2016-07-14
【Aiden in English】
In the UK, there are thousands of stone circles. Not to crush any dreams, but unfortunately, Stonehenge near London is not a one-of-a-kind weird stone structure built in a circle in England. It is standard in the countryside for a farmer to uncover or settle next to mysterious pieces of rock. Some say they are alien or supernatural, making many people scratch their heads. We are going to see Stonehenge later, but for now, we'll settle in the Heart of Neolithic Orkney, located in northern Scotland, to have a close look at the Standing Stones of Stenness, the Ring of Brodgar, Skara Brae, and Maeshowe. The Standing Stones of Stenness are a miniature version of Stonehenge, as they feature larger stones than those found at Stonehenge. It has been designated as a UNESCO World Heritage Site since 1999. However, the caveman-like sound in Skara Brae is authentic. Back in 3,000 BCE, the residents near Stonehenge probably bragged to the people of the Standing Stones of Stenness about their tiny stones, while the people of the Ring of Brodgar probably bragged that their stone circle was wider. Then Stonehenge would probably say that its popularity was much higher than Stenness's, and the Ring of Brodgar would probably say they were much more complete than Stonehenge. The competition is close and intense, to the point where the faces of the modern locals turn red at the mention of their rivals. The Ring of Brodgar is the most complete stone circle in the UK, having twenty-seven of its original sixty stones, which is relatively good. It is also way, way older than Stonehenge. Here's a timeline. The Great Wall of China was built in 220 BCE. The Giza Pyramids of Egypt were built in 2,500 BCE. The Stonehenge of England was built around 3,000 BCE. Skara Brae was built in 3,100 BCE, which beats Stonehenge. Truthfully, the rocks' conditions can't really distinguish any differences. Although a guy blew up a few stones with dynamite, the Ring of Brodgar is still reasonably intact. I bet Stonehenge can't say that. Unfortunately, neither the Standing Stones of Stenness nor the Ring of Brodgar serves a known purpose. The sun does not strike it like a sundial, nor does it seem like a sacrificial area. One major event set off some theories: In 1982, lightning struck a pillar. Although, thank goodness, nothing exploded, people now believe that the stones are lightning rods since the area lacks trees and tall objects—still, a highly doubtful theory, if you ask me. The lack of evidence of anything is entirely something to work with. Therefore, every hypothesis sounds blatantly stupid. The stones have been constantly weathered, and the elements have taken a toll on them. Chipping, holes, and bogs have allowed grass and mold to grow directly on the stones, giving the rocks many unnecessary colors. The bog has allowed the stones to begin sinking into the ground, so the area needs some help. We'll see Stonehenge, probably one of the world's most popular sights, in a few days. Being nearly the face of ancient England, I'll extensively compare these two historic circles. Then again, they're only rocks… 【紅霞譯】
