BBC英国史 纪录片 英文字幕文本 A History of Britain 01 Beginnings.docx

BBC英国史 纪录片 英文字幕文本 A History of Britain 01 Beginnings.docx

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BBC英国史纪录片英文字幕文本AHistoryofBritain01Beginnings

AHistoryofBritain01.Beginnings

Fromitsearliestdays,Britainwasanobjectofdesire.

Tacitusdeclaredit"pretiumvictoriae"-worththeconquest,thebestcomplimentthatcouldoccurtoaRoman.

HehadnevervisitedtheseshoresbutwasnonethelessconvincedthatBritanniawasrichingold.

Silverwasabundanttoo.

Apparentlysowerepearls,thoughTacitushadheardtheyweregrey,liketheovercast,rain-heavyskies,andthenativesonlycollectedthemwhencastupontheshore.

AsfarastheRomanhistorianswereconcerned,Britanniamaybeoffattheedgeoftheworld,butitwasofftheedgeoftheirworld,notinabarbarianwilderness.

Ifthosewritershadbeenabletotravelintimeaswellasspacetothenorthernmostofourislands,theOrcades-ourmodernOrkney-theywouldhaveseensomethingmuchmoreastonishingthanpearls:

SignsofacivilisationthousandsofyearsolderthanRome.

ThereareremainsofStoneAgelifealloverBritainandIreland.

ButnowhereasabundantlyasOrkney,withitsmounds,gravesanditsgreatcirclesofstandingstoneslikehereatBrodgar.

Vast,imposingandutterlyunknowable.

OrkneyhasanotherNeolithicsite,evenmoreimpressivethanBrodgar,thelastthingyouwouldexpectfromtheStoneAge,ashockinglyfamiliarglimpseofancientdomesticlife.

PerchedonthewesterncoastofOrkney'smainisland,avillagecalledSkaraBrae.

Beneathanareanobiggerthanthe18thgreenofagolfcourseliesEurope'smostcompleteNeolithiccommunity,preservedfor5,000yearsunderablanketofsandandgrassuntiluncoveredin1850byaferociousseastorm.

Thisisarecognisablevillage.

Neatlyfittedintoitslandscapebetweenpastureandsea,intimate,domesticandself-sufficient.

TechnicallystilltheStoneAgeandNeolithicperiod,thesearenothuts,they'retruehouses,builtfromsandstoneslabsthatlieallaroundtheislandandgavestoutprotectiontovillagersatSkaraBrae,fromtheirbitingOrcadianwinds.

Theywererealneighbours,livingcheekbyjowl,theirhousesconnectedbywalled,sometimesdecoratedalleyways.

Itiseasytoimaginegossiptravellingdownthosealleysafteraheartyseafoodsupper.

Wehaveeverythingyoucouldwantfromavillageexceptachurchandapub.

In3,000BC,theseaandairwerewarmerthantheyarenow.

Oncethey'dsettledintheirsandstonehouses,theycouldharvestredbreamandmusselsandoystersthatwereabundantintheshallows.

Cattlegavemeatandmilkanddogswerekeptforhuntingandforcompany.

InNeolithictimestherewouldhavebeenadozenhouses,half-dugintothegroundforcomfortandsafety.

Athriving,bustlinglittlecommunityof50or60.

TherealmiracleofSkaraBraeisthatthesehouseswerenotmereshelters.

Theywerebuiltbypeoplewhohadculture,whohadstyle.

Here'swheretheyshowedoffthatstyle.

Afullyequipped,all-purposeNeolithiclivingroom,completewithluxuriesandnecessities.

Necessities?

Well,atthecentre,ahearth,aroundwhichtheywarmedthemselvesandcooked.

Astonetankinwhichtokeeplivefishbait.

Somehouseshaddrainsunderneaththem,sotheymusthavehad,believeitornot,indoortoilets.

Luxuries?

Theorthopaedicallycorrectstonebedmaynotseemparticularlyluxurious,buttheadditionofheatherandstrawwouldhavesoftenedthesleepingsurfaceandwouldhavemadethisbedseemrathersnug.

Atthecentreofitallwasthisspectaculardresseronwhichourhouse-proudvillagerswouldsetoutalltheirmostpreciousstuff.

Fineboneandivorynecklaces,beautifullycarvedstoneobjects,everythingdesignedtomakeagrandinteriorstatement.

Giventherudimentarynatureoftheirtools,itwouldhavetakencountlessmanhourstobuildnotonlythesedwellingsbutthegreatcirclesofstonewheretheywouldhavegatheredtoworship.

SkaraBraewasn'tjustanisolatedsettlementoffishersandfarmers.

Itspeoplemusthavebelongedtosomelargersociety,onesophisticatedenoughtomobilisethearmyoftoilersandcraftsmenneeded,notjusttomakethesemonuments,buttostandthemonend.

Theywerejustasconcernedabouthousingthedeadastheliving.

ThemausoleumatMaesHowe,acoupleofmilesfromSkaraBrae,seemsnomorethanaswellingonthegrassylandscape.

Thisis,asitwere,aBritishpyramidandinkeepingwithourtasteforunderstatement,itreservesallitsimpactfortheinterior.

Imaginethemopenoncemore.

Adetailfromavillagegiventhejobofpullingbackthestoneseals,luggingthebodythroughthelowopeningintheearth.

Up36feetofnarrow,tight-fittingpassageway,litonlyonceayearbytheraysofthewintersolstice.

Adeathcanal,constriction,smellingoftheunderworld.

