星空瞰华夏（2020）

of a massive water control system.
很小的一部分
Miles of artificial waterways that provided transport
蜿蜒数千米的人造水路
and control of agriculture over an area
为一个面♥积♥几乎两倍于曼哈顿岛的地区
nearly twice the size of manhattan island.
提供了交通渠道和农业灌溉
Amazingly, the ongoing excavations here
令人惊奇的是 正在进行的发掘显示
have dated this to over 5000 years ago,
这里的历史远在五千年之外
it's the oldest evidence
这是迄今发现的最古老的
of humans harnessing water ever discovered.
关于人类开♥发♥利用水资源的证据
Chinese experts believe it allowed an earth-walled city
中国专家认为 它让一个土墙围成的
of more than 30,000 people
人口超过三万的城市
to flourish in these flood prone coastal lowlands.
在这个洪水泛滥的沿海低地得以繁荣发展
That means that this new discovery,
这说明这一新发现的 名叫良渚的遗迹
called Liangzhu, is the oldest city ever found in China!
是中国迄今发现的最古老的城市
But like Shimao, this city was also abandoned after 800 years.
但像石峁一样 这座城市在八百年后被废弃了
And here, the latest excavation is finding evidence of why.
而在这里 最近的发掘正在寻找这一原因
In my quest to find out why the ancient stone city at Shimao
在我寻找古代石城石峁在3800年前
vanished 3800 years ago,
消失的原因时
I've ruled out the earthquakes, floods and wars
我排除了地震 洪水和战争
that destroyed other ancient civilizations.
这些毁灭了其他古代文明的因素
But Sarah's investigating one more possibility.
但萨拉正在研究另一种可能性
She's looking for answers in the demise of the oldest city
她在寻找这座中国迄今发现的
ever found in China.
最古老城市的灭亡原因
Here, Wang Ningyuan and his team are finding evidence
王宁远和他的团队在这里找到了证据
that the city's agriculture was hit by an unstoppable force,
这里的农业遭到了一种不可抗拒的力量的打击
climate change.
那就是气候变化
The layers below here belong to the final period of Liangzhu.
这层以下属于良渚的末期
This is all manmade.
这些都是人工建造的
The thick layer here on top has accumulated
这上面的厚层是从反复涌来的海水中
from repeated seawater floods.
沉积下来的
The team's evidence suggests that
团队找到的证据显示
prolonged heavy rains destroyed the city's agriculture.
漫长的暴雨毁掉了这座城市的农业
Dwindling food supplies forced the population to move away
紧缩的粮食供应让人们不得不背井离乡
and then silt left by centuries of rising sea-levels
然后几世纪以来不断上升的海平面
buried what remained.
留下的淤泥埋葬了余下的一切
It's amazing that Liangzhu could support such a big city.
良渚能够支撑一座这么大的城市令人赞叹
But when the climate changed and big floods came,
但当气候变化和大规模洪水来袭
this city was helpless in the face of nature.
这座城市在大自然的面前孤立无援
So the environment forged this civilization
所以环境塑造了文明
but also somehow, decided its end.
但也在某种程度上决定了它的灭亡
If a dramatic shift in the climate
如果气候的急剧变化
could destroy a city the size of Liangzhu
能够毁灭一个像良渚那么大的城市
could something similar have happened at Shimao?
有没有可能在石峁也发生了类似的情况
Recent analysis of ancient pollen grains found across
最近对中国北方的古代花粉粒的分♥析♥显示
Northern China reveals that when Shimao was at its peak,
在石峁的巅峰时期
it was much warmer and wetter.
气候要温暖湿润得多
But 3800 years ago, just when the city declined,
但在3800年前 这座城市衰退的时候
the monsoon weather patterns changed abruptly.
季风气候模式突然变化了
This area became drier and colder.
这一地区变得更加干燥和寒冷
The climate change evidence makes perfect sense.
气候变化的迹象很能说明问题
If you look at the landscape, look at the soils,
如果你看看这里的地形 这里的土壤
it just doesn't seem that this area could have sustained
在古代 这个地区似乎不足以
such large numbers of people in ancient times.
支撑数量如此庞大的人口
This is the best explanation so far
这是目前对于石峁灭亡的
for the demise of shimao.
最佳解释
That sudden climate change
突如其来的气候变化
transformed this region into a cold semi-desert,
把这个地区变成了寒冷的半沙漠地带
ravaging the civilization with famine and drought.
用饥荒和旱灾毁灭了这个文明
All the things that sustained life were no longer possible
能够维持生命的一切都不复存在
and when you've got people that aren't satisfied
当你不能够满足人♥民♥的需求
you get flight and you get abandonment.
人♥民♥就会逃离你 抛弃你
The people of Shimao deserted their once great city,
石峁的人♥民♥抛弃了他们曾经的伟大城市
leaving it to disappear beneath the windblown silt.
任它消失在风沙之下
Lost for millennia until now.
沉寂数千年 如今才得重见天日
It's so exciting.
太令人激动了
These discoveries are changing everything.
这些发现改变了一切
The where and when of how it all began has typically been lost
它源自何处 源于何时 这一切都湮没在了
to the mists of time but now we have real evidence.
时光的迷雾中 但现在我们有了切实证据
Right now, all across China,
如今 在中国各地
cutting edge archaeology is uncovering an entirely new chapter
最前沿的考古技术翻开了
in the story of human civilization.
人类文明故事的全新篇章
I'm amazed to learn how these lost cultures struggled
我惊奇地发现 这些失落的文明
to survive in the face of earthquakes and landslides,
面对地震 山体滑坡 洪水
floods and war, catastrophes with the power to destroy.
战争等毁灭性灾难 是如何挣扎求生的
It's a reminder that great empires rise
它提醒人们 伟大的帝国能够崛起
and can be wiped out again in the blink of an eye.
也能够在瞬间被再次抹去
But what they've left behind has laid the foundations
但它们留下的一切都成为了
for all the wonders to come--
未来所有奇迹的基石
the new beliefs, architecture, art, and hierarchies
那些新的信仰 建筑 艺术和等级制度
that would lead to thousands of years of civilization in China.
奠定了未来数千年中国文明的基础