英國有成千上萬個石圈，咱不想有意打碎任何美夢，但遺憾的是倫敦附近的英格蘭石圈──巨石陣算不上稀奇古怪的玩藝，實際上，一位老農在鄉下某個神秘地方隨意發現或者信手拈來這樣的石圈可以說家常便飯。有人推測這些不是外星人搞的名堂就是超自然神力再現，很多民眾對之將信將疑。再有幾天我們要去領略巨石陣，但眼下還是先到蘇格蘭北部近距離參觀由斯滕尼斯“石岬”立石、布羅德加“橋莊”石陣、地下村落以及墳場古墓四部分組成的海豹島嶼新石器時代遺址。
相對巨石陣的石塊大小來說，蘇格蘭的斯滕尼斯立石真有點小巫見大巫，既便如此，它仍舊於1999年被聯合國教科文組織列入《世界遺產名錄》，不過這個聽起來如同山頂洞人出沒的石窟確實小得憋屈。追溯到公元前3,000年，居住在巨石陣的傻大個興許會嘲笑地下村落頂多是塊彈丸之地，而穴居於此的憨矬子卻吹噓自己的斯滕尼斯立石更加寬乎；傻大個似乎不以為然，揚言巨石陣名聲在外，而憨矬子哪甘示弱，堅稱斯滕尼斯立石完整無比，雙方爭得面紅耳赤難分仲伯，不過布羅德加石陣的確是英國最全乎的重地，至今60個立石當中有27個居然保留了下來。
以下提供一個時間表：中國長城始建於公元前220年，埃及吉薩金字塔始建於公元前2,500年，巨石陣始建於公元前3,000年，而地下村落始建於公元前3,100年，單憑年曆，後者就比前者更加古老。說實話，兩地立石本身並沒有多大區別，儘管早先曾有壞蛋蓄意炸毀了幾塊石頭，但斯滕尼斯立石依舊保存完好，我敢打賭巨石陣肯定沒法做到這一點。遺憾的是無人清楚布羅德加石陣和橋莊石圈的用途所在，它們既不用作指示時間的日晷，也不當成祭祀神靈的地方，倒是因為後來發生的事情而引發出一些推論：1982年閃電擊中了其中一根石柱，謝天謝地沒有出現爆炸，然而人們開始相信這些石頭莫非就是避雷針，因為周圍缺少樹林及高大建築物。在我看來，該理論是否成立值得商榷，既然人們對某特殊事物缺乏足夠的認識，就需要投注力量去探索研究，因此任何憑空想象的解釋都是無稽之談。立石經長年風吹雨打，結構已有改變，裂縫、窟窿、積水為青草生長黴菌繁衍提供了可乘之機，岩石因此而染上許多不必要的色彩。事實上，積水使得立石下沉並深入地面，所以說該地區亟待幫助。 再過幾天，我們將親臨知名度極其可觀的巨石陣，那裡堪稱古代英格蘭的象徵，屆時我將有資格比較兩個石圈歷史遺蹟。話又說回來，它們畢竟就是一堆石頭……
Today in History(歷史上的今天):
2016: Orkney, Natural Habitat of Scotland(蘇格蘭奧克尼·天然生態) 2016: Orkney Is, Scotland(蘇格蘭奧克尼·海豹群島) 2016: Skaill Manor, the Largest in Orkney(蘇格蘭斯凱爾·最大的莊園) 2016: Maeshowe in Orkney Is, Scotland(蘇格蘭梅肖韋“墳場”古墓) 2016: Skara Brae, the Neolithic SCO(蘇格蘭斯卡拉布雷·新石器時代遺蹟)
2016: Stenness Stones & Ring of Brodgar, UK(蘇格蘭布羅德加石陣與橋莊石圈) 2014: GHCS Camp—First Day(光華營第一天)
2012: Drama Rehearsal(戲劇排練)  Skara Brae, Europe's Most Complete Neolithic Village in 3180-2500 BC
(斯卡拉布雷“礁石丘”——公元前3180年到2500年間歐洲最完整的新石器時代村莊 07-14-2016)  Skara Brae w/ 7 Clustered Houses
(斯卡拉布雷·七間聯立住宅) 
Barnhouse Stenness Stone (農舍斯滕尼斯石)  > 90% of Agricultural Land Used for Cattle & Sheep
(超過90％的農耕地用於牛羊畜牧業 07-14-2016)  Maeshowe, the Neolithic Chambered Cairn
(梅肖韋“墳場”古墓·新石器時代墓室 07-14-2016)  Temple of the Moon @ Ring of Brodgar
(布羅德加石陣·月亮神廟 07-14-2016)
Ring of Brodg nearby Loch Stenness (斯坦尼斯湖畔·布羅迪“泥潭”石陣)  Standing Stones of Stenness @ Odin
(奧丁“靈感”村·斯坦尼斯立石)
 Standing Stones of Stenness w/ Loch of Harray beyond
(斯丹尼斯立石群，遠處是哈雷“領主”湖 07-14-2016)  Kirkwall, the Capital City of Orkney
(柯克沃爾“教堂灣”城·奧克尼“海豹”島首府)  Kirkwall Port, the Top Cruise Port
(柯克沃爾港·頂級遊輪港口)  Peedie Sea, a Coastal Lagoon of Kirkwall
(柯克沃爾皮迪“小”海·沿海瀉湖)  St Magnus Cathedral of Kirkwall, the Light in the North
(柯克沃爾聖馬格努斯“偉大”大教堂·北方之光)  St Magnus Cathedral of Kirkwall, the Oldest Cathedral in Scotland Founded 1137
(柯克沃爾聖馬格努斯大教堂·始建於1137年，蘇格蘭最古老的大教堂)  Nave of St Magnus Cathedral of Kirkwall
(柯克沃爾聖馬格努斯大教堂·中殿)  St. Olaf's Cemetery, Kirkwall
(柯克沃爾·聖奧拉夫“傳家寶”公墓)  Rural Scottish Countryside for Agricultural Farming Communities
(蘇格蘭鄉村·農耕社區)  The only way out is the same way you came in.
(出去的路就是回來的道)  A966, the Northern Coast Road on Orkney Mainland
(奧克尼主島北海岸路)  Kirkwall Bay (柯克沃爾灣)
 Skaill Bay (斯凱爾“廳”灣)
 Fish Farm, Kirkwall (柯克沃爾·漁場)
 Hatston Ferry Terminal, Kirkwall
(柯克沃爾·哈特斯頓“帽石”輪渡碼頭)  Caribbean Princess (“公主·加勒比”號遊輪)
 Busboy Yongqing (餐廳勤雜工永青 07-14-2016)
 英式羊肉和大麥湯、酸橙和孜然醃製的墨西哥牛肉捲餅、天然肉汁澆烘箱烤的主肋牛排、香蒜土豆青豆意大利扁麵條
 牡蠣菠菜土豆奶油湯、秘魯柑橘漬鮮貝配鱷梨、智利鱸魚黑貽貝和蛤蜊海鮮薄、草莓慕斯與乳酪蛋糕
 Ice Cream of Caffe Latte, Orange Pineapple, & Vodka Lime Sorbet
(三色冰激凌·熱奶沫咖啡橙子菠蘿伏特加酸橙冰糕) Crosslinks(相關博文): UK(出遊英國)
Europe(出遊歐洲) 7th Grade(初中二年級) |