Finallythepassagewayopensuptothisstupendous,high-vaultedmasonrychamber.

Sometombswouldhavebeenelaboratelydecoratedwithcarvingsintheformofcirclesorspirals,likewavesorthebreeze-pushedclouds.

Otherswouldhavehadneatstonestoresorcubicleswherethebodieswouldbelaidoutonshelves.

Thegrandesttombshadopeningscutinthewall,tocreatesidechamberswherethemostimportantbodiescouldbelaidoutinaristocraticspaciousnesslikefamilyvaultsinacountrychurch.

Unlikemedievalknights,thesegrandeeswereburiedwitheaglesanddogs,oreventreasure.

ThekindofthingtheVikingswhobrokeintothesetombsthousandsofyearslaterwerequicktofilch.

Inreturn,theseearlytombraiderslefttheirownlegacy.

Thesewonderfulgraffiti.

Theseruneswerecarvedbythemostskilledrunecarverinthewesternocean.

IbeddedThornyhere.

Ingegirthisonehornybitch.AsfortheOrcadianhoipolloi,theyrankedspaceinacommonchamber,onafloorcarpetedwiththebonesofhundredsoftheirpredecessors.

Acrowdedwaitingroomtotheirafterworld.

Forcenturies,lifeatSkaraBraemusthavecontinuedinmuchthesameway.

Around2,500BC,theclimateseemstohavegotcolderandwetter.

TheredbreamandstableenvironmenttheOrcadianshadenjoyedforcountlessgenerationsdisappeared.

Fieldswereabandoned,thefarmersandfishersmigrated,leavingtheirstonebuildingsandtombstobecoveredbylayersofpeat,driftingsandandfinallygrass.

Themainlandtoo,ofcourse,haditsburialchambers,likethelongbarrowatWestKennet.

Therewerealsothegreatstonecircles,thelargestatAvebury.

ButthemostspectacularofallatStonehenge.

By1,000BC,thingswerechangingfast.

AllovertheBritishlandscape,aprotractedstruggleforgoodlandwastakingplace.

ForestswereclearedsothatIronAgeBritainwasnot,aswasromanticallyimagined,anunbrokenforestkingdomstretchingfromCornwalltoInverness.

Itwasratherapatchworkofopenfields,dottedhereandtherewithcopsesgivingcoverforgame,especiallywildpigs.

Anditwasacrowdedisland.

WenowthinkthatasmanypeoplelivedonthislandasduringthereignofElizabeth1,2,500yearslater.

SomearchaeologistsbelievethatalmostasmuchlandwasbeingfarmedintheIronAgeasin1914.

Soit'snosurprisetoseeonespectaculardifferencefromthelittleworldofSkaraBrae.

Greatwindowlesstowers.

TheywerebuiltinthecenturiesbeforetheRomaninvasions,whenpopulationpressurewasmostintenseandfarmershadgrowingneedofprotection,firstfromtheelements,butlaterfromeachother.

ManyofthosetowersstillsurvivebutnoneareasdauntingasthegreatstockadeonArran,offIreland'swestcoast.

Theydidn'tjustspringuparoundtheedgesoftheBritishislands.

Alloverthemainlandtoo,thegreathillfortsoftheIronAgeremainvisibleinterracedcontourssuchasatDaneburyandMaidenCastle.

Loftyseatsofpowerforthetribalchiefs,theyweredefendedbyringsofearthworks,timberpalisadesandramparts.

Behindthosedauntingwallswasnotaworldinpanickyretreat.

TheIronAgeBritainintowhichtheRomanseventuallycrashedwithsuchalarmingforcewasadynamic,expandingsociety.

Fromtheirworkshopscamethespectacularmetalworkwithwhichtheelitedecoratedtheirbodies.

Armlets,pins,broochesandornamentalshieldslikethis,theso-calledBatterseaShield.

Ortheastonishingstylisedbronzehorses,endearinglymelancholyinexpression,likesomanyEeyoresresignedtoabaddayinbattle.

Withtribalmanufacturecametrade.

Thewarriors,druidpriestsandartistsofIronAgeBritainshippedtheirwaresalloverEurope,tradingwiththeexpandingRomanEmpire.

Inreturn,withnohome-growngrapesorolives,Mediterraneanwineandoilarrivedinlargeearthenwarejars.

IronAgeBritainwasnotthebackofbeyond.

Itstribesmayhaveledlivesseparatedfromeachotherbycustomandlanguage,andtheymayhavehadnogreatcapitalcitybuttogethertheyaddeduptosomethingintheworld,thebustlingofcountlessproductive,energeticbeehives.

Whatthebeesmadewasnothoney,butgold.

TheRomanswouldhaveknownaboutthisstrangebutalluringworldoffatcattleandbusyforges.

EvidenceofitsrefinementwouldhavefounditswaytoRome.

Alongwiththeglitteringmetalwarecamestoriesofalarmingcults,whichmayhavepromptedtheusualRomandinnertimediscussions.

"Allveryinteresting,Idaresay,"butwouldwereallywanttocallthemacivilisation?

"

Supposingtheywouldhaveseenanancientsculpture,likethishauntingstonefacewithitsarchaicsecretivesmile,theeyesclosedasifinamysteriousdevotionaltrance.

Thenoseflattened,thecheeksbroad,thewholethingsospellbindinglyreminiscentofthingstheRomansmusthaveseeninEtruriaortheGreekislands.

Wouldtheythenhavesaid,"Yes,thisisaworkofart"?

Probablynot.

Soonerorlatertheywouldhavenoticedthatthetopoftheheadissliced