2016-07-19
【Aiden in English】
Time always flows forward. It's quite a coincidence that we visited Stonehenge on the last day of our 27-day journey. As I have said many times, time inevitably brings everything to an end, such as my European summer vacation. Many describe it as cruel to be so uncompassionate and unforgiving. However, for the Neolithic Stonehenge, time is the only thing it can tell nowadays. It's pretty old, if you know what I mean—like, 4,500 years old. No, Stonehenge isn't a clock. It isn't a calendar, either. Think back 4,500 years. To them, it might as well be a dream idea within a dream. It could've also been considered a spirit of the supernatural, which is why Stonehenge might've been built. Our tour guide was somewhat honest with us, saying that scientists didn't know much about the stones. Theories range from a burial area to a calendar, to a sacrificial ground, to an altar, to an execution ring. As much as we know, it could simply have been a buffet line, yet I highly doubt it. The only apparent pieces of evidence are the dead people's remains and the lighting on the solstices. The quick rule out of the first piece of evidence came with the discovery of the Arrow Man. The man's body was uncovered by archaeologists, who noticed arrowheads in his body. Either he ate them for breakfast before the burial, or he was killed and left there. Scientists always pick the more "reasonable" theory, so now we all think Arrow Man was a villain. Maybe we should show them the movie about the superhero Arrow and see what they think. The second piece of evidence was the center of basically all further hypotheses. In the summer and winter solstices, the sun sets precisely between two sarsen stones in the middle of a cross-section. This marks the middle day of the year, when the days grow longer or become shorter. Being mostly nomads, this proved to be immensely important for their survival. It may signify a change in life, such as migration or the notification to stock up on food. Time is somewhat recorded, even if it is probably the most general way. And after seeing the face of prehistoric European history, I must say, to some extent, every person understands time. And everything understands its effects. Throughout my trip, restoration is attempting to reverse the effects of time on the landmarks of tourism. Although most look probably the best they have been in centuries, you cannot have the same image of the past. The past has been washed away, and time intends to stay that way. By recording this, I'm making history and saving a piece of time forever as long as the Internet exists. Someday, I hope to 'restore' my memory of the past, and even if it won't be the same, it will probably seem a lot more worthwhile. 【紅霞譯】 時間總是朝前行進。 我承認，趕在長達廿七天之久旅遊度假末了出遊巨石陣純屬巧合，正如先前本人多次強調時有終始，此次歐洲之行即將宣告結束，心裡不免感到難過酸楚，但對出自新石器時代的巨石陣而言，世人所能見證的只有歲月，一個亙古不變的過去，假如你懂我的意思……譬如：4,500年歷史長河。
呃，巨石陣既未當成日晷，也沒用作曆法，追溯到4,500年前，時間對古人來說恐怕做夢都難以想到，充其量被視為超乎自然的精神寄託，也許這才是修建巨石陣的原因。我們導遊直言不諱，科學家們始終沒有搞清其所以然，有的推斷是墓葬區域，有的想象是土著曆法，有的認為是祭祀場所，有的料定是祈福聖地，還有的懷疑是執法刑場，說一千道一萬，沒準它只不過用來吃自助餐，對之我倒持保留意見，唯一可靠的證據在於遺體殘骸和至點陽光移動。
由於發現了“弓箭手”，大家很快得出第一個結論。該屍體是由考古學家挖掘出來的，出土時身上帶鏃，究竟下葬前他把箭頭當早餐吞下還是被人打死丟棄在此，所有這些無從得知。顯然，科學家們總是要尋找“合理”答案，如今這位弓箭手被認定是個“壞蛋”，我們當該搬出電影《綠箭俠》，讓古人見識一下什麼是超級英雄。第二個結論基本上根據進一步推理而來，每當夏至冬至到來之際，陽光恰好照射到兩塊羊背石之間橫切面中央，從每年正午時分這一刻起，季節開始變長或者變短，這一現象對於當時游牧民的生存至關重要，有助於調整生活方式，比如遠處遷徙或儲存食物，由此他們開始記錄時間，雖說所採用的方式方法非常普通。 在瀏覽了史前歐洲歷史之後，我不得不說在不同程度上，不僅人人都懂得時間，而且事事都看重效果。此行令我明白，維修足可幫助旅遊景點免遭歲月磨蝕，雖說若干世紀以來大多數古物一直保存良好，但你還是難得看到真跡原貌，歷史畢竟成為過去，時光一去不再復返。藉助書寫方式記錄所聞所見，其實我也在創造歷史，為此在互聯網上不知花了多少功夫，但願有朝一日，自己能藉之“重溫”舊夢，即使時過境遷物是人非，想必它依然不失保留價值。
Today in History(歷史上的今天): 2016: Windsor, the Royal Borough UK(英國溫莎·王室官邸小鎮)
2016: Salisbury, Britain's Tallest Spire(英國索爾茲伯里·最高教堂) 2016: Ringwood, the Market Town England(英格靈伍德“緣林”·集市鎮) 2016: New Forest NP the Royal Hunting(英格蘭新森林國家公園·皇家獵場) 2016: Woodhenge, Neolithic Calendar ENG(英格蘭巨木陣·新石器時代曆法) 2014: Summer Pool Party(夏季水上派對)
 Visitor Centre (遊客中心 07-19-2016)
 "What is Stonehenge? It is the roofless past" by Siegfried Sassoon, Soldier & Poet.
(反戰詩人西格夫里·薩松——“什麼是巨石陣？這是廢棄場所的過去”)
(“雖然巨石陣目的不清，但對其爭論不止。”07-19-2016)
 Neolithic Houses (新石器住宅模型 07-19-2016)
 Airman's Cross Memorial (飛行員十字紀念碑 07-19-2016)
 Transportation (運輸工具)
 Great Cursus Barrows (大型詛咒墳墓)
 Normanton Down Barrows between 2600 and 1600 BC
(公元前2600年至1600年間的北方人莊地下墓葬)  Salisbury Plain (索爾茲伯里“柳林”平原)
 Aubrey Hole Marker (奧布里“精靈王”洞標記)
Arrow Showing Solstice Alignment (箭頭指出與至日對齊)
 Solstice Axis (夏冬至點軸)
 Neolithic Acoustics (新石器時代聲學)
 Close-up of Neolithic Acoustics (新石器時代聲學·近景)
 Horseshoe of Sarsen Trilithons
(馬蹄形砂岩三石坊 07-19-2016)  Sarsen Stone (本地產的砂岩)
Sarsen Stone (本地產的砂岩)
 Trilithon (三石坊)
Trilithon w/ Prop & Lintel (三石坊與支柱和門楣)  Sarsen Stones Arranged in Horseshoe (排成馬蹄形的砂岩)
 Tenon (凸榫)
 Altar Stones (祭壇)
 Slaughter Stone (殺石)
 Bluestones (舶來藍石)
 Station Stone (站台石)
Heel Stone (腳跟石)  UNESCO Site (世界科教文文化遺產地)
小喙烏鴉、禿鼻烏鴉
Crosslinks(相關博文): Stenness Stones & Ring of Brodgar, UK(蘇格蘭石岬立石與橋莊石圈)
UK(出遊英國) Europe(歐洲掠影) 7th Grade(初中二年級) |
