十大不可思議的世界地標(下)

ayhuaman

5.薩克賽瓦曼

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.

離馬丘比丘的印加城不遠就是薩克賽瓦曼——位於庫斯科之外的一堵奇怪的石頭路堤。這三堵牆由200噸重的岩石塊和石灰岩拼湊而成，並沿山坡擺成曲折的圖形。最長的粗略估計有1000英尺長，豎立起來約為15英尺。相對於它的年齡來說——特別是考慮到這片區域地震頻發——完好程度讓人驚訝。但因西班牙在庫斯科搶奪此遺蹟，並在上面建造教堂，使遺蹟的頂部有部分損壞。遺蹟四周是個地下墓場，被稱作是迷宮地區，連線區域內其他印加建築的通道。

The Mystery：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.

謎團：大多數科學家認同薩克賽瓦曼被用作圍牆的堡壘，但其作用還是被爭論不休。奇怪的形狀和角度使人們猜測它有更具代表性的功能——例如鳥瞰緊挨著庫斯科的那堵牆時，像是美洲豹的頭。比其用途更充滿疑惑的是它建造的方法。像大多數印加石頭作品一樣，薩克賽瓦曼是用高度契合的巨石建造而成，甚至紙片都插不進他們的縫隙。只是印加人是怎樣實現石塊之間的無縫對接，又或者說，他們是怎樣運輸並舉起如此沉重的石塊的，種種問題至今尚不得知。

Easter Island Moai

4.復活節島摩艾

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.

太平洋島嶼上最具標誌性的遺蹟是摩艾石像，一批用巨石雕成的誇張人物造型，只發現於小而孤立的拉帕努伊島或復活節島。摩艾石像在公元1250年到1500年間被島上最早一批居民雕刻而成，被認為刻畫出了人們的祖先，同時在他們的文化中被認為是神靈。摩艾石像由一種保存於島上的火山岩凝灰岩鑿刻雕刻而成，並且都具有相同的特徵——巨大的頭部、闊鼻子和難以捉摸的面部表情。科學家斷定最初有887座石像，但經過島上部落之間的常年爭鬥，使很多都被破壞殆盡。現今，只有394座石像仍然存在，最大的有30英尺高，重量大於70噸。

The Mystery：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.

謎團：現在，摩艾石像豎立於島嶼之上的原因已達成共識，但對於島上居民是如何做到的仍舊爭論不休。摩艾石像平均都有幾噸，並且幾年來科學家們仍對這些建造於島嶼附近的拉拉庫採石場的石象是怎樣運輸過來的茫然不知。近幾年，最普遍的推測是建造者用木質推車和原木滾筒來移動摩艾石像，這個答案同時也能解釋為什麼翠綠的小島會因伐木而貧瘠。

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.

本文提及的大多數神祕遺蹟多是因為歷史太過久遠。佐治亞引導石，和美國巨石陣一樣有名，一直是未解之謎。遺蹟由四個花崗岩單片板支撐一個壓頂石組成，由一位化名R·C·克里斯蒂安（R.C. Christian）的人委託製造而成。當地的瓦匠仔細地進行精巧的製作，使石頭上的縫隙在二至點和二分點時對準太陽，而上面還有一個小洞總是指向北極星的方向。有趣的是石板上的碑文，一塊豎立在旁的小石板，被稱為"理性時代的引導石"。石碑上用8種語言寫出了一種奇怪的10分制計劃來確保地球上的和平，包括模糊的宣言，像是"倡導真 ，美 ，愛 ，尋求與宇宙和諧"，較為特別的理論也有"把人類的總數維持在5億以下以保持與自然界的平衡"，諸如此類的論述讓巨石陣成為美國最受爭議的地標之一。它有很長時間被排斥，甚至被肆意破壞，一些政黨很樂於見到他們被毀壞。

The Mystery：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.

謎團：儘管所爭論的話題中很少涉及——誰建造的引導石？或者R·C·克里斯蒂安在委託建造此地標的時候，宣告他所代表的獨立組織的目的何在？——這些問題。但他和他所在的政黨在地標建成後就沒有進行過發言。遺蹟建於冷戰的高潮時期，最被接受的理論就是，引導石最初是用於說明怎樣在核能爆炸後重建城市。

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.

獅身人面像由一塊大石頭雕刻而成，描畫了一頭有人類頭顱且躺著的獅子。它在世界各地以不同形式出現，但通常都可以和埃及聯絡在一起，其中最出名的是吉薩的古埃及獅身人面像。難以置信的是，雕塑是用一塊完整的巨石雕刻而成的，240英尺長，20英尺寬，66英尺高，被認為是所有獅身人面像中最大的一個。獅身人面像被刻意地擺放在重要的建築物附近——像寺廟、墳墓和金字塔——使歷史學家們很大程度上認同它是守護者的象徵。吉薩的古埃及獅身人面像好像沒什麼不同。它坐落於法老哈夫拉金字塔的附近，並且大部分的歷史學家都相信雕刻的是他的樣子。

The Mystery：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.

謎團：儘管它描述的像是古代遺蹟中最著名的，但知道它的人並不多。埃及古物學者可能很難理解其所建原因，但是何時、為何、由何人所建仍舊是一個謎團。法老哈夫拉有最大的嫌疑，雕像的年代應該追溯到公元前2500年左右，但是其他科學家認為雕像上的水侵蝕的跡象表明他們可能更古老，甚至可能在埃及朝代之前。這條理論現在並未得到多少人的贊同，但如果這是真的，也代表吉薩的古埃及獅身人面像比之前所想的更加神祕。

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.

世界上著名的遺蹟中，沒有一個像巨石陣一樣因簡單的謎團而聞名於世，巨石陣引發了中世紀的學者們、科學家們和歷史學家們的爭論。巨石陣座落於英國的鄉村，其歷史可以追溯到公元前2500年，由幾塊巨大的石頭組裝而成。彼此堆積在一起，猛然看起來像是一個胡亂的設計。遺蹟周圍圍繞著小的、圓形的溝渠，兩側到處都是墳丘。雖然岩石塊的形狀無疑讓人印象深刻，但據說現代的巨石陣只是原來大遺蹟隨時間流逝的剩餘部分。並且它的建造過程似乎也跨度極大，它斷斷續續的從1500年一直搭建到7000年。

The Mystery：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.

謎團：巨石陣因其自身的謎團使得最聰明的研究者們感到迷惑而出名。多年來，在它歷史的建造過程中有許多歷史的縫隙，它的原本用途，它的真正的建造者都變成了知名的"巨石陣謎團"。建造巨石陣且處於巨石器時代的人們並未留下任何書面記載，所以科學家們只能以存在於遺蹟中的貧乏的證據作為理論。這導致謠言四起，說遺蹟是外星人所留下，或是由超越人類科技的永世社會建造而成。撇開瘋狂的言論不說，最被接受的理論是，巨石陣是作為某種墓地遺蹟而存在的，在建造者轉生中扮演著角色。這種言論被周圍幾百個古墓支援。但是也有另外的言論表明遺蹟是一個用於精神治療、敬奉長眠祖先的地方。

翻譯:漫小颯 來源：前十網