評論
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Narrator:Listen to part of the lecture in the archaeology class.
獨白:聽下面一段考古學課上的演講。
Professor:When we think of large monumental structures built by early societies and Egyptian pyramid probably comes to mind.
教授:當我們想到早期的社會上人們建造的一些大型建筑物時，埃及金字塔便會浮現于眼前。
But there are some even earlier structures in the British Isles also worth discussing, and besides the well-known circle of massive stones of Stonehenge which don't get me wrong is remarkable enough, well, other impressive Neolithic structures are found there too.
但在英國，有一些更為早期的建筑也是值得討論的。而除了巨石陣這一聞名的建筑物外，巨石陣已經成就卓越的了，人們在英國還發現了其他的令人難忘的新石器時代建筑物。
Oh, yes, we are talking about the Neolithic period here, also called new Stone Age, which was the time before stone tools began to be replaced by tools made by bronze and other metals.
哦，我們這里講的是新石器時代，也叫石器時代。該時代是在石器工具開始被由銅或其他金屬工具代替之前的那段時期。
It was about 5000 years ago, even before the first Egyptian pyramid that some of amazing Neolithic monuments-tombs, were racketed at the very size around ironed Great Britain and costal islands nearby.
大約是在 5000 年以前，甚至是在第一個埃及金字塔—某些不可思議的新時期時代墳墓—在制鐵的大不列顛和附近沿海的島嶼上就已經建立起來了。
I am referring particular to structures that in some cases, look like ordinary natural hills.
我特別指的是某些建筑物。在某些情況下看起來就像普通的山丘。
But we definitely build by humans, well-organized communities of human's to enclose a chamber or room within stone walls and sometimes with a high, cleverly designed sealing of overlapping stones.
但肯定的是，這些建筑物都是人類建造的，人類社區組織良好，我們把某一房子或房間裹在石墻里面，有時還筑高臺，將疊在一起的石頭間的縫隙巧妙地填補起來。
These structures are called Passage Graves, because in the chamber, sometime several chambers in fact, could only be entered from the outside through a narrow passage way.
這些建筑物稱為通道式墳墓，因為人們要進入這些房間，事實上有時要進入好幾間房，都必須從外面通過一條狹窄的通道。
Michael:Excuse me, professor, but you said Passage Graves.
邁克爾:不好意思老師，你剛剛提到的過道式墳墓。
Was this just monument to honor the dead buried there or were they designed to be used somehow by the living?
這些墳墓是作為埋葬在那里的人的紀念碑呢，還是人們設計出來作為居住場所的？
Professor:Ah, yes! Good question, Michael.
教授:啊，對！問得好，，邁克爾。
Besides being built as tombs, some of these Passage Graves were definitely what we might call Astronomical Calendars, with chambers they flooded with some light on the certain special days of the year, which must see miraculous and inspired good dealer of they really just wonder.
這些建筑除了作為墳墓外，某些過道式墳墓絕對就是我們所說的天文日歷，每年都會有某些特殊的日子，陽光會照進這些房間。之后你就會看到奇跡般的具有啟發性的宗教奇跡發生。
But research indicates that not just light but also the physics of sound help to enhance this religious experience.
然而，研究者表明，不僅僅光，聲理學也有助于強化這種宗教體驗。
Michael:How so?
邁克爾:怎么解釋呢？
Professor:Well, first the echoes.
教授:嗯，首先是回聲。
When religious leaders started chanting with echoes bounced off the stonewalls over and over again, it must seem like a whole chorus of other voices, spirits of God maybe join in.
當宗教領導開始念經的時候，聲音會在碰到石墻后不斷產生回響。這聽起來肯定像是各種其他聲音的和聲，上帝的聲音也在其中。
But even more intriguing is what physicists called Standing Waves.
但更為讓人費解的是物理學家所說的駐波現象。
Basically, the phenomenon of Standing Waves occurs when sound waves of the same frequency reflect off the walls and meet from opposite directions.
基本上，當聲波以同樣的頻率從墻上反彈后在相反的方向上相遇，便會產生駐波現象。
So, the volume seems to alternate between very loud and very soft.
所以，音量似乎會在大聲和柔聲之間輪流轉變。
You can stand quite near a man singing in loud voice and hardly hear him.
你可能站在一個大聲說話的人旁邊卻幾乎聽不到他說的。
Yet step little further away and voice is almost defining.
而邁開一步后卻感覺震耳欲聾。
As you move around chamber, the volume of the sound goes way up and way down, depending on where you are and these standing waves.
隨著你在房間里走動，音量會上上下下，這要看你站在哪里，也要看駐波的具體情況。
And often the acoustic makes it hard to identify where sounds are coming from.
而經常音響效果使得人們很難辨別出聲音的來源。
It is powerful voices that are speaking to you or chanting from inside your own head.
你會聽到很大的聲音，或是自己腦袋里聽到各種念經的聲音。
This had to engender powerful sense of all Neolithic worshipers.
這對于新石器時代的禮拜者意義甚大。
And another bit of physics I played here is something called Resonance.
而這里要提到的另一種物理學則稱為共鳴。
I know physics, but well I imagine you have all below near of top empty bottles and heard sounds it makes.
我不懂物理學，但我想你們都有過這樣的經歷，把耳朵放在空瓶子頂部便會聽到瓶子發出的聲音。
And you probably notice that depending on its size-each empty bottle plays one particular music note.
你們很可能注意到，每個瓶子大小不同，其發出的某一音樂符號也有所不同。
Or it is the physics might put it, each bottle resonates at a particular frequency.
或許物理學會這么解釋，每個瓶子在某一特定頻率上會產生共鳴。
Well, that's true of these chambers too.
嗯，這些房間的原理也是一樣的。
If you make a constant noise inside the chamber, maybe by steadily beating drum at certain rate, a particular frequency of sound will resonate.
如果你在房間里一直發出聲音，或許可以固定的節奏打鼓，某一特定的聲音頻率便會產生共鳴。
We will ring out intensely, depending on the size of chamber.
這樣會發出強大的聲音，根據房間的大小聲音強弱有所不同。
In some of large chambers though, these intensified sound may be too deep for us to hear, we can feel it.
而在某些大房間里，這些強大的聲音可能過于低沉，所以我們聽不到。
We are mysteriously agitated by a….but it is not a sound our ears can hear.
我們會因此無意識地感到煩躁…但是這些聲音耳朵是聽不到的。
The psychological effects of all these extraordinary sounds can be profound, especially when they seem so disconnected from human doing drumming or chanting.
所有這些非同尋常的聲音所產生的心理效果是非常強大的，特別是當它們與人類打鼓或念經所發出的聲音毫無關聯的時候。
And there can be observable physical effects on people too.
在人類身上也會產生可觀察到的物理效應。
In fact, the sounds can cause headaches, feelings of dizziness, increase heartache, that sort of thing, you see.
事實上，這些聲音會造成頭痛，頭暈，加劇頭疼癥狀，等等。
Anyway, what is we experience inside one of these Passage Graves clearly could be far more intense than everyday reality outside which made them very special places.
不管怎樣，在這些過道式墳墓里面所體驗到的很明顯比日常生活中體驗到的要更為強烈，這也是這些地方的獨特之處。
But back to your question, Michael, as to whether these Graves were designed to be used by the living.
但回到你問的問題，邁克爾，關于人們設計建造這些墳墓是要作為居住地的嗎？
Well, certainly, we have got to ask economical or calendar function.
嗯，當然，我們就不得不講到天文日歷的功能了，
That seems pretty obvious, and I want to go into more detail on that now.
這似乎顯而易見，現在我就來詳細講講。
