世界上十大神祕地標性建築(下)

ayhuaman

5.薩克塞瓦曼

Not far from the famous Inca city of Machu Picchu lies Sacsayhuaman, a strange embankment of stone walls located just outside of Cuzco. The series of three walls was assembled from massive 200-ton blocks of rock and limestone, and they are arranged in a zigzag pattern along the hillside. The longest is roughly 1000 feet in length and each stands some fifteen feet tall. The monument is in astonishingly good condition for its age, especially considering the region's propensity for earthquakes, but the tops of the walls are somewhat demolished, as the monument was plundered by the Spanish to build churches in Cuzco. The area surrounding the monument has been found to be the source of several underground catacombs called chincanas, which were supposedly used as connecting passageways to other Inca structures in the area.

薩克塞瓦曼——由奇怪的石頭牆組成的堤岸，位於距離著名的印加城馬丘比丘不遠的庫斯科市外。這成系列的三道牆由許多重達200噸的岩石和石灰岩組成，沿着山腰呈鋸齒形排開。最長的一個大約1000英尺，高均爲大約15英尺。這個遺址存在之久、保存之完好，令人驚訝，尤其是考慮到其位於地震多髮帶。但是，牆體的頂部不同程度地遭到破壞，因爲西班牙人曾掠奪石塊用來在庫斯科建造教堂。人們發現薩克塞瓦曼的周邊地區是數個地下墓穴的源頭，這些墓穴是女奇卡諾人的。人們推測它是連接此地區其他印加建築的通道。

The Mystery

謎團

Most scientists agree that Sacsayhuaman served as a kind of fortress of barrier wall, but this has been disputed. The strange shape and angles of the wall have led some speculate that it may have had a more symbolic function, one example being that the wall, when seen next to Cuzco from above, forms the shape of the head of a Cougar. Even more mysterious than the monument's use, though, are the methods that were used in its construction. Like most Inca stone works, Sacsayhuaman was built with large stones that fit together so perfectly that not even a sheet of paper can be placed in the gaps between them. Just how the Incas managed such expert placements, or, for that matter, how they managed to transport and lift the heavy hunks of stone, is still not fully known.

科學家們一致認爲薩克塞瓦曼曾被用作圍牆的堡壘，但是仍然有人質疑。這個牆的奇怪形狀和棱角使人們推測也許它具有更多象徵作用，其中一個例子就是站在庫斯科邊界俯瞰牆體，它看起來像一頭美洲獅。相比它的用途，更神祕的是這些牆是如何建造的。如衆多的石製品一樣，薩克塞瓦曼也是由巨大的石塊完美地契合而成，石塊之間拼接得如此天衣無縫，甚至連一張紙也塞不進去。至於印加人如何創造出如此傑作，或者說，他們是如何將那麼巨大的石塊搬運堆砌起來，仍然是個不解之謎。

Easter Island Moai

4.復活島的摩埃石像

One of the most iconic series of monuments in the Pacific islands is the Moai, a group of huge statues of exaggerated human figures that are found only on the small, isolated island of Rapa Nui, or Easter Island. The Moai were carved sometime between 1250 and 1500 AD by the island's earliest inhabitants, and are believed to depict the people's ancestors, who in their culture were held in the same regard as deities. The Moai were chiseled and carved from tuff, a volcanic rock that is prevalent on the island, and they all feature the same characteristics of an oversized head, broad nose, and a mysterious, indecipherable facial expression. Scientists have determined that as many as 887 of the statues were originally carved, but years of infighting among the island's clans led to many being destroyed. Today, only 394 are still standing, the largest of which is 30 feet tall and weighs over 70 tons.

摩埃石像是太平洋島嶼上一系列最具標誌性的遺蹟之一，它是一組巨大的誇張的人物雕像，人們在一個叫拉帕努伊小孤島（Rapa Nui），也稱復活島上發現了它。摩埃石像是由該島最早期居民於公元1250年至1500年間雕刻而成。人們認爲，摩埃石描繪的是該島最早期居民的祖先，他們的文化視其祖先爲神靈。摩埃石像是用島上常見的的凝灰岩和火山岩刻雕刻而成。它們都具有相同的特徵，即超大的頭部，寬大的鼻子和神祕的難以辨認的面部表情。科學家們認爲，起初雕刻的數量有887座之多，但多年的島上部落的內訌致使很多石像遭破壞。如今，只剩下394座，最大的一個有30英尺高，70多噸重。

The Mystery

謎團

While there is a fairly solid consensus on why the Moai were erected, how the islanders did it is still up for debate. The average Moai weighs several tons, and for years scientists were at a loss to describe how the monuments were transported from Rano Raraku, where most of them were constructed, to their various locations around the island. In recent years, the most popular theory is that the builders used wooden sleds and log rollers to move the Moai, an answer that would also explain how the once verdant island became almost totally barren due to deforestation.

