Stretched across a tree-peppered expanse in southern Africa lies the magnificent ruins of Great Zimbabwe,
穿过非洲南部广阔的茂盛森林，你会看到宏伟的大津巴布韦遗迹，
a medieval stone city of astounding wealth and prestige.
这是中世纪时期一座汇聚惊人财富和威望的石城。
Located in the present-day country of Zimbabwe,
它坐落位于今天的津巴布韦，
it's the sight of the largest known settlement ruins in Sub-Saharan Africa, second on the continent only to the pyramids of Egypt.
这是非洲撒哈拉沙漠以南地区已知的最大居住遗址，在非洲大陆上仅次于埃及金字塔。
But the history of this city is shrouded in controversy, defined by decades of dispute about who built it and why.
但这座城市的历史却笼罩着争议，数十年间围绕着是谁以及为什么建造这一城市而争议不断。
Its name comes from the Shona word madzimbabwe, meaning big house of stone
这座城市的名字源自修纳语Madzimbabwe，意思是石制的大房子，
for its unscalable stone walls that reach heights of nearly ten meters and run for a length of about 250 meters.
源于其无法攀越的、近10米高的石墙，它的长度大约有250米。
For its grandeur and historical significance, it was named a UNESCO World Heritage site in 1986.
鉴于遗址的宏伟壮观和其历史重要性，联合国科教文组织在1986年将其列入世界文化遗产。
Back in the 14th and 15th centuries, it was a thriving city.
早在14到15世纪，大津巴布韦是一座十分繁荣兴旺的城市。
Spread across nearly eight square-kilometers, Great Zimbabwe was defined by three main areas:
其疆域延伸至八平方公里，大津巴布韦主要由三个主要区域构成：
the Hill Complex, where the king lived; the Great Enclosure, reserved for members of the royal family;
山丘建筑群，那里是国王居住的地方；卫城则为王室成员所拥有；
and the Valley Complex, where regular citizens lived.
以及一般公民居住的山谷建筑群。
Rulers were both powerful economic and religious leaders for the region.
统治者同时是这个区域中权威的经济和宗教领袖。
At its highest point, the city had a bustling urban population of 18,000 people
在它的鼎盛时期，这座城市有18000的活跃人口，
and was one of the major African trade centers at the time.
它还是当时非洲主要贸易中心之一。
What enabled this growth was Great Zimbabwe's influential role in an intercontinental trade network.
这座城市得以发展的原因是大津巴布韦在洲际贸易网络中扮演着极具有影响力的角色。
Connected to several key city-states along the East African Swahili Coast, it was part of the larger Indian Ocean trade routes.
连接东非斯瓦西里海岸几个重要城邦，大津巴布韦是庞大印度洋贸易航线的一个重要组成。
The city generated its riches by controlling the sources and trade of the most prized items: gold, ivory, and copper.
通过对珍贵资源的来源和贸易的控制，这座城市获取了巨大的财富：金子，象牙和铜币。
With this mercantile power, it was able to extend its sphere of influence across continents,
有了这样的商业力量，大津巴布韦得以跨越大陆扩展其影响范围，
fostering a strong Arab and Indian trader presence throughout its zenith.
在鼎盛时期促进了强大的阿拉伯和印度贸易商的出现。
Archaeologists have since pieced together the details of this history through artifacts discovered on site.
考古学家通过在遗迹上发现的文物的研究，逐步拼凑起大津巴布韦历史的细节。

There were pottery shards and glassworks from Asia,
发现的文物包括来自亚洲的陶制品的碎片和玻璃制品，
as well as coins minted in the coastal trading city of Kilwa Kisiwani over 1,500 miles away.
以及远在1500里以外的沿海贸易城邦基尔瓦基斯瓦尼铸造的硬币。
They also found soapstone bird figures, which are thought to represent each of the city's rulers,
考古学家也发现了鸟形象的皂石雕刻，这些鸟石像被认为是每个城市的统治者的代表，
and young calf bones, only unearthed near the royal residence, show how the diet of the elite differed from the general population.
同时仅在皇室居所附近发掘出许多腓骨，这个发现说明了上层人物和一般民众饮食的不同。
These clues have also led to theories about the city's decline.
这些迹象也引出了有关这座城市衰败的理论。
By the mid-15th century, the buildings at Great Zimbabwe were almost all that remained.
到了15世纪中期，大津巴布韦的建筑基本上就是现在所留存下来的这些。
Archaeological evidence points to overcrowding and sanitation issues as the cause, compounded by soil depletion triggered by overuse.
考古证据将城市衰败的原因指向人口过密和公共卫生问题，对土地过度使用所导致的土壤贫瘠问题令情况更加恶化。
Eventually, as crops withered and conditions in the city worsened,
最终，因为庄稼枯萎和城市境况的每况愈下，
the population of Great Zimbabwe is thought to have dispersed and formed the nearby Mutapa and Torwa states.
人们认为大津巴布韦的人口被分散开，并形成了附近的穆塔帕和托瓦帝国。
Centuries later, a new phase of Great Zimbabwe's influence began to play out in the political realm
几个世纪以后，大津巴布韦开始在政治领域显示出其巨大影响力，
as people debated who had built the famous city of stone.
人们不断争论是谁建立起这样宏伟著名的石头之城。
During the European colonization of Africa, racist colonial officials claimed the ruins couldn't be of African origin.
在欧洲殖民非洲期间，种族主义殖民地官员声称该遗址不可能起源于非洲。
So, without a detailed written record on hand, they instead relied on myths to explain the magnificence of Great Zimbabwe.
因为缺少详细的文字记录，他们转而用神话故事来解释大津巴布韦的宏伟建筑。
Some claimed it proved the Bible story of the Queen of Sheba who lived in a city of riches.
一部分人认为这证实了圣经中希巴女王曾生活在一座财富之城的故事。
Others argued it was built by the Ancient Greeks.
另一部分人则认为大津巴布韦是古希腊人建立的。
Then, in the early 20th century after extensive excavation at the site,
随后在20世纪早期，随着遗址的大量挖掘，
the archaeologist David Randall-MacIver presented clear evidence that Great Zimbabwe was built by indigenous peoples.
考古学家David Randall-MacIver找到明确的证据证明大津巴布韦是原住民所建。
Yet, at the time, the country's white minority colonial government sought to discredit this theory
然而在当时，这个国家的少数白人的殖民政府却在诋毁这一理论，
because it challenged the legitimacy of their rule.
因其挑战了他们统治的合法性。
In fact, the government actively encouraged historians to produce accounts that disputed the city's African origins.
事实上，政府还在积极鼓励历史学家来撰写文章质疑这座城市的非洲起源说法。
Over time, however, an overwhelming body of evidence mounted, identifying Great Zimbabwe as an African city built by Africans.
随着时间的推移，一个压倒性的证据出现了，证实大津巴布韦是一座由非洲人民建立的非洲城市。
During the 1960s and 70s, Great Zimbabwe became an important symbol for the African Nationalist movement that was spreading across the continent.
在上个世纪60和70年代，大津巴布韦成为了非洲民族主义运动的一个重要象征，这一象征传遍了整个非洲大陆。
Today, the ruins at Great Zimbabwe, alluded to on the Zimbabwean flag by a soapstone bird,
今天，津巴布韦的国旗上代表着大津巴布韦遗址的皂石神鸟像，
still stand as a source of national pride and cultural value.
仍被视作民族骄傲和文化价值的来源。