纪录片《大英博物馆世界简史》 065泰诺仪式用椅（6）

 

The Taino world was run by chiefdoms - centres of power whose leaders fought, negotiated and allied¹ among themselves. They generally lived in settlements of a few thousand people, in large circular houses, each accommodating perhaps a dozen families, clustered around a central square. Some distance away would stand the chief's house, which would also double as the local sacred space or temple, and it's here that the duho was put to work.

We don't know who would have made these duhos, but certainly the materials were very deliberately² chosen. The wood of the duho is native to the Caribbean, and it fascinated the Europeans who encountered it. They called it 'lignum vitae' - the 'wood of life' - because of its remarkable³ qualities. Its resin⁴ was used to treat a wide range of ailments⁵, from sore throats to syphilis, and when combined with alcohol it turns blood blue. It's also one of the few woods that won't float - it's so dense⁶ that it sinks in water. One Spaniard wrote admiringly of the duhos: "They are made of such beautiful, smooth and perfect wood, that nothing else more beautiful was ever made of gold or silver."

泰诺社会采用首领制，各社群首领彼此间进行争斗、谈判或结盟。一个社群通常有数千人，他们围绕一个中央广场修建宽敬的圆形房屋，每座房屋可容纳约十二户家庭。首领的居所略微离群，通常也兼具圣地或神庙的功用，是都何使用的场地。

我们不知道这些都何的制造者是谁，但可以一眼看出其木料经过精挑细选。这种木材产自加勒比海地区，曾让欧洲人惊艳，因其特殊质地又被欧洲人称为“lignum vitae”,生命之树。它的树脂曾被用来治疗小到感冒、大至梅毒的多种疾病。它也是少数因密度很大而能够沉入水底的木材。一名西班牙人曾撰文感叹："它们用如此美丽光滑、近乎完美的木材雕成，让金银器物都相形见绌。”

1 allied   

adj.协约国的；同盟国的

参考例句：

• Britain was allied with the United States many times in history.历史上英国曾多次与美国结盟。
• Allied forces sustained heavy losses in the first few weeks of the campaign.同盟国在最初几周内遭受了巨大的损失。

2 deliberately   

adv.审慎地；蓄意地；故意地

参考例句：

• The girl gave the show away deliberately.女孩故意泄露秘密。
• They deliberately shifted off the argument.他们故意回避这个论点。

3 remarkable   

adj.显著的，异常的，非凡的，值得注意的

参考例句：

• She has made remarkable headway in her writing skills.她在写作技巧方面有了长足进步。
• These cars are remarkable for the quietness of their engines.这些汽车因发动机没有噪音而不同凡响。

4 resin   

n.树脂，松香，树脂制品；vt.涂树脂

参考例句：

• This allyl type resin is a highly transparent, colourless material.这种烯丙基型的树脂是一种高度透明的、无色材料。
• This is referred to as a thixotropic property of the resin.这种特性叫做树脂的触变性。

5 ailments   

疾病（尤指慢性病），不适( ailment的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• His ailments include a mild heart attack and arthritis. 他患有轻度心脏病和关节炎。
• He hospitalizes patients for minor ailments. 他把只有小病的患者也送进医院。

6 dense   

a.密集的，稠密的，浓密的；密度大的

参考例句：

• The general ambushed his troops in the dense woods. 将军把部队埋伏在浓密的树林里。
• The path was completely covered by the dense foliage. 小路被树叶厚厚地盖了一层。