古埃及鮮爲人知的11件事

Ancient Egypt stood as one of the world's most advanced civilizations for nearly 3,000 years and created a culture so rich that it has spawned its own field of study. But while Egyptian art, architecture and burial methods have become enduring objects of fascination, there is still a lot you probably don't know about these famed builders of the pyramids. From the earliest recorded peace treaty to ancient board games, find out 11 surprising facts about the Gift of the Nile.

說到古埃及，人們能想到的著名人物除圖特王外，恐怕就剩埃及豔后克婁巴特拉七世了。儘管克婁巴特拉出生於亞歷山大，但她其實是馬其頓的後人，而馬其頓人則是亞歷山大大帝最信任的上將托勒密一世的後裔。從公元前323年到公元前30年，托勒密王朝一直管轄着埃及，其大部分領袖都出身於希臘文化背景。而克婁巴特拉之所以如此有名，是因爲她是托勒密王朝第一批會說埃及語的王室成員。

1. Cleopatra was not Egyptian.

埃及豔后並非埃及人

Along with King Tut, perhaps no figure is more famously associated with ancient Egypt than Cleopatra VII. But while she was born in Alexandria, Cleopatra was actually part of a long line of Greek Macedonians originally descended from Ptolemy I, one of Alexander the Great's most trusted lieutenants. The Ptolemaic Dynasty ruled Egypt from 323 to 30 B.C., and most of its leaders remained largely Greek in their culture and sensibilities. In fact, Cleopatra was famous for being one of the first members of the Ptolemaic dynasty to actually speak the Egyptian language.

說到古埃及，人們能想到的著名人物除圖特王外，恐怕就剩埃及豔后克婁巴特拉七世了。儘管克婁巴特拉出生於亞歷山大，但她其實是馬其頓的後人，而馬其頓人則是亞歷山大大帝最信任的上將托勒密一世的後裔。從公元前323年到公元前30年，托勒密王朝一直管轄着埃及，其大部分領袖都出身於希臘文化背景。而克婁巴特拉之所以如此有名，是因爲她是托勒密王朝第一批會說埃及語的王室成員。

2. The ancient Egyptians forged one of the earliest peace treaties on record.

古埃及人制定了史上最早的和平協定

For over two centuries the Egyptians fought against the Hittite Empire for control of lands in modern day Syria. The conflict gave rise to bloody engagements like 1274 B.C.'s Battle of Kadesh, but by time of the pharaoh Ramses II neither side had emerged as a clear victor. With both the Egyptians and Hittites facing threats from other peoples, in 1259 B.C. Ramses II and the Hittite King Hattusili III negotiated a famous peace treaty. This agreement ended the conflict and decreed that the two kingdoms would aid each other in the event of an invasion by a third party. The Egyptian-Hittite treaty is now recognized as one of the earliest surviving peace accords, and a copy can even be seen above the entrance to the United Nations Security Council Chamber in New York.

爲了爭奪如今敘利亞所在的那片土地，古埃及和赫梯帝國展開了長達兩個世紀的戰爭。其中不乏腥風血雨的戰鬥，如公元前1274年的卡迭石戰役（Battleof Kadesh）。但一直到拉美西斯二世，雙方都沒爭出個高下，況且當時兩方都還得面對各自的內憂外患。於是在公元前1259年，拉美西斯二世與赫梯國王哈圖西里三世制定了一個舉世聞名的和平協定。協定終止了兩國的衝突，並規定：若兩方中任何一方遭到第三國入侵，則另一方將向其提供援助。該協定是現存最早的和平協定。如今，在紐約聯合國安理會會議廳入口處，你還能看到這份協定的副本。

3. Ancient Egyptians loved board games.

古埃及人鍾情桌面遊戲

After a long day's work along the Nile River, Egyptians often relaxed by playing board games. Several different games were played, including "Mehen" and "Dogs and Jackals," but perhaps the most popular was a game of chance known as “Senet.” This pastime dates back as far as 3500 B.C. and was played on a long board painted with 30 squares. Each player had a set of pieces that were moved along the board according to rolls of dice or the throwing sticks. Historians still debate Senet's exact rules, but there is little doubt of the game's popularity. Paintings depict Queen Nefertari playing Senet, and pharaohs like Tutankhamen even had game boards buried with them in their tombs.

在尼羅河畔勞作一天後，埃及人通常用玩桌遊的方式娛樂身心，而且遊戲類別還多種多樣，有“盤蛇圖”、“狗和豺”等。其中最受歡迎的要數以運氣取勝的“賽尼特”，這種遊戲可追溯至公元前3500年，需要一個畫着30個格子的長桌，每個玩家都有一套棋子，然後根據執骰子或拋木棍來走棋。關於“賽尼特”的遊戲規則，各史學家衆說紛紜，不過沒有任何人質疑它受歡迎的程度，證據就是涅弗爾塔裏王后玩“賽尼特”的場景出現在了畫作中，甚至連法老圖坦卡蒙的墓室裏都有玩“賽尼特”的長桌。

4. Egyptian women had a wide range of rights and freedoms.

古埃及女性享有廣泛的權利與自由

While they may have been publicly and socially viewed as inferior to men, Egyptian women enjoyed a great deal of legal and financial independence. They could buy and sell property, serve on juries, make wills and even enter into legal contracts. Egyptian women did not typically work outside the home, but those who did usually received equal pay for doing the same jobs as men. Unlike the women of ancient Greece, who were effectively owned by their husbands, Egyptian women also had the right to divorce and remarry. Egyptian couples were even known to negotiate an ancient prenuptial agreement. These contracts listed all the property and wealth the woman had brought into the marriage and guaranteed that she would be compensated for it in the event of a divorce.

