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By the 300s BC, the Romans had
到公元前300年
latched onto a legend about the hero Aeneas,
羅馬人抓到一個關于埃涅阿斯的傳奇
illegitimate son of the love goddess Venus
埃涅阿斯是愛之女神維納斯的配偶
and one of the Trojan army's greatest fighters.
他是特洛伊戰爭中最偉大的戰士之一
After Troy was sacked,
在特洛伊被洗劫后
Aeneas had wandered the Mediterranean
埃涅阿斯漫游到地中海
finally winding up in Italy,
最終停留在意大利
where he founded a few cities
在這里，他建立了一些城市
and was worshipped as a god after he died.
在死后，被人們崇拜，奉為神靈
The Romans quote/unquote discovered
羅馬人發現
that Aeneas had been a distant ancestor of Romulus,
埃涅阿斯是羅慕路斯的一位遠方祖先
which not only made the Romulus myth sound better,
這不僅美化了羅慕路斯的神話
but it made Rome's founder a direct descendent
而且讓羅馬的建立者成為
of an ancient Greek goddess. Woot.
古老希臘女神的直系后代
Historically, Rome started out
在歷史上，羅馬最初
as one of roughly 50 villages in Latium,
是Latium的五十多個鄉鎮中的一個
again, a region in the west-central area
這個地方位于現在意大利的
of what is now Italy.
西中部地區
Rome had an advantageous location.
羅馬所處的位置非常有利
The original settlements
最終形成羅馬的
which eventually merged to form Rome
原始定居點
existed on 7 little hills.
位于七所小丘上
Capitoline, Caelian, Aventine,
卡皮托爾山，西蓮，阿文丁，山帕拉蒂尼山
Palatine, Quirinal, Viminal, and Oppian,
奎里納勒山，維米納爾山和奧本山
I just named them, so I can say I named them,
我把這七丘的名字說出來了
surrounding a nasty little swamp
環繞著小沼澤
right in the middle.
沼澤正好位于中央
This same cluster of hills also overlooked
同樣，這群山俯視
a crossing of the Tiber River,
臺伯河的交叉口
offering the little settlements
提供了
both water and land transportation.
水和交通
Once the sewer was built
一旦建立了下水道
to drain the swamp in the middle,
通向中間沼澤的排水道
the Romans had a forum
羅馬舉辦了一次討論
and they were ready to have a great city.
他們準備好建立一座偉大的城市
The first century BC, historian Livy recognized
公元前一世紀，歷史學家李維認識到
Rome's advantageous location.
羅馬有利的地形
He places these words into a speech
他把這些發現放在
by the General Camillus,
卡美盧斯將軍的一次演講中
who was bane of the Etruscans
這位將軍是伊特魯利亞人的天敵
and who had saved Rome from the Gauls.
從高盧人時期就開始為羅馬服務
And here's what Camillus says
以下是卡美盧斯所說的
"not without reason did Gods and men
眾神和眾人選擇這里建立我們的城市
choose this spot for the site of our city.
不是沒有理由的
The healthful hills, the river to bring us
美麗的山和臺伯河得水
produce from the inland regions
讓我們能在內陸進行耕種
and oversee commerce from abroad,
也能進行海外貿易
the sea itself, near enough to be convenient,
海洋離我們很近，提供便利
but not yet so near to bring danger
但是又沒有太近，不會
from foreign fleets,
給我們帶來海外艦隊的威脅
our location right in the heart of Italy.
我們處在意大利的中心
All these advantages make this the best place
這些優勢讓羅馬成為
of all places in the world
世界上最好的地方
for a city destined to grow great."
這里注定會成為偉大之地
Livy's account comes at the tail
李維所寫的話是在
of some very interesting developments in Rome.
羅馬一些有趣的發展之后
Rome had already established herself
羅馬當時已經是
as the leading city in the region of Latium,
Latium地區的佼佼者
and was now fighting it out
當時正在和北方不同的
with various Etruscan cities to the north.
伊特魯利亞城市打仗
As we will see,
我們會看到
it took a great deal of time and effort
羅馬人花費了大量時間和精力
for the Romans to make themselves masters of Italy.
才成為意大利的主人
And their biggest immediate threat
他們最大的威脅
was posed by the same funky people
來自
known as the Etruscans.
伊特魯利亞人
Where the Etruscans came from,
伊特魯利亞人的來歷
not even the Etruscans themselves knew for sure.
即使他們自己都無法確定
They were already established
公元前800年
on the Italian peninsula by 800 BC.
伊特魯利亞人就出現在意大利半島上
And they lived in fortified city-states,
他們居住在統一標準的城邦國中
each pretty independent,
互相獨立
protected by a strong military.
受到強大軍隊的保護
The Etruscans were way ahead
伊特魯利亞人領先于
of the village dwelling Latins,
居住在鄉鎮的拉丁人
and I include the Romans here,
包括羅馬人
they were way ahead of the Latins,
他們遠遠領先于拉丁人
culturally and scientifically.
無論是科技還是文化方面
The Etruscans dominated huge parts of central Italy,
伊特魯利亞人統治意大利中心的大部分地區
again including Latium and Rome
包括Latium和羅馬
until the end of the 500 BC.
這種情況持續到公元前500年
