再不去可能就真的看不到了的古蹟(上)

Some of the world's greatest wonders are the historical sites that have existed for hundreds and sometimes thousands of years. Many of them were lost to human knowledge for centuries before they were uncovered. Thanks to urbanization, natural disasters, and pollution, however, it is likely that these historical landmarks will be lost once more before the end of this century.

在這世界上已經存在了幾百年甚至幾千年的偉大奇蹟往往都是歷史遺蹟。它們中有很多在被發現之前就已經淡出人類文明史中數百年。然而，由於城市化的進程、自然災害和環境污染，這些遺址古蹟很有可能在本世紀結束前消失。

ier National Park

10.國家冰川公園

Around 10,000 years ago, the ice in the area of Montana's Glacier National Park was about 1.6 kilometers (1 mi) deep. When the park was founded in 1910, there were around 150 glaciers. Only 25 of these giants remain, and it is suspected that all of them might be gone by 2030.

大約10000年前，位於蒙大拿州國家冰川公園的冰川有約1.6公里（1英里）深。而當它於1910年被發現時，仍然大約還有150個冰川。但是現在，僅存的25個大塊頭讓人們不禁懷疑，也許到2030年它們將不復存在。

The heart of the National Park, Grinnell Glacier, has lost more than 90 percent of its ice over the past century. It's no surprise that global warming is the cause, but the park seems to be getting hit even worse than other places: The temperature in the area has increased 1.8 times more than other areas around the 's not just the glaciers that are in danger of disappearing. The icy streams that have always flowed from the great sheets of ice keep the ecosystem of the park going, with its wolves, herds of elk, and one of the largest populations of grizzly bears in lower America. If the glaciers go, not only will the last remnant of the Ice Age disappear, several species will find their home in shambles.

國家公園的心臟地帶格林內爾冰川已經在過去一個世紀裏融化了超過90％的冰。這並不奇怪，全球變暖是主要原因，但國家公園的情況似乎比其他地方更糟糕：該地區的溫度上升速率大約是全球其它地區的1.8倍以上。可怕的不僅僅只是那些冰川瀕臨消失。一直以來，從冰蓋流出的冰川溪流養育並且維持着公園的生態系統，這裏羣狼共舞，麋鹿成羣，更有低海拔美洲大陸上最大的灰熊羣之一。倘若冰川不在，不但冰河時代的最後一批遺址會消失，這些物種賴以生存的家園也會淪爲廢墟。

Valley Of Kings

9.帝王谷

The resting places of the mighty pharaohs of Egypt, such as Ramses II and the boy king Tutankhamun, have inspired wonder and awe through centuries. Unfortunately, they have also inspired many treasure hunters who were little more than thieves and plunderers.

埃及法老們比如拉美西斯二世和年輕法老圖坦卡蒙的安眠聖殿，幾百年來一直象徵着奇蹟和敬畏。不幸的是，他們也吸引了衆多實則爲強盜的尋寶者。

But now, the Valley of Kings faces a different kind of threat. This one comes not from greedy Indiana Jones wannabes but several thousand well-meaning tourists. Fungus has begun to grow out of control around the tombs, and scientists believe that the parasite has flourished due to poor ventilation and the respiration of thousands of visitors. The head of Egypt's antiques has reported that the tombs may vanish within 150 engravings and paintings inside the tombs are already beginning to disappear. In response, the number of tourists allowed inside the tombs has been restricted, and some exhibits have been closed completely. Hopefully, these restrictions, along with the use of new ventilation systems in the tombs, will be enough to save them.

但現在，帝王谷面臨着各種各樣的威脅。而這一次並非來自《奪寶奇兵》的崇拜者，而是那些"好心"的遊客們。現在墓葬周圍已經開始瘋狂地長出菌類，科學家認爲，寄生生物肆虐是由於墓內通風不良以及大量的遊客呼吸。據埃及考古學界的權威透露，墓葬可能會在未來150年內消失。不幸的是，墓葬內的雕刻和繪畫也開始慢慢損壞掉。對此，進入墓葬參觀的遊客數量已經受到限制，有的展區甚至已經完全關閉。我們只能祈禱，這些參觀限制以及墓葬內的新通風系統能夠拯救帝王谷遺蹟。

helles

8.塞舌爾羣島

It's probably a fair bet that most people haven't heard of the Seychelles, a group of around 115 islands not far from the more well-known Madagascar. They were somehow completely uninhabited by humans until the British East India Company discovered them in the 1600s. After that, they became a haven for pirates. Today, they are known as one of the greatest places to see the biggest fish in the sea: whale sharks. The Seychelles hold some of the earliest scientific records about the magnificent creatures, which are strictly protected.

