纪录片《大英博物馆世界简史》 011古埃及法老德闻的凉鞋标签（7）

And so warfare¹ plays really a key role in, if you like, the consolidation² of the Egyptian sense of their own nationhood.

因为我们可以说，战争是真的扮演了关键的作用，帮助埃及人进一步巩固自我的建国意识。

It's a discouragingly familiar strategy. You win hearts and minds at home by focusing on the threats from abroad, but the weapons that you need to crush the enemy can come in handy when you're dealing³ with domestic opponents as well. The political rhetoric⁴ of foreign aggression⁵ is backed up by very brisk policing at home.

这是一种令人沮丧的熟悉伎俩。当把所有注意力集中到对抗外敌上，你能够赢取国内的民心；然而在需要的场合上，用来粉碎敌人的武器也可以直接施用于自己国内的有反抗情绪的老百姓身上。对外侵略的政治修辞总有相当犀利的国内政策来支持。

The apparatus⁶ of the modern state had been forged. And the enduring consequences were artistic⁷ as well as political. Only power of this order could organise⁸ the enormous building projects that these early pharaohs embarked⁹ on.

现代国家这种机器建造起来了，产生了艺术上与政治上的持久性后果。也只有这种秩序的力量，能组织起人力建设起这些早期法老下令开工的那些伟大建设工程。

Den's elaborate tomb with granite¹⁰ shipped from hundreds of miles away, and the later, even grander pyramids, were possible only because of the extraordinary power the Egyptian pharaohs could exercise over the minds and the bodies of their subjects.

国王德闻那宏伟的坟墓上的共岗岩，都来自于数百英里外的地区。后来的金字塔墓更加是气势恢弘。这一切，都是因为埃及法老在埃及民众心目中，拥有可以操纵他们身心、超同寻常的力量。

In the next programme, I'll be looking further east, beyond Sinai to Mesopotamia-modern-day Iraq. Two rivers there, not one, and not one great unitary state like Egypt, but competing groups of rich city states. But the same problems confront the rulers: how do you control these large, prosperous-but always turbulent-populations? And in part at least, they came up with the same answer: force.

在下期的节目中，我去探索更加东方的地方，跨过西奈半岛，到达美索不迷米亚——现代的伊拉克。那里流淌着不止一条，而是两条河流，那里也没有一个如同埃及一样伟大的统一中央王国，而且是散布着彼此竞争的富裕城市国家。然而所有的统治者都面临着同样的问题：究竟应该如何控制好这些人口众多而繁荣，共同又动荡不安的民族？至少从某方面而言，他们也采同了相同的措施：权力。

1 warfare   

n.战争(状态)；斗争；冲突

参考例句：

• He addressed the audience on the subject of atomic warfare.他向听众演讲有关原子战争的问题。
• Their struggle consists mainly in peasant guerrilla warfare.他们的斗争主要是农民游击战。

2 consolidation   

n.合并,巩固

参考例句：

• The denser population necessitates closer consolidation both for internal and external action. 住得日益稠密的居民，对内和对外都不得不更紧密地团结起来。 来自英汉非文学 - 家庭、私有制和国家的起源
• The state ensures the consolidation and growth of the state economy. 国家保障国营经济的巩固和发展。 来自汉英非文学 - 中国宪法

3 dealing   

n.经商方法，待人态度

参考例句：

• This store has an excellent reputation for fair dealing.该商店因买卖公道而享有极高的声誉。
• His fair dealing earned our confidence.他的诚实的行为获得我们的信任。

4 rhetoric   

n.修辞学，浮夸之言语

参考例句：

• Do you know something about rhetoric?你懂点修辞学吗？
• Behind all the rhetoric,his relations with the army are dangerously poised.在冠冕堂皇的言辞背后，他和军队的关系岌岌可危。

5 aggression   

n.进攻，侵略，侵犯，侵害

参考例句：

• So long as we are firmly united, we need fear no aggression.只要我们紧密地团结，就不必惧怕外来侵略。
• Her view is that aggression is part of human nature.她认为攻击性是人类本性的一部份。

6 apparatus   

n.装置，器械；器具，设备

参考例句：

• The school's audio apparatus includes films and records.学校的视听设备包括放映机和录音机。
• They had a very refined apparatus.他们有一套非常精良的设备。

7 artistic   

adj.艺术(家)的，美术(家)的；善于艺术创作的

参考例句：

• The picture on this screen is a good artistic work.这屏风上的画是件很好的艺术品。
• These artistic handicrafts are very popular with foreign friends.外国朋友很喜欢这些美术工艺品。

8 organise   

vt.组织，安排，筹办

参考例句：

• He has the ability to organise.他很有组织才能。
• It's my job to organise all the ceremonial events.由我来组织所有的仪式。

9 embarked   

乘船( embark的过去式和过去分词 )； 装载； 从事

参考例句：

• We stood on the pier and watched as they embarked. 我们站在突码头上目送他们登船。
• She embarked on a discourse about the town's origins. 她开始讲本市的起源。

10 granite   

adj.花岗岩，花岗石

参考例句：

• They squared a block of granite.他们把一块花岗岩加工成四方形。
• The granite overlies the older rocks.花岗岩躺在磨损的岩石上面。