How Art Made The World 说服的艺术 -16

The images are of Augustus accepting the surrender of Rome's sworn enemy, the Parthians. It was his greatest triumph and the gods are shown looking on with approval. The message is clear: Augustus was simply fulfilling the will of the gods. And now the war that had divided Rome was over.

So the statue offers emphatic¹ reassurance², Augustus is strong, but he's not threatening. He's the leader who guarantees his people a new Golden Age. It's the Pax Augusta, the Augustan peace, and even the gods approved. Augustus had achieved his greatest ambition. He'd unified³ the two camps of Rome. And he'd done it using the power of art.

One story tells how as an old man in his 70s, Augustus took a boat journey out of Rome. It must be the last trip of his life. On his way, he was spotted⁴ by a group of foreign traders who spontaneously burst into applause and cheered their leader. They shouted out that it was to him that they owed their lives, their freedom and their prosperity. Augustus was overwhelmed. To him it came like final proof that he'd succeeded. He was the unifier⁵ of Rome and the savior of his people. Augustus was the hero sent by the gods to save Rome. It did seem like the beginning of a new Golden Age.

But all of this was built on a lie; the people had been duped. While portraying⁶ himself as a peacemaker, Augustus was eradicating⁷ all opposition⁸. While preaching humility⁹, he and his family lived and behaved like corrupt¹⁰ royalty¹¹. And while boasting that he was handing back power to the people, Augustus was a king in all but name. In reality he had founded a system of dictatorship that would last for 400 years.


Parthian: (a.) Of or relating to Parthia or its people, language, or culture. 帕提亚的
Parthia: An ancient country of southwest Asia corresponding to modern northeast Iran. It was included in the Assyrian and Persian empires, the Macedonian empire of Alexander the Great, and the Syrian empire. A Parthian kingdom lasted from c. 250 b.c. to a.d. 226, reaching the height of its influence and land holdings at the beginning of the first century b.c. Its people, of Scythian stock, were noted¹² as horsemen and archers¹³. 帕提亚
emphatic: (a.) Expressed or performed with emphasis 强调的
savior: (n.) A person who rescues another from harm, danger, or loss. 救助者
dictatorship: (n.) Absolute or despotic control or power. 专政

1 emphatic   

adj.强调的，着重的；无可置疑的，明显的

参考例句：

• Their reply was too emphatic for anyone to doubt them.他们的回答很坚决，不容有任何人怀疑。
• He was emphatic about the importance of being punctual.他强调严守时间的重要性。

2 reassurance   

n.使放心，使消除疑虑

参考例句：

• He drew reassurance from the enthusiastic applause.热烈的掌声使他获得了信心。
• Reassurance is especially critical when it comes to military activities.消除疑虑在军事活动方面尤为关键。

3 unified   

(unify 的过去式和过去分词)； 统一的； 统一标准的； 一元化的

参考例句：

• The teacher unified the answer of her pupil with hers. 老师核对了学生的答案。
• The First Emperor of Qin unified China in 221 B.C. 秦始皇于公元前221年统一中国。

4 spotted   

adj.有斑点的，斑纹的，弄污了的

参考例句：

• The milkman selected the spotted cows,from among a herd of two hundred.牛奶商从一群200头牛中选出有斑点的牛。
• Sam's shop stocks short spotted socks.山姆的商店屯积了有斑点的短袜。

5 unifier   

联合者，统一者，使一致的人（或物）； 通代

参考例句：

• Herb is the unifier of the people. 喷鼻草是人平易近的融合剂。

6 portraying   

v.画像( portray的现在分词 )；描述；描绘；描画

参考例句：

• The artist has succeeded in portraying my father to the life. 那位画家把我的父亲画得惟妙惟肖。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• Ding Ling was good at portraying figures through careful and refined description of human psychology. 《莎菲女士的日记》是丁玲的成名作，曾引起强烈的社会反响。 来自汉英文学 - 中国现代小说

7 eradicating   

摧毁，完全根除( eradicate的现在分词 )

参考例句：

• Objective: To study the acute and chronic toxicity of Ten-flavor-acne eradicating-capsule. 目的：探讨复方中药合剂十味平痤胶囊的急性及慢性毒性。
• We are on the verge of eradicating polio in the world. 我们已在世界消除小儿？痹症的边缘了。

8 opposition   

n.反对，敌对

参考例句：

• The party leader is facing opposition in his own backyard.该党领袖在自己的党內遇到了反对。
• The police tried to break down the prisoner's opposition.警察设法制住了那个囚犯的反抗。

9 humility   

n.谦逊，谦恭

参考例句：

• Humility often gains more than pride.谦逊往往比骄傲收益更多。
• His voice was still soft and filled with specious humility.他的声音还是那么温和，甚至有点谦卑。

10 corrupt   

v.贿赂，收买；adj.腐败的，贪污的

参考例句：

• The newspaper alleged the mayor's corrupt practices.那家报纸断言市长有舞弊行为。
• This judge is corrupt.这个法官贪污。

11 royalty   

n.皇家，皇族

参考例句：

• She claims to be descended from royalty.她声称她是皇室后裔。
• I waited on tables，and even catered to royalty at the Royal Albert Hall.我做过服务生， 甚至在皇家阿伯特大厅侍奉过皇室的人。

12 noted   

adj.著名的，知名的

参考例句：

• The local hotel is noted for its good table.当地的那家酒店以餐食精美而著称。
• Jim is noted for arriving late for work.吉姆上班迟到出了名。

13 archers   

n.弓箭手，射箭运动员( archer的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• The next evening old Mr. Sillerton Jackson came to dine with the Archers. 第二天晚上，西勒顿？杰克逊老先生来和阿切尔家人一起吃饭。 来自辞典例句
• Week of Archer: Double growth for Archers and Marksmen. 射手周：弓箭手与弩手（人类）产量加倍。 来自互联网