對於爲什麼豎立摩埃石像，人們達成了廣泛的共識；但是，對於島上居民是怎樣做到的，人們還是爭論不休。摩埃石像平均重達數噸，多年來科學家仍然無法得知摩埃石像是如何從拉諾拉拉庫（Rano Raraku）——摩埃石像的生產基地——運到島上各處的。近年來，被廣爲接受的理論是，建造者們用木製的雪橇和圓木移動摩埃石像，砍伐森林這一說法也解釋了該島由茂密的森林變爲不毛之地的原因。

Georgia Guidestones

3.佐治亞引導石

While most of the mysterious monuments on this list only became that way as centuries passed, the Georgia Guidestones, also known as American Stonehenge, are one landmark that was always intended to be an enigma. The monument, which consists of four monolithic slabs of granite that support a single capstone, was commissioned in 1979 by a man who went by the pseudonym of R.C. Christian. A local mason carefully crafted it so that one slot in the stones is aligned with the sun on the solstices and equinoxes, and one small hole is always pointed in the direction of the North Star. Most interesting, though, are the inscriptions on the slabs, which an accompanying plaque describes as "the guidestones to an Age of Reason." In eight different languages, the slabs offer a strange ten-point plan to ensure peace on Earth that includes vague proclamations like "prize truth–beauty–love–seeking harmony with the infinite," to very specific commands like "maintain humanity under 500,000,000 in perpetual balance with nature." Comments like this one have made the Guidestones one of the most controversial landmarks in the United States, and they have long been protested and even vandalized by groups that would like to see them demolished.

本榜單上的大部分遺蹟都是因爲數個世紀的洗禮而變得神祕。佐治亞引導石，又被稱爲美國版的巨石陣，是一個令人費解的地標性建築。佐治亞引導石於1979年由一位化名R·C·克里斯蒂安的人委託建造，由四塊巨大的厚板花崗岩支撐一塊頂板組成。爲了讓石頭的狹縫對齊在二至點和二分點的太陽，一個小小的洞總是指向北極星的方向，一位當地的石匠對此精雕細琢。然而，最有趣的是石板上所刻的文字——"一個理性時代的引導石"。石板用八種語言提出了奇怪的10條計劃，這10條計劃旨在保護世界和平，它包括模糊的宣言，類似於"珍視真—美—愛—尋求宇宙和諧"，也包括非常具體的表述" 將人口控制在5億以內，以保持人與自然界的平衡"。這樣的表述讓佐治亞引導石成爲美國最受爭議的地標建築之一。一些人在抗議，甚至組織志願者對其進行破壞。

The Mystery

謎團

For all their controversy, very little is known about who built the Guidestones or what their true purpose is. R.C. Christian claimed he represented an independent organization when he commissioned the landmark, but neither he nor his group has spoken up since its construction. Since the monument was built during the height of the Cold War, one popular theory about the group's intentions is that the Guidestones were to serve as a primer for how to rebuild society in the aftermath of a nuclear holocaust.

對於一切爭論，即是何人建造的引導石，建造者的真正目的又是什麼，這些很少有人知道。R·C·克里斯蒂安聲稱，在委託修建引導石的時候，他代表一個獨立的組織。但是，引導石建好後，R·C·克里斯蒂安和他的組織並沒有說明修建的目的。引導石是在冷戰最緊張的時期而修建的，對於修建的目的，一個主流的觀點就是，引導石將在覈災難後引導如何重建這個世界。

Great Sphinx of Giza

2.獅身人面像

Sphinxes are massive stone statues that depict the body of a reclining lion with the head and face of a human. The figures are found all over the world in different forms, but they are most commonly linked with Egypt, which features the most famous example in the form of the Great Sphinx of Giza. Incredibly, the statue is carved out of one monolithic piece of rock, and at 240 feet long, 20 feet wide, and 66 feet tall, it is considered to be the biggest monument of its kind in the world. Historians largely accept the function of the Sphinx to have been that of a symbolic guardian, since the statues were strategically placed around important structures like temples, tombs, and pyramids. The Great Sphinx of Giza appears to be no different. It stands adjacent to the pyramid of the pharaoh Khafra, and most archeologists believe that it is his face that is depicted on that of the statue.