在人們眼中，埃及女性的地位不如男性，然而她們享有廣泛的法定權利和財產自由，可以買賣財產、參加陪審、著立遺囑及簽訂合約。埃及不是一個女主外的國家，但在外打拼的女性絕對能得到公平的待遇，與將女性作爲男人所有物的古希臘截然不同。古埃及女性還享有婚姻自由，夫妻倆甚至可以制定婚前協議，羅列出女性將在婚後帶來的財產，以保證女方在離婚之時得到應有的賠償。

5. Egyptian workers were known to organize labor strikes.

埃及工人大罷工

Even though they regarded the pharaoh as a kind of living god, Egyptian workers were not afraid to protest for better working conditions. The most famous example came in the 12th century B.C. during the reign of the New Kingdom pharaoh Ramses III. When laborers engaged in building the royal necropolis at Deir el-Medina did not receive their usual payment of grain, they organized one of the first recorded strikes in history. The protest took the form of a sit-in: The workers simply entered nearby mortuary temples and refused to leave until their grievances were heard. The gamble worked, and the laborers were eventually given their overdue rations.

儘管工人將法老視作活着的神，但這並不妨礙他們爭取更好工作環境的勇氣。最好的例證便是公元前12世紀的大罷工。當時在位的是法老拉美西斯三世，在德爾麥迪那（Deir el-Medina）修建皇家陵墓的工人們並沒有像往常一樣得到等量穀物，於是工人們便史無前例地組織了罷工。他們在附近的祭廟中靜坐，除非不公平待遇得到受理，否則拒絕離開。然而他們這個賭打贏了，當局在瞭解到他們的意圖後，把剋扣的份額發給了工人。

6. Egyptian pharaohs were often overweight.

埃及法老大多是胖子

Egyptian art commonly depicts pharaohs as being trim and statuesque, but this was most likely not the case. The Egyptian diet of beer, wine, bread and honey was high in sugar, and studies show that it may have done a number on royal waistlines. Examinations of mummies have indicated that many Egyptian rulers were unhealthy and overweight, and even suffered from diabetes. A notable example is the legendary Queen Hatshepsut, who lived in the 15th century B.C. While her sarcophagus depicts her as slender and athletic, historians believe she was actually obese and balding.

在古埃及藝術中，法老常常瘦削挺拔、身材勻稱，但事實並非如此。埃及人飲食中的啤酒、葡萄酒、麪包、蜂蜜常常含有過多糖分，這可給埃及人的腰貢獻了不少脂肪。檢測木乃伊的結果顯示：很多法老的身體都不夠健康，體重超標，甚至患有糖尿病。典型的例子就是哈特謝普蘇特王后——她生活在公元前15世紀，石棺上的王后苗條而優雅，然而很多史學家認爲：這位王后不僅肥胖，而且還可能是個禿子。

7. The pyramids were not built by slaves.

金字塔並非奴隸所建

The life of a pyramid builder certainly wasn't easy—skeletons of workers commonly show signs of arthritis and other ailments—but evidence suggests that the massive tombs were built not by slaves but by paid laborers. These ancient construction workers were a mix of skilled artisans and temporary hands, and some appear to have taken great pride in their craft. Graffiti found near the monuments suggests they often assigned humorous names to their crews like the “Drunkards of Menkaure” or the “Friends of Khufu.” The idea that slaves built the pyramids at the crack of a whip was first conjured by the Greek historian Herodotus in the fifth century B.C., but most historians now dismiss it as myth. While the ancient Egyptians were certainly not averse to keeping slaves, they appear to have mostly used them as field hands and domestic servants.

修建金字塔的人過得並不好，工人的骨架上有關節炎及各種疾病的痕跡。但有證據顯示，那些巨大的陵墓並非奴隸所建，而是當權者花錢請工人建的，這些要麼是有一技之長的工匠，要麼是一些臨時工。而且，似乎一些工人還對自己的手藝感到相當自豪。紀念碑旁有一些塗鴉，上面常有他們爲工友起的令人啼笑皆非的綽號：“孟卡拉(譯者注：Menkaure，又譯門卡拉，古埃及第四王朝的法老，大約在公元前26世紀裏在位18年左右。)的酒鬼”、“胡夫的好基友”。而“奴隸在鞭聲中修建金字塔”這一觀點最早是由希臘史學家希羅多德在公元前5世紀提出的，但很多史學家並不認同，覺得簡直是一派胡言。儘管古埃及人不反對蓄養奴隸，但這些奴隸多在田間勞作，或在家中打雜。

