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The people were mostly seafarers, like the Phoenicians, only they traded less and fought more.
他們大都是航海者，像腓尼基人，只不過他們不怎么經商，卻常常進行戰爭。
They were often at war with one another, but on occasion would gang together to plunder other shores.
他們常常互相爭斗，但是有時他們也結盟，共同掠奪別的海岸。
And as their fortunes grew bigger, they grew bolder – and not just bolder, but braver,
當他們擁有越來越多的金銀財富，他們變得越來越大膽——不只是大膽，還更勇敢，
because to be a sea raider takes courage as well as cunning.
因為當海盜需要很大的勇氣和膽識。
So sea raiding was a task which fell to the nobility.
所以這大概是城堡里的上等人干的事，
The rest of the population were simple peasants and shepherds.
普通農民和牧民是當不了海盜的。
Now, unlike the Egyptians, the Babylonians and the Assyrians, these noblemen weren't interested in preserving the ways of their ancestors.
但是這些上等人不像埃及人或巴比倫尼亞人和亞述人那樣很在乎一切都維持原狀。
Their many raids and battles with foreign peoples had opened their eyes to new ideas and taught them to relish variety and change.
在他們頻繁的掠奪性航行和對別的部落的戰斗中，他們開闊了眼界并變得喜歡花樣翻新。
And it was at this point, and in this part of the world, that history began to progress at a much greater speed,
所以自那時以來世界歷史在這些地區進展得很快，
because people no longer believed that the old ways were best.
因為自那些時代以來這里的人們永遠也不再相信：現狀恰恰就是最好的狀態。
