2015-06-22
【Aiden in English】
The geography of a place is often the deciding factor that shapes its history. There wouldn't be an Egyptian civilization without the Nile River. Without the Euphrates and Tigris Rivers, there would be no Mesopotamia, including Turkey. And there wouldn't be Greece without the mountains. Yesterday, we visited the monasteries of Meteora, built on rock pillars 400 years ago. The theme continues today, although a few things have changed. Overnight, we sailed to Chios, the fifth-largest island in Greece, located near Anatolia. The Nea Moni of Chios we visited was built on "a cross-in-square plan with a large dome supported by squelches defining an octagonal space" in the 11th century A.D. Its interior was decorated with superb marble works and Byzantine mosaics on a gold background. As usual, it seemed just as isolated as the others, away from the town. This island with the Turks had a bloody history. The monastery served as a base when Barbary pirates invaded, and it was subsequently conquered by the Ottomans. What's interesting is how freedom was earned. In 1822, the Turks were tired of the rebellions that had been futile attempts at freedom. An admiral of the Ottoman Empire brought a thousand mercenaries and, with permission from the empire, demanded that they slaughter any person they saw. The mercenaries burned down villages and structures and slew everyone, no matter what age, gender, or social class. All in all, 25,000 people were killed, and another 30,000 were sold in slave markets. At the time, it cut off over 50 percent of the population. The mercenaries were also driven by the extra payment for every ear or nose they brought back. The cruelty inspired the famous paintings "Massacre at Chios" and "The Death of Sardanapalus" by Eugène Delacroix, a French Romantic painter. The horrifying scenes motivated and captured the attention of the rest of Europe. What didn't seem like 25,000 people being killed can be gone without notice, either? The entire continent of Europe became enraged at such a commendation. Lord Byron and Victor Hugo joined their voices in protest. When Greece fought for its freedom after the massacre, it had many allies to back it up, turning the tables. In 1832, Greece gained independence from the Ottoman Empire, which had ruled the country for nearly 400 years. The Ottoman Empire began to break apart, piece by piece. I'd like to know where Turkey stands now, and I prefer that the Greek people be in charge of their own culture since they have inhabited this land for so long and know it best. The price of conquering is the death toll on both sides. It is also a fact that you make enemies, which brought the Turks to their knees. It looks like being the bully at school. As soon as one kid stands up, the bully's enemies follow. Well, there is a payback. In 1990, Nea Moni of Chios was inscribed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site. 【紅霞譯】
