纪录片《文明》 第63期 自视如何（24）（在线收听）

Some think they were aimed at powerful elites

有些人认为它们是为掌权的精英阶层而建的

to remind them who was boss.

用来提醒他们谁才是统治者

Others think they were aimed at the all-seeing eye of the gods.

其他人认为它们是为了神的天眼而建

I've got a different viewer in mind.

我有一个不同的想法

And that's the pharaoh himself.

那就是 这是为法老自己而建的

Those of us with no inkling

像我们这样的

of power on a grand scale often forget

对这个级别的权力毫无概念的人常常会忘记

how hard it must be to believe in oneself as monarch or autocrat.

相信自己是天生的君王和统治者是多么的困难

The person who really needs to be convinced

真正需要说服自己

that he is pre-eminent above the common herd

是凌驾于常人之上的那个人

is that ordinary human being

正是那位

who is masquerading as omnipotent ruler.

在假扮万能天神的普通人

That's why, as a basic rule of thumb,

正因如此 才会有这样一条经验法则

we find more pictures of kings and queens in all their finery

我们发现国王和女王身着华服的肖像

in royal palaces than anywhere else in the world -

在皇家宫殿里比其他任何地方都多

and here in Egypt, too.

在埃及也是一样