视听文本

The Roman senate, and people alike, wanted to ensure that there would be no more Hannibals.

罗马的议院和人民都想确保境内没有更多的迦太基人

This, in turn, caused Rome to make pre-emptive wars upon eastern cities and states, hitting the eastern powers before they had a chance to hit Rome.

而这反过来，也会使罗马先发制人向东部城市和国家发起战争，打击东部强国在他们有机会攻打罗马之前率先出手

And they even hit some cities

他们甚至攻打了一些城市

and states which posed no threat whatsoever.

但却没有带来任何威胁

Segment eight B; Evil Empires.

第二部分，罪恶的帝国

As long as there have been superpowers

只要有强国的存在

there have also been evil empires.

必然会有罪恶的帝国

The American term, evil empire, comes from the nineteen seventy-seven classic Star Wars, in which the plucky rebels save the universe from the tyrannical galactic empire and its evil minions.

美国的这种说法"罪恶的帝国"来自1977年经典的星球大战在电影中，勇敢的叛军拯救宇宙使其免受独裁银河大国与其罪恶奴才的统治

Even though the bad guys of the galactic empire speak with British accents the concept is basically warmed-over cold war.

尽管影片里银河帝国的坏人操着一口英音这一概念在冷战时期才被重提

The plot of Star Wars intentionally recalls plucky Americans trying to save the world from the tyrannical Soviet Union and its minions.

星球大战中的情节故意提及无畏的美国人想在拯救世界免受独裁苏联的影响

The plot is in fact, however, very ancient, with only the names changed.

然后，实际上这一情节非常古老只是更换了名字

The ancient Greeks had the Persians, whom they demonised as cruel, stupid barbarians.

古希腊人就与波斯人为敌把他们贬低为残暴愚蠢的野蛮人

And, the ancient Romans had the Carthaginians.

而古罗马人则与迦太基人对峙

Even though Rome soundly defeated Carthage in the second Punic War, which ended in two zero one BC,

尽管罗马大胜迦太基赢得第二次布匿战争的胜利这场战役在公元前201年走向尾声

and even though Rome provoked a third Punic war,

尽管罗马还发起第三次布匿战争

ending with the obliteration of Carthage in one forty six BC, little Roman kids were terrified for centuries afterwards y the single phrase,

最后消灭了迦太基那是在公元前146年，罗马小孩感动恐惧在几年百后仍然如此

Hannibal ad portas, Hannibal is at the doors.

汉尼拔打上门来，汉尼拔人打上门来

Over the years it became just a saying about a bogeyman who would show up

多年来，这成为一种说法扮成鬼怪的男人

at a Roman kid's door with his elephants.

带着大象出现在罗马小孩家门前

But in Hannibal's own day, Hannibal ad portas stood for the Roman's genuine terror that their nation was on the ropes, as indeed it was.

但汉尼拔时期，汉尼拔打上门来它代表着罗马人真正的恐惧他们的国家如履薄冰

The seaport of Carthage was founded in eight fourteen BC.

迦太基海港建立于公元前814年

It was one of several Phoenician trading colonies founded in the western Mediterranean.

那也是腓尼基人几大贸易殖民地之一它建立在地中海西部

In fact, the name Carthage basically means new city in Phoenician. Today we know this ancient empire as Carthage and its people as the Carthaginians, but the Roman word for Phoenicians is Poenicus,

事实上，迦太基的意思就是腓太基新城我们现在知道这些古老的帝国迦太基还有迦太基人民，但罗马语中腓太基的名称是Poenicus

leading to the terms Punic Wars for Rome's wars against Carthage. As long as Rome's and Carthage's interests didn't clash they were actually quite friendly.

这也就导致了布匿战争只要罗马与迦太基的利益不冲突它们仍可以友好相处

In five zero nine BC Carthage signed a treaty with the infant Roman Republic,

在公元前509年，迦太基签订条约与刚成立不久的罗马共和国

pledging peace and commercial cooperation.

请求和平与商业合作

The treaty was renewed in three zero six BC

这份条约在公元前306年得以更新

and two seventy eight BC,

在公元前278年又一次更新

when Carthage and Rome agreed not to deal independently with King Pyrrhus.

那时罗马与迦太基达成共识不再单独与希腊的斯大王交往

Because Carthage's strategic location let it dominate all trade passing below the southern tip of Italy

因为迦太基的战略性地位使它可以主导所有意大利南端的贸易通道

Carthage developed a mighty navy, which enabled it to develop troops, usually mercenaries, to any point in the western Mediterranean.

迦太基组建起壮大的海军这可以使它进一步扩充军队往往是雇用兵，他们分布在地中海西部地区

They wanted to own the ships and hire the soldiers.

他们想拥有自己的船只和士兵

视频及简介

课程介绍:
本课程对罗马帝国和前苏联的兴衰进行回顾，探讨它们历史变迁的内在规律，并将现代的超级大国——美国与它们进行比较，从而作出对未来可能的一些预测。

原声视频：