談?wù)劻_馬競技場的起源，競技場跟基督教的殉教者有什么關(guān)系

今天的這段對話，在討論羅馬競技場，

談?wù)劻_馬競技場的起源，競技場跟基督教的殉教者有什么關(guān)系

來聽今天的講解:

A: While I'm in Rome, I think I'll visit the Coliseum.

當(dāng)我到了羅馬，我想我會去競技場看看。

B: It's a great tourist attraction,  but get there early because of the queues.

那是個很好的游覽勝地，但最好早一點去，因為要排隊。

A: Someone told me to get a guide, what do you think?

有人要我請一位導(dǎo)游，你怎么看？

B: They are worth the extra money, they also give you an insider's view. They tell you things you wouldn't know otherwise.

額外花錢請導(dǎo)游還是值得的，他們會從內(nèi)行人的角度給你解說，告訴你一些你無法了解的東西。

A: I see, so they tell you things that weren't in the movie, Gladiator!

我知道．他們會說一些在電影《角斗士》里看不到的東兩。

B: Outside the gates you can have your picture taken with a real-life gladiator, it's expensive though.

住門外你還可以跟真正的角斗士合影，不過費用很高。

A: Hmmm . . . it has another name too, doesn't it? "Amphitheatre Flavio"?

嗯……競技場還有一個名字，叫“圓形劇場”，是吧？

B: Yes, and was built by Emperor Vespasian in honour of his empire.

足的，它是韋斯帕西恩皇帝為了紀(jì)念他的帝國而建立的。

A: The name Coliseum probably comes from the big bronze statue known as the “ Colossus" , or giant, that Nero wanted built based on his image.

競技場的名字大概源于那個大家熟悉的大銅像Colossus．或叫做巨人，那是尼祿皇帝根據(jù)自己的形象豎立的。

B: Later, that statue was moved closer to the amphitheatre by Emperor Hadrian and afterwards modi6ed co look like various emperors and also, with the addition of sun rays", the Sun God.

后來，銅像又被艾德里安皇帝移到離競技場更近的地方，此后又按照各介皇帝的樣子改造。．另外還增加了一個太陽神像，即“陽光王冠”。

A: Before, you could watch amazing contests there.  I mean, really disgusting things with lots of blood, fights to the death.

后來，銅像又被艾德里安皇帝移到離競技場更近的地方，此后又按照各介皇帝的樣子改造。另外還增加了一個太陽神像，即“陽光王冠”。

B: Yes, just like in the movie. Around 80, 000 spectators followed these combats that could go on from sunrise to sunset and sometimes well into the night.

是的，就像電影里演的一樣：大約有80，000個觀眾觀看這些角斗，從日出到日落，有時候直到深夜。

A: Some sports were to kill Christians, too. You know, throwing Christian to the lions and all that.

有些角斗活動還要殺死基督徒，就是把基督徒扔給獅子或其他動物吃。

B: The Coliseum was associated with the persecutions suffered by Christian martyrs, but according to recent studies, there is no documented proof to tell us that these slaughters actually happened.

后來，銅像又被艾德里安皇帝移到離競技場更近的地方，此后又按照各介皇帝的樣子改造。另外還增加了一個太陽神像，即“陽光王冠”。

A: Anyway, in AD 313 the Emperor Constantine proclaimed Christianity the official religion of the empire, obviously forbidding the executions of Christians but also the combats between gladiators and the hunting spectacles.

不管怎樣，到公元313年，康斯坦丁皇帝宣布基督教為國教，公開禁止殘害基督徒，行禁止角斗士和獵物的決斗表演。之后，他們把那里作為墓地，后來又做了堡壘，接著又用來堆積建筑材料。對這么一個壯麗的建筑來說，好像很浪費。

B: After that, they used it as a cemetery, then a fortress and then a place to store building materials, which seems like a waste of such a beautiful piece of architecture.

競技場跟基督教的殉教者受的迫害也有關(guān)系。但根據(jù)最近的調(diào)查研究，沒有文字材料證明這些屠殺真的發(fā)生過。

A: So, a visit to Rome is not complete without making a trip to the Coliseum.  I'II go to the bookstore later and get a guidebook.

所以，到羅馬旅游一定要去參觀競技場，否則就不完美。待會兒我要去書店買一本旅行指南。