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With time Carthage gained control over much of the North African coastline,
一段時間后，迦太基就控制了北非洲海岸的絕大部分地區(qū)
along with Corsica and Sardinia, and began to
還有科西嘉島和撒丁島
fight with Greek cities for influence in Sicily.
與希臘城市爭奪對西西里島的控制
By three ten BC all of Sicily, just about, was part of the Carthaginian empire.
在公元前310年，整個西西里島都成為迦太基帝國的一部分
As mentioned earlier,
我之前提到過
Rome's victories in the Pyrrhic wars had
羅馬贏得皮洛士戰(zhàn)爭
given her control over the Italian peninsula by two seventy two BC.
也就使她有了對意大利半島的控制權(quán)那是在公元前272年
This fact made Rome a Mediterranean power by default, equal to the quote, unquote,
這也就使羅馬成為地中海強(qiáng)國也就相當(dāng)于
successor states of Alexander the Great to the east,
東部亞歷山大帝國之后的大國
and to the west, the Carthaginian Empire. In fact,
而在西部的另一強(qiáng)國是迦太基帝國
Rome and Carthage are surprisingly close together for two such famous enemies.
實(shí)事上，羅馬與迦太基距離很近但他們卻相互憎惡
They are on different continents but they are separated
他們屬于不同大洲
only by two narrow straights and the island of Sicily.
但他們僅被兩個窄窄的海峽和西西里島隔開
Remember that the United States has always been fixated on the Island of Cuba, and not without reason.
請記住，美國曾經(jīng)對古巴島念念不忘，不是沒有原因
Cuba is only ninety miles away from
古巴距美國大陸
the mainland United States and
僅有九十公里
any power with a base on Cuba would present a clear and present danger.
任何在古巴有基地的強(qiáng)國都會帶來迫切的危險
Sicily had long since ben settled by Greek
西西里島早就有希臘人居住
and Phoenician colonists and was packed with city states of its own, many of which were older and more established than Rome.
還有腓尼基人殖民，那里還有大量它自己的城邦絕大多數(shù)城邦都比羅馬更加古老
Carthage already controlled the western half of Sicily
迦太基已經(jīng)控制了西西里島西部
and thought of the rest of the as being in their sphere of influence.
也認(rèn)為其余地區(qū)也都受其影響很深
When the Mamertines, a group of Italian mercenaries
當(dāng)一隊(duì)意大利雇用士兵
living in Messina on the northern tip of Sicily,
生活在西西里島南端的墨西拿時
revolted against Carthage in two sixty four BC.
他們在公元前264年反抗迦太基人
Carthage struck back hard.
迦太基人全面受挫
At this point the Mamertine mercenaries appealed to Rome for help.
這時，這些雇用士兵請求羅馬的幫助
The Romans were not obligated to comply.
羅馬本無需答應(yīng)
After all, Rome and Carthage had always been friends.
無論如何，羅馬曾一直與迦太基為善
The Romans didn't care about a bunch of Italian mercenaries
羅馬人才不擔(dān)心那些意大利士兵呢
who were happy to take Carthaginian money
他們喜滋滋地在迦太基賺了錢
and then got mad at Carthage.
又對迦太基生氣
But the idea of a Carthaginian naval base
一些到迦太基在意大利南端的海軍基地
just off the tip of Italy scared them to death.
他們就嚇得要死
Therefore, the senate recommended that
因此，元老院建議
Rome support the Mamertines against the Carthaginians.
羅馬應(yīng)該支持那些士兵反抗迦太基
This met the dictates 'of the Ius Fetiales,
這就符合了和平條約的內(nèi)容
that is to say it meant that
也就是說
the Carthaginians started it
是迦太基人開啟了戰(zhàn)爭
and it touched off what we call the first Punic War.
這也就觸發(fā)了第一次布匿戰(zhàn)役
The technology itself, of the first Punic War between Rome and Carthage,
而技術(shù)本身羅馬與迦太基之間的第一次布匿戰(zhàn)爭本身
which lasted from two sixty four to two forty one BC, is pretty interesting.
是非常有趣的這場戰(zhàn)役從公元前264持續(xù)到公元前241年
Since the Sicilian mountains are no place to fight
但西西里島的山區(qū)不適合陸地戰(zhàn)
a land war most of the war took place at sea.
大部分戰(zhàn)役都在海上進(jìn)行
There was one problem for the Romans
但羅馬人有一個問題
because they were complete and total landlubbers.
因?yàn)樗麄兺耆m應(yīng)陸地的生活
The odds would seem stacked in favour of the sea
適應(yīng)水中作戰(zhàn)的迦太基人更有勝算
fairing Carthaginians. But typically Roman is the fact
但事實(shí)上，羅馬人
that they figured out a strategy for
他們找到了一條策略
taking the land war onto the sea.
把陸地搬進(jìn)海洋
Instead of ramming the Carthaginian ships, which was standard practice at the time,
他們沒有搗毀迦太基船只那時搗毀船只才是慣用做法
the Romans developed a gangplank with a big hook
羅馬人發(fā)明了一種帶著大鉤跳板
in the end which they called a corvus or crow.
后來他們把它叫做"烏鴉"
