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To this day, right here in
直至今天
Springfield Missouri's own local newspaper,
在密蘇里州的斯普林菲爾德的當地報紙上
you can read letters
可以看到
citing the fall of the Roman Empire
援引羅馬帝國衰落的文字
to predict America's future fall
預示美國未來的衰落
due to any one of a wide range of flaws;
因為美國存在大量的缺陷
militarism, immorality, apathy,
軍國主義，不道德，冷漠
male pattern baldness or even over taxation.
男性禿頂或者稅收
From the very beginning,
從一開始
we Americans have been fixated on over taxation.
我們美國人就對稅收念念不忘
The ancient Roman style of running an empire
古羅馬人統治帝國的方式
has also fascinated monarchs
至今吸引了很多君主
and other empire builders to this very day.
和其他的擴張主義者
After the western Roman empire fell in 476 AD,
西羅馬帝國在公元476年衰落
or some other year,
或者是別的年份
the kings of the so-called Holy Roman Empire,
所謂的神圣羅馬帝國的國王
962 to 1806 AD routinely
從公元962年到1806年一直
referred to themselves as Kaiser,
自稱為Kaiser (皇帝)
the German form of the name Caesar.
是Caesar在德語中的表達
Farther east, the people of
在東邊
the so-called Byzantine Empire would deny that
所謂的拜占庭帝國的民眾
they had ever stopped being Romans,
拒絕承認自己不是羅馬人
even though the Byzantines would tell you
盡管拜占庭人
this not in Latin, but in ancient Greek.
使用個的不是拉丁語，而是古希臘語
The Byzantines even insisted on being called
拜占庭的人甚至堅持
Romioi, which is the ancient Greek word for Romans.
被叫做Romioi，古希臘語中代表羅馬人
After the Byzantine Empire fell in 1453,
拜占庭帝國在1453年衰落之后
Grand Prince Ivan III of Muscovy,
俄國的親王伊凡三世
we'll meet him later,
我們之后也會講到他
married a princess of Byzantine royal blood,
他娶了拜占庭王室的公主
and began using the title Tsar,
開始使用Tsar這個名稱
a Russian form of the name Caesar.
Tsar是Caesar在俄語中的表達
In 1721, Ivan's successor Tsar Peter I, the Great,
1721年，伊凡的繼任者，沙皇彼得一世
began using the term Emperator.
開始使用Emperator的頭銜
When the German Empire reunified
1871年，德意志帝國
under the Hohenzollerns in 1871,
在霍亨索倫王朝的通知下重新統一
a fact about which I will never make mention again,
有一個事實我再也不想提及
its rulers once more claimed the title Kaiser.
德意志帝國的統治者使用 Kaiser
To this day, British coinage contains
直到今天，英國的硬幣上
the Latin phrase "Elizabeth II,
印著拉丁語，伊麗莎白二世
or Elizabeta Secunda, Dei Gratia Regina,"
或者Elizabeta Secunda
Elizabeth II, by the grace of God, Dei Gratia Regina queen of England.
意思是承蒙天恩，英國的女王
Whoever said that Latin was dead
那些說拉丁語已經死亡的人
needs to get out a little bit more.
應該多到外面走走看看
But most fascinating of all to your instructor,
但是最令教師感興趣的是
the deluxe yours truly,
最奢華的是
is the idea of one nation assigning itself
一個國家委任自己成為
an imperial mission of maintaining world peace.
維護世界和平的帝國使團
The Romans accomplished this first
羅馬人實現了首次和平時期
with the Pax Romana,
被稱作Pax Romana
also known as the Pax Augusta,
或者Pax Augusta
which lasted from just before the time of Christ
這段時期從公元前
well into the second century AD.
一直持續到公元二世紀
Russia dreamed of bringing about a Pax Rusika
俄國夢想著實現俄國和平時期
and accomplished it for a while.
在短期內做到了
Britain tried to impose a Pax Britannica.
英國試著建立英國和平時期
You and I live in the times of a Pax Americana
我們所處的是美國和平時期
with consequences affecting every American
由此產生的結果影響所有的美國人
and every part of his or her life.
以及生活的方方面面
The ultimate purpose of this course
這樣做的終極目的是
is to make you decide whether a Pax Americana
讓你們決定美國的和平
is worth the work, worth the sacrifice or not.
是否值得那么多的付出和犧牲
And in order to answer that question intelligently,
為了明智地回答這個問題
we have to start with the ancient Romans.
我們首先要研究羅馬
Segment 6c: Podunk on the Tiber. 6c
臺伯河上的無名小鎮
Early on the morning of April 21st, 753 BC,
早在公元前753年4月21號的早上
two young brothers named Romulus and Remus
兩個年輕的兄弟羅慕路斯和雷穆斯
climbed a hill in Latium,
爬上了Latium的一座小山
a region in what is now west-central Italy.
這個地方現在位于意大利中西部
