纪录片《大英博物馆世界简史》 036耶路撒冷沃伦杯(1)

The Warren Cup is made of silver, it's a goblet¹, and it looks as though it would hold a pretty large glass of wine. It's in the shape of a small sporting trophy², standing³ on a small base, a bit wonkily now, and it would once have had two handles, although those are now lost. But you can see at once that this is a work of supreme⁴ craftsmanship⁵. The scenes on the cup are in relief, and they've been created by beating out the silver from the inside. Given the subject-matter, it must have been used at private parties, but it would certainly have commanded the admiration⁶ and the attention of everybody present.

这件制作于两千年前的罗马银器是个看起来容量颇大的高脚酒杯。形状就像一个底座很小的现代运动奖杯，它可能曾有两个把手，但现在已经丢了。任何人都能 一眼看出它的工艺十分精美。酒杯上凸起的图案是靠敲打银杯内壁形成的。它应该曾在私人宴会上使用，就其图案主题而言，想必会获得在场所有人的欣赏。

Lavish⁷ eating and drinking was one of the key rituals of the Roman world which, two thousand years ago, ran from Spain to Syria. Throughout the Empire, Roman officials and local bigwigs would use banquets to oil the wheels of politics and business, and to show off wealth and status. Roman women were generally excluded from events such as the drinking parties where our cup would have been found, and I think we can assume that it was intended for an all-male guest list. So I'm afraid you'll have to imagine that you're a man, arriving at a grand villa⁸ near Jerusalem, somewhere around the year 10.

铺张的盛宴是罗马世界的重要仪式。在整个帝国，罗马的官员与地方权贵都靠宴席来炫耀自己的权势，并打通政商关节。一般来说，罗马的妇女不会出席可能摆放这种酒杯的豪饮宴席，我们能大致肯定，它是为仅有男性出席的场合而准备的。

Slaves lead you through to an opulent dining area, where you recline with the other guests. The dining table is set with beautifully embellished⁹ silver platters and ornate vessels¹⁰, and this is the context in which our cup would have been passed around among the guests. On it are shown two scenes of male love-making, set in a sumptuous¹¹ private house. The lovers are depicted¹² on draped couches similar to the ones that you, the guest, are lounging on. And you can see a lyre and pipes waiting to be played as the participants settle to their sensual pleasure. Here's Classical historian Bettany Hughes.

想象一下，在公元十年左右，一位男子来到耶路撒冷附近的一所豪宅。奴隶将他引进了华丽的宴会区，然后他和别的宾客一样在椅子上斜躺下来。桌上摆放着银质餐具与华美的器皿。在这样的场景下，本文的酒杯在宾客手中传递。上面的两幅男性性爱场景，都发生在私人豪宅。银杯上的人就躺在我们想象中的宾客所倚靠的同样的躺椅上，旁边还有一把七弦琴与几把管弦乐器，等待着在他们享受感官欢乐时奏响。古代历史学家兼电台主持贝塔尼休斯说道。

1 goblet   

n.高脚酒杯

参考例句：

• He poured some wine into the goblet.他向高脚酒杯里倒了一些葡萄酒。
• He swirled the brandy around in the huge goblet.他摇晃着高脚大玻璃杯使里面的白兰地酒旋动起来。

2 trophy   

n.优胜旗，奖品，奖杯，战胜品，纪念品

参考例句：

• The cup is a cherished trophy of the company.那只奖杯是该公司很珍惜的奖品。
• He hung the lion's head as a trophy.他把那狮子头挂起来作为狩猎纪念品。

3 standing   

n.持续，地位；adj.永久的，不动的，直立的，不流动的

参考例句：

• After the earthquake only a few houses were left standing.地震过后只有几幢房屋还立着。
• They're standing out against any change in the law.他们坚决反对对法律做任何修改。

4 supreme   

adj.极度的，最重要的；至高的，最高的

参考例句：

• It was the supreme moment in his life.那是他一生中最重要的时刻。
• He handed up the indictment to the supreme court.他把起诉书送交最高法院。

5 craftsmanship   

n.手艺

参考例句：

• The whole house is a monument to her craftsmanship. 那整座房子是她技艺的一座丰碑。
• We admired the superb craftsmanship of the furniture. 我们很欣赏这个家具的一流工艺。

6 admiration   

n.钦佩，赞美，羡慕

参考例句：

• He was lost in admiration of the beauty of the scene.他对风景之美赞不绝口。
• We have a great admiration for the gold medalists.我们对金牌获得者极为敬佩。

7 lavish   

adj.无节制的；浪费的；vt.慷慨地给予，挥霍

参考例句：

• He despised people who were lavish with their praises.他看不起那些阿谀奉承的人。
• The sets and costumes are lavish.布景和服装极尽奢华。

8 villa   

n.别墅，城郊小屋

参考例句：

• We rented a villa in France for the summer holidays.我们在法国租了一幢别墅消夏。
• We are quartered in a beautiful villa.我们住在一栋漂亮的别墅里。

9 embellished   

v.美化( embellish的过去式和过去分词 )；装饰；修饰；润色

参考例句：

• The door of the old church was embellished with decorations. 老教堂的门是用雕饰美化的。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• The stern was embellished with carvings in red and blue. 船尾饰有红色和蓝色的雕刻图案。 来自辞典例句

10 vessels   

n.血管( vessel的名词复数 )；船；容器；（具有特殊品质或接受特殊品质的）人

参考例句：

• The river is navigable by vessels of up to 90 tons. 90 吨以下的船只可以从这条河通过。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• All modern vessels of any size are fitted with radar installations. 所有现代化船只都有雷达装置。 来自《现代汉英综合大词典》

11 sumptuous   

adj.豪华的，奢侈的，华丽的

参考例句：

• The guests turned up dressed in sumptuous evening gowns.客人们身着华丽的夜礼服出现了。
• We were ushered into a sumptuous dining hall.我们被领进一个豪华的餐厅。

12 depicted   

描绘，描画( depict的过去式和过去分词 )； 描述

参考例句：

• Other animals were depicted on the periphery of the group. 其他动物在群像的外围加以修饰。
• They depicted the thrilling situation to us in great detail. 他们向我们详细地描述了那激动人心的场面。