一個地方的地理環境足以構成歷史發展的決定性因素。沒有尼羅“河流”河，根本談不上古埃及文明；沒有幼發拉底“溪流”和底格里斯“湍急”兩河流域，包括土耳其在內的美索不達米亞“兩河間”充其量只是天方夜譚；同樣地，沒有聖山靈智，希臘難以發展到充滿神奇色彩的國度。
昨天，我剛參觀了具有400年悠久歷史的梅特奧拉“天空之柱”，今日又繼續欣賞修道院，只不過彼此背景略有差異。遊輪經過一夜航行，帶我們來到靠近小亞細亞希臘第五大島──希俄斯“乳香樹脂”，眼前這個11世紀拜占庭“東羅馬”式新修道院建在“廣場中間呈十字形，巨大穹窿屋頂由突角拱支撐，形成八角結構”，內部牆壁全部使用大理石和馬賽克，並鑲有黃金裝飾。不獨有偶，希俄斯新修道院遠離鬧區，地腳偏僻。
希俄斯島與突厥族之間有本血淚史，新修道院曾被巴巴里“野蠻人”海盜和奧斯曼“強大”軍隊用作戰事基地，對希俄斯人來說，自由來之不易。1822年，突厥人對島上居民頻繁為爭取獨立而進行的不懈鬥爭深感煩惱，於是，奧斯曼帝國海軍上將接到指令，親自帶領上千名僱傭兵對當地民族進行殘酷屠殺，村莊被毀房屋被炸，婦幼老少無人得以倖免，最後25,000人喪失性命，另外30,000人被逼作奴隸背井離鄉，全島人口因此而驟減了50%。僱傭兵越殺越凶，因為每上繳一隻耳朵或一個鼻子都能請功領賞。他們這種滅絕人性的惡行激發了法國浪漫主義畫家尤金·德拉克洛瓦強烈憤慨，《希俄斯島的屠殺》和《薩達那帕拉斯“亞述國王”之死》駭人聽聞的場面引起全歐洲大陸極大關注，25,000人的鮮血豈能白流，英國詩人拜倫勳爵和法國作家雨果立刻加入伸張正義的行列之中。大屠殺之後，希臘人爭取自由的心願得到眾多歐洲盟友的支持，在歷經四個世紀突厥族統治之後，希臘終於1832年獲得獨立，奧斯曼帝國逐漸日落西山，直至最后土崩瓦解。坦率地說，我喜歡土耳其現在這種狀態，希臘民族本應掌管自己的事物，因為這裡早已成為世世代代生活的家園，所以他們才是這片土地的主人。 其實暴君統治到處樹敵造成兩敗俱傷，得到多助失道寡助，結果無法逃脫像突厥族一樣失敗的命運。學校時有類似事件發生，一旦有肇事者欺負學生，必然會引起公憤，過街老鼠人人喊打。 1990年，希俄斯島的新莫尼修道院被聯合國教科文組織納入《世界遺產名錄》。
Today in History(歷史上的今天):
2015: Homer's Stone on Khios, Greece(希臘希俄斯“開放”島·荷馬岩) 2015: Painting & Mastic Gum of Khio GRC(希臘希俄斯島·彩繪和乳香樹脂) 2015: Medieval Fortified Village of Khios(希臘希俄斯島·中世紀土圍子) 2014: California Pizza Kitchen(熱爐皮薩餅屋)
2011: 二年級夏令營(2nd Grade Summer Camp)  Nea Moni of Chios from the 11th-Century, Listed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site
(十一世紀的希俄斯島新修道院·1990年被聯合國教科文組織納入《世界遺產名錄》)  Cypress Tree (柏樹 06-22-2015）
Byzantine Mosaic (拜占庭鑲嵌畫 06-22-2015)  The Finest Examples of Macedonian Renaissance Art in Greece
(希臘 "馬其頓文藝復興" 最好的藝術典範)  Gold Backgrounds for the Extensive Use of Gold Tesserae in the Mosaics, Reflecting Light & Enhancing the Depictions w/ a Sense of Transcendence & Spirituality
(金色背景·鑲嵌藝術作品中大量使用金色小方塊，以反射光線並增強描繪的超越感和靈性)  Why Christ Descended into Hades: Exploring the Theological Significance of Christ's Descent into the Realm of the Dead
(《基督為何墮入地獄》·探討基督降入死者的神學意義)  Appealing Fresco Restoration Underway
(極富感染力的壁畫修復正在進行中)
 Monastery Museum (修道院博物館 06-22-2015)
 Ossuary, the Victim Skull of the Ottoman Sack in 1821
(藏骨堂·1821為擺脫奧斯曼帝國統治而死的開放島人顱) 
Eugene Delacroix The Massacre at Chios 1824 (歐仁·德拉克洛瓦《希俄斯島大屠殺》| 1824年)  Eugene Delacroix The Death of Sardanapalus 1827
(歐仁·德拉克洛瓦《薩達那帕拉斯之死》| 1827年)
 Explorers Lounge of Emerald Princess
(“公主·翡翠”號遊輪——探險者休息室 06-22-2015)  晚餐：傳統意大利蔬菜湯與香蒜麵包幹、奶油焗海帶子蝦配蓬鬆鮮奶油土豆、蝦魷魚黑貽貝配奶油檸檬乳液、烤鯕鰍魚片
 意面豆湯、雜菜和嫩菠菜與脆熏豬肉羊奶酪和松子、新鮮番茄醬意粉與肉丸、提拉米蘇
Gelato allo Zabaglion, Gelato al Torroncino & Sorbetto al Limoncello di Sorrento (三色手工冰激凌·鮮果雪酪、牛軋糖與檸檬酒冰糕) Crosslinks(相關博文): Greece(出遊希臘)
Europe(歐洲掠影) 6th Grade(初中一年級)
|
