中英雙語話史記 第19期:商朝社會與經濟
Shang Dynasty
商朝
Economy and Society
社會與經濟
From the findings on the site of Yin, the capital city of the Shang, archeologists found out that the productivity of the Shang Dynasty reached a relatively high level even during the former period.
從商朝都城殷的遺址所發現的東西看來，考古學家們發現商朝的生產力在其前期就已經但到了一個相對高的水平。
As far as agriculture was concerned, farm implements had been improved.
就農業而言，農耕工具已經得到改進。石犁、鐵鍬和鐮刀被廣泛運用。基本的作物包括粟和小麥。
Stone ploughs; spades and sickles were widely used. The primary crops included millet and wheat.
更重要的是，商朝的青銅器皿製造空前繁榮。
More important, the Shang Dynasty thrived in the manufacture of bronze ze culture has appeared in China before 3000 BC and achieved its zenith around the 13th century B.C.
青銅器的歷史在中國始於公元前3000年，在公元前13世紀左右達到頂峯。
Bronze objects affected not only people’s daily life but the arms of the state.
青銅製品不僅影響着人們的日常生活還影響着國家的武器裝備。
Its wide use enabled unprecedented accomplishments of the Shang Dynasty in politics, economy, culture and art.
它的廣泛使用使商朝在政治、經濟、文化和藝術方面取得了空前的成就。
In the reign of King Wuding, the landmark was the appearance of an alloy of copper, lead and tin.
在武丁執政期間，銅、鉛、錫合金的出現是一個里程碑。
Bronzewares were under mass production.
人們大量生產青銅器。
They fell mainly into two classifications ： cooking vessels and alcohol containers.
它們主要被分爲兩類：烹飪器皿和盛酒的容器。
Among them，the famous works of art include simuwu quadripod， which is 732.84kg in weight as the largest bronzeware ever found anywhere in the world.
在它們之中，司母戊鼎是最著名的工藝品，它重達732.84公斤，是世界上最大的青銅器。
It was made in tribute to the deceased mother of Shang king.
它是獻給商朝君主已故母親的禮物。
Another is a wine container that has four goats resting on its rim.
另外一個是四邊都有山羊的一個盛酒的容器。
The Shang Dynasty marked the coming of Bronze Age.
商朝標誌着青銅時代的到來。
At the same time, great development came about in other industries as well.
在同一時期，其他工業也取得了很大的發展，
In handicraft, the operation went under much subtler division of labor.
手工業上，手工的操作被劃分的更加精細。
It was recorded that a hundred lines emerged in handicraft at that time.
記載顯示那時的手工業已有100種線存在。
Shang craftsmen acquired the skill of inlaying and carving and had their jade wares, stone wares and ivory wares brilliantly decorated.
商朝的工匠們需要掌握鑲嵌、打磨和華美裝飾他們的玉製品、石器和象牙製品的技能。
Textile workers invented the simple jacquard loom, which could produce high-quality silk fabric with a hidden pattern.
紡織品工人發明了簡單的提花織機，用這種織機可以織出高質量的帶有隱藏圖案的絲織品。
Additionally, the Shang people also made significant progress in medicine, transportation and astronomy.
除此之外，商朝人民在醫學、交通和天文學上也取得了巨大的進步。
During this period, important events were recorded on tortoise shell and animal bone using Oracle Script, which is the oldest known Chinese form of written communication.
在這段時期，重要的事件由甲骨文記錄在龜殼和動物骨頭上，這是中國已知的最古老的文字交流。
The tradition of ancestral worship has a long history in China.
祭祖的傳統在中國有了很長的歷史。
Archeologists have found it was practiced even in Prehistoric Times (1.7 million years to the 21st century B.C.).
考古學家們發現甚至在史前時期（公元前1700000年到公元前21世紀）祭祖就在被實行。
With the emergence of farming，people worshipped the heaven in hope of favorable weather for crops.
隨着農業的出現，人們懷着求得對作物來說的好天氣而祭天。
It actually was a kind of nature her kind of worship was ancestor worship, also called soul worship.
另一種祭祀方式是祭祖，也被稱爲鬼魂崇拜。
People offered sacrifice to their ancestor, praying for blessings bestowed by their ancestors.
人們爲祖先供奉祭品，祈求祖先的保佑。
From the Xia Dynasty onwards, Kings were endowed with supreme authority.
從夏朝開始，君主被賦予了至高無上的權力。
In order to secure his power, the king combined ancestral worship and nature worship to create the God or the Heaven, and proclaimed himself the agent or the descendent of the God.
爲了守護他的權力，君主會將祭祖與祭天結合起來，創造一個神或天庭，宣稱自己是上天的代表和在凡間的後代。
In the Shang Dynasty, slavery system prevailed.
在商朝，奴隸制度盛行。
The aristocrats enjoyed all the luxuries while the slaves lived a dog's life. They belonged to their lord.
貴族享受着榮華富貴，奴隸卻過着狗一樣的生活。奴隸屬於他們的主人。
After the slave owner died, the slaves were often buried alive as human sacrifice together with animal offerings.
當奴隸主去世之後，奴隸會被活埋，與犧牲一起作爲活人祭品。