我敢保證大多數人都沒聽說過塞舌爾羣島，這是一個由115個島嶼組成的島羣，而且離那個知名的馬達加斯加很近。很久之前，這些島完全就是無人居住的荒島，直到英國東印度公司在17世紀發現了它們。在那之後，它們就成了海盜的天堂。如今，它們是能觀賞到海中最大魚——鯨鯊——最方便的地方之一。塞舌爾可以稱得上是最早被記錄的稀有生物瑰寶庫，而且這些生物都是被嚴格保護的。

However, the islands could be underwater in as little as half a century, largely due to the destruction of the coral barriers around the beaches. The Seychelles have fallen victim to one of the most brutal incidences of coral bleaching worldwide. The rising temperatures destroy the coral and leave it a disturbing, almost skeleton-like white, destroying entire ecosystems and leaving everyone who lives on the islands vulnerable to devastating events like hurricanes.

然而，由於周圍的海灘珊瑚屏障的破壞，這些島嶼可能在半個世紀內就被海水淹沒掉。塞舌爾羣島曾淪爲世界上珊瑚發病率最高的珊瑚白化現象的犧牲品。不斷上升的氣溫破壞了珊瑚，讓它呈現恐怖怪異甚至像骷髏般的白色。珊瑚白化不僅破壞了整個生態系統，還讓島上的居民更容易遭受像颶風這樣的災難。

pia

7.奧林匹亞

When we think of ancient Greece, most of us think of the Greek gods, Sparta, or the Olympics. While everyone knows that the Olympics were created in Greece, not many people know about the exact city where they were founded.

每當我們想到古希臘，我們最先聯想到的總是希臘衆神和斯巴達，或者奧運會。雖然衆所周知，奧運會在希臘誕生，但是沒有多少人準確地知道具體是在哪一座城市。

Olympia has been occupied by several different cults over the years who worshiped several different gods, from Kronos, the King of Titans, to the goddess of lust and beauty, Aphrodite. Over time, one cult claimed the city completely for their god, the ruler of the Olympians, Zeus himself. Nearly everything in the city was designed to honor him, from the magnificent 13-meter (42 ft) statue covered in gold and ivory (which, sadly, no longer exists) to the Olympic games themselves. Today, the Olympic flame is still ignited in this city and then transported to wherever the games are being ically, it is fire that threatens the origin site of the beloved games. In 2007, several fires that were started by arsonists spread rapidly across the country, killing more than 60 people. The flames were barely contained by a dedicated team of firefighters just a hillside away from wiping out the historic site of the original games. Thanks to global warming, fires have become much more commonplace and much more powerful, threatening to burn the site to a crisp and render all efforts to protect it in vain.

奧林匹亞城曾經擁有衆多教派，多年以來，從克羅諾斯，泰坦之王，到慾望美神——阿佛洛狄忒女神，居民們一直崇拜着好幾種不同的神。隨着時間的推移，主流教派聲稱奧林匹亞城就是他們唯一的守護神，即奧林匹亞衆神之王——宙斯。與此同時，城市的所有事物幾乎都是爲了紀念他而誕生，從宏偉的13米（42英尺）由黃金和象牙（不幸的是已經不復存在）鑄成的雕像到如今的奧運會本身。時至今日，奧運聖火仍然熊熊燃燒庇佑着這座城市，並在奧運會期間傳遞到各舉辦地。諷刺的是，一場大火威脅到了這個神聖賽事的發源地。 2007年，數名縱火犯燃起的大火迅速蔓延到城鎮各地，死亡人數超過60人，大火被一支專業的消防隊控制在遠離奧運起源歷史遺蹟的山坡的另一面。然而由於全球氣候變暖，大火變得更旺更難以控制，最後差點讓所有的保護措施都付之東流，把遺址燒爲廢墟。

Chan Chan Archaeological Zone

6.昌昌城考古區

Chan Chan, which enjoys the titles of the largest pre-Columbian city to be discovered and the largest ever adobe city, covers around 20 kilometers (12 mi) of Peruvian land. It was originally inhabited by the Chimu people, who divided the city into nine different citadels, each of which were autonomous.

昌昌城，享有最大的前哥倫比亞城舊址的美譽，曾是面積最大的土磚城，覆蓋祕魯陸地上約20公里（12英里）長的地方。起初奇穆人居住在這裏，當地居民將城市劃分爲九個各自獨立的要塞。

Chan Chan has also been labeled by anthropologists as the "first true engineering society in the New World." Their projects, such as an irrigation system that supplied the entire city and their attempt to create a massive canal that would have stretched to the Chicama River 80 kilometers (50 mi) north, were unheard of in "civilized" Europe. The city lasted for more than 600 years before the Incan Empire finally managed to overthrow y, this archaeological wonder is under attack not only from those who come to pillage and loot but also from storms caused by the deadly El Nino phenomena. To make matters worse, powerful earthquakes put the city in danger of being crushed completely.

昌昌城也被人類學家貼上了"新世界第一個真正的工程社會"的標籤。他們的工程，譬如能夠服務於整個城市的灌溉系統以及他們創造的延伸到奇卡馬河80公里（50英里）以北的大運河，在"文明"的歐洲都是聞所未聞的。這座城市的輝煌歷時600餘年才終於被印加帝國成功地推翻。如今，這個歷史奇蹟受到的攻擊遠不止來自那些掠奪者，更可怕的敵人或許是致命的厄爾尼諾風暴。更糟糕的是，強地震也能把這座城市徹底粉碎。

翻譯:李洋 來源：前十網