纪录片《文明》 第6期 创世纪的第二个瞬间（6）（在线收听）

This was a doubling of the world, a life copy,

这是个复制的世界 生活的翻版

and executed with startling precision of drawing technique.

并以精密得令人惊讶的技术绘制而成

They even understood modelling,

他们甚至有立体的概念

anatomical features following the rock wall surface of the cave.

洞穴岩壁表面下的剖面结构

And there were many colours,

画中的色彩也更为丰富

not just the ubiquitous red ochre, but violets and blacks.

不仅有随处可见的红褐色 还有紫罗兰和黑色

And all those techniques

而这些技术

seem to have been there from the beginning,

似乎从文明开始就已经存在了

tens of thousands of years ago.

远在几万年前

When you think about this technique, your head just spins

要使用这项技术 你的大脑必须高速运转

because it has to have been, above all, a memory exercise.

毕竟 这是个脑力活动

They would have had to fix in their mind exact anatomical details

他们必须在脑海中构建出具体结构

and then transpose them here on the surface of the cave.

然后把它们转绘到洞穴里的岩壁上

And, yet, when all that was done,

而当这一切都实现后

they managed to preserve miraculously this animal vitality.

他们设法奇迹般地保存了这种动物的生气

This is truly one of the great marvels

这确实是人类突然开阔的思想

of the suddenly expanded human mind.

所创造的伟大奇迹之一

It was in the later years of the 19th century

直到十九世纪后期

that images like these began to be discovered.

这样的绘画才逐渐被发现

The first, and for many years the most famous,

最早 也是很长时间内最有名的壁画

were in the caves of Altamira,

是在阿尔塔米拉石洞被发现的

also in northern Spain.

也位于西班牙北部

Extraordinary paintings of bison, herds of them,

壁画上成群的野牛超凡绝伦

sleeping, lying, standing.

睡着的 躺着的 站着的