilizations,
这在过去三百年中
for the last 300 years.
是对文明的警示