8. King Tut may have been killed by a hippopotamus.

殺害圖特王的兇手可能是河馬

Surprisingly little is known about the life of the boy pharaoh Tutankhamen, but some historians believe they know how he died. Scans of the young king's body show that he was embalmed without his heart or his chest wall. This drastic departure from traditional Egyptian burial practice suggests that he may have suffered a horrific injury prior to his death. According to a handful of Egyptologists, one of the most likely causes for this wound would have been a bite from a hippopotamus. Evidence indicates that the Egyptians hunted the beasts for sport, and statues found in King Tut's tomb even depict him in the act of throwing a harpoon. If the boy pharaoh was indeed fond of stalking dangerous game, then his death might have been the result of a hunt gone wrong.

令人驚奇的是，人們對圖坦卡蒙這位少年法老知之甚少，但一些史學家相信自己已掌握了他真正的死因。少年身上的傷口顯示：在進行屍體防腐處理時，屍體裏並沒有心臟和胸壁。這種另類的處理方式表明，法老在逝世前受了很嚴重的外傷。一部分埃及古物學者認爲，這一致命傷口可能是河馬咬的。史料顯示，埃及人的確把追獵河馬當作運動，而少年法老的墓室裏也有他高舉魚叉的塑像。如果這位法老那麼執着於危險遊戲，那隻能說這次是真的玩大了。

9. Some Egyptian doctors had specialized fields of study.

部分埃及醫生開始細化醫學研究

An ancient physician was usually a jack-of-all-trades, but evidence shows that Egyptian doctors sometimes focused on healing only one part of the human body. This early form of medical specialization was first noted in 450 B.C. by the traveler and historian Herodotus. Discussing Egyptian medicine, he wrote, “Each physician is a healer of one disease and no more…some of the eye, some of the teeth, some of what pertains to the belly.” These specialists even had specific names. Dentists were known as “doctors of the tooth,” while the term for proctologists literally translates to “shepherd of the anus.”

一般說來，埃及的內科醫師都是多面手，但也有史料顯示，部分醫師有時只專注於治療人體某個部位。公元前450年，旅行家及史學家西羅多德率先發現了這種早期的醫學專門化研究。談及埃及醫學，他寫道：“每位醫師負責研究一種疾病，僅限一種……一些研究眼睛，一些研究牙齒，一些研究肚子裏的器官。”而且，這些醫師還有各自的名字，如牙醫被稱爲“牙齒專用醫師”，而直腸病醫師的名稱直譯過來則是“肛門看護員”。

10. Egyptians kept many animals as pets.

埃及人把很多動物養作寵物

The Egyptians saw animals as incarnations of the gods and were one of the first civilizations to keep household pets. Egyptians were particularly fond of cats, which were associated with the goddess Bastet, but they also had a reverence for hawks, ibises, dogs, lions and baboons. Many of these animals held a special place in the Egyptian home, and they were often mummified and buried with their owners after they died. Other creatures were specially trained to work as helper animals. Egyptian police officers, for example, were known to use dogs and even trained monkeys to assist them when out on patrol.

埃及人將動物視爲神靈的化身，創造了最早飼養家庭寵物的文明之一。埃及人還特別鍾情於貓，因爲貓總和太陽神的女兒芭絲特聯繫在一塊。他們還尊敬其他動物，包括鷹、朱鷺、狗、獅子以及狒狒。大部分動物在家中的地位都不一般，死後常常會被做成木乃伊，成爲主人的陪葬品。另外，一些動物還會接受訓練，成爲人類的助手。比如，警察出巡時會帶上訓練有素的狗或猴。

11. Egyptians of both sexes wore makeup.

男女都要化妝

Vanity is as old as civilization, and the ancient Egyptians were no exception. Both men and women were known to wear copious amounts of makeup, which they believed gave them the protection of the gods Horus and Ra. These cosmetics were made by grinding ores like malachite and galena into a substance called kohl. It was then liberally applied around the eyes with utensils made out of wood, bone and ivory. Women would also stain their cheeks with red paint and use henna to color their hands and fingernails, and both sexes wore perfumes made from oil, myrrh and cinnamon. The Egyptians believed their makeup had magical healing powers, and they weren't entirely wrong: Research has shown that the lead-based cosmetics worn along the Nile actually helped stave off eye infections.

虛榮幾乎伴隨文明而生，埃及也不例外。在那裏，不論男女都頂着大濃妝，他們認爲這樣會得到太陽神的庇廕。化妝品的原料是磨碎的礦石，如孔雀石、方鉛礦，這些礦石會被製成一種稱爲眼影粉的東西，然後用木、骨或象牙製成的工具，抹在眼周即可。女性還會塗腮紅，用指甲花染手和指甲。至於用原油、沒藥和桂皮製成的香水，則是男男女女都必不可少的東西。他們相信臉上的妝有一種神奇的治療功能，而研究證明他們有一定道理：化妝品含鉛，這種自上而下的化妝風潮的確有效地抑制了眼部感染。