纪录片《大英博物馆世界简史》 036耶路撒冷沃伦杯(3)

The early Roman Empire had idealised Greece and adopted much of her culture, and the cup shows what is clearly a Greek scene. Is this a Roman sexual fantasy of a Classical Greek male coupling? Perhaps by placing it in a Greek past, any moral discomfort¹ is put at a safe distance, while adding to the titillation² of the forbidden and exotic. And perhaps everybody everywhere believes that the best sex happens somewhere else. Professor James Davidson, author of 'The Greeks and Greek Love' explains:

早期的罗马帝国十分推崇古希腊，他们接受了大部分的古希腊文化，而我们这只酒杯上所表现的很明显就是希腊的场景。这是罗马人对古希腊同性性爱的幻想吗？也许，将它放在遥远的古希腊背景里会减少一些人们的道德不适感，同时增加一些禁忌与异域风情所带来的兴奋感。也许人人都相信，最好的性爱发生在别处。《希腊人与希腊爱情》作者詹姆斯维森教授解释道：

"What's interesting is that although this vase looks back to the Classical period, the Greek vase painters-who were by no means prudish³ or modest when it came to depicting⁵ sex-nevertheless carefully avoided scenes of homosexual intercourse⁶, at least penetrative intercourse. So, in a way, the Romans are showing what couldn't be shown five hundred years earlier. So you can say if you like that the Greek world, as it did for Warren and as it did since the eighteenth century or even in the Middle Ages, provided an alibi⁷ for societies to think about homosexuality, to talk about homosexuality, to represent homosexuality. It made it into a piece of art more than pornography, so it's a kind of cover, if you like, for something which is not necessarily very easy to depict⁴. It needs some kind of excuse, if you like, and the excuse is provided by Classical imagery."

银杯描述的是古希腊的场景，但其实古希腊的画家在描画性爱时，虽然绝不会遮遮掩掩，但也会小心避免同性性爱，尤其是各种场景。因此罗马人所描画的内容在五百年前绝不会出现。希腊为人们提供了一个能让社会思考、讨论并表现同性恋的托词, 自十八世纪以来，甚至在中世纪，都一直有人这么做。这让这个酒杯成为一件艺术品，而不是色情画。

1 discomfort   

n.不舒服，不安，难过，困难，不方便

参考例句：

• One has to bear a little discomfort while travelling.旅行中总要忍受一点不便。
• She turned red with discomfort when the teacher spoke.老师讲话时她不好意思地红着脸。

2 titillation   

n.搔痒，愉快；搔痒感

参考例句：

3 prudish   

adj.装淑女样子的，装规矩的，过分规矩的；adv.过分拘谨地

参考例句：

• I'm not prudish but I think these photographs are obscene.我并不是假正经的人，但我觉得这些照片非常淫秽。
• She was sexually not so much chaste as prudish.她对男女关系与其说是注重贞节，毋宁说是持身谨慎。

4 depict   

vt.描画，描绘；描写，描述

参考例句：

• I don't care to see plays or films that depict murders or violence.我不喜欢看描写谋杀或暴力的戏剧或电影。
• Children's books often depict farmyard animals as gentle,lovable creatures.儿童图书常常把农场的动物描写得温和而可爱。

5 depicting   

描绘，描画( depict的现在分词 )； 描述

参考例句：

• a painting depicting the Virgin and Child 一幅描绘童贞马利亚和圣子耶稣的画
• The movie depicting the battles and bloodshed is bound to strike home. 这部描写战斗和流血牺牲的影片一定会取得预期效果。

6 intercourse   

n.性交；交流，交往，交际

参考例句：

• The magazine becomes a cultural medium of intercourse between the two peoples.该杂志成为两民族间文化交流的媒介。
• There was close intercourse between them.他们过往很密。

7 alibi   

n.某人当时不在犯罪现场的申辩或证明；借口

参考例句：

• Do you have any proof to substantiate your alibi? 你有证据表明你当时不在犯罪现场吗？
• The police are suspicious of his alibi because he already has a record.警方对他不在场的辩解表示怀疑，因为他已有前科。