斯芬克斯(也稱獅身人面像)是一些巨石雕像，它們有着傾斜的獅身和人的頭像。世界各地都發現了這類雕像，形態各異。然而說到獅身人面像，人們主要想到的還是埃及，那裏有最著名的獅身人面像。令人難以置信的是這座雕像是在一整塊巨石上雕成的，其長240英尺，寬20英尺，高66英尺。因此也被看做是世界上最大的獅身人面像。歷史學家普遍認爲，因爲獅身人面像的位置在廟宇、墓穴和金字塔這些重要建築物周圍，非常考究，所以獅身人面像是象徵意義上的守護者。獅身人面像似乎也沒有什麼特別的。它就在哈夫爾法老(the pharaoh Khafra)的金子塔附近。多數考古學家認爲，獅身人面像的臉實際就是哈夫爾法老自己的臉。

The Mystery

謎團

Despite its reputation as one of the most famous monuments of antiquity, there is still very little known about the Great Sphinx of Giza. Egyptologists might have a small understanding of why the statue was built, but when, how, and by who is still shrouded in mystery. The pharaoh Khafra is the main suspect, which would date the structure back to around 2500 BC, but other scientists have argued that evidence of water erosion of the statue suggests that it is much older and perhaps even predated the dynastic era of the Egyptians. This theory has few modern adherents, but if true it would mean the Great Sphinx of Giza is even more mysterious than previously believed.

儘管獅身人面像作爲世界上最古老的雕像之一而享譽世界，但是世人對它仍知之甚少。埃及古物學者可能對建造的原因略知一二，但是，修建的時間、修建的方法以及由誰主持修建仍然是個迷。最可能的建造者可以追溯到公元前2500年的哈夫爾法老。但是其他的科學家認爲雕像上有水侵蝕的跡象表明，建造的時間還要更早，或許可以追溯到埃及王朝那個時代。現代人很少有人支持這一理論，但如果事實果真如此，這將意味着獅身人面像要比我們之前想象的還要神祕。

ehenge

1.巨石陣

Of all the world's famous monuments, none has gained as much of a reputation for pure, simple mystery as Stonehenge. Stonehenge has been inspiring debate among scholars, scientists, and historians since the Middle Ages. Located in the English countryside, the landmark is believed to date back to 2500 BC, and consists of several mammoth pieces of rock arranged and piled on top of one another in what appears at first to be a random design. The site is surrounded by a small, circular ditch, and is flanked by burial mounds on all sides. Although the rock formations that still remain are undoubtedly impressive, it is thought that the modern version of Stonehenge is only a small remnant of a much larger monument that was damaged with the passing of time, and it is largely believed that the building process was so extensive that it could have lasted on and off for anywhere from 1500 to 7000 years.

世界所有著名的遺址中，沒有哪個能像巨石陣般單單因其純粹和神祕獲得舉世矚目。自中世紀以來，巨石陣便一直引發學者、科學家和歷史學家們的討論。巨石陣坐落於英國的一個小村莊，它可以追溯到公元前2500年。這些巨大的石頭一個個的堆砌起來，看似一種不經意的設計。巨石陣周圍環繞着一條細小的圓形溝渠，同時四周還有些許墳丘環繞。毋庸置疑，巨石陣遺蹟令人震撼，但是人們認爲現存的巨石陣只是那些隨着時間流逝而消失的大規模石頭遺址的一小部分。人們普遍認爲，建造的程序非常宏大，斷斷續續有1500至1700年的時間。

The Mystery

謎團

Stonehenge has become renowned for puzzling even the most brilliant researchers, and over the years the many gaps in the history of its construction, the nature of its use, and the true identity of its builders have become known as "The Mystery of Stonehenge." The Neolithic people who built the monument left behind no written records, so scientists can only base their theories on the meager evidence that exists at the site. This has led to wild speculation that the monument was left by aliens, or that it was built by some eons-old society of technologically advanced super-humans. All craziness aside, the most common explanation remains that Stonehenge served as some kind of graveyard monument that played a role in the builders' version of the afterlife, a claim that is backed up by its proximity to several hundred burial mounds. Yet another theory suggests that the site was a place for spiritual healing and the worship of long dead ancestors.

巨石陣因其自身的謎團而舉世聞名，即便是最資深的研究人員也無法解開謎團。多年來，其建造的歷史、用途、以及建造者的真實身份仍然不詳，被統稱爲"巨石陣之謎"。新石器時代的人們建造巨石陣，但是沒有留下文字記錄，因此科學家們只能把他們的理論建立在現存遺址上那星星點點的證據之上。而這就引起了大家廣泛的猜想：巨石陣是外星生物遺留下的；或者是遠古社會所建，而他們的科技遠超人類的文明。不考慮這些奇怪的想法，在這些所有的猜測中，最讓人容易接受的解釋是巨石陣是一種墓地專用的紀念碑，意味着建造者的來世，這一說法也因巨石陣周圍的衆多墳丘的證明而得到很多人的認同。然而，另一個理論認爲，巨石陣是精神的治療中心以及祭拜祖先之地。

翻譯:風舞落月8+7 來源:前十網