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DanSayers_GreatDismalSwamp_2021E-_大迪斯默尔沼泽的秘密聚落_
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| Straddling Virginia and North Carolina is an area that was once described as the “most repulsive of American possessions .” |
这块区域跨越维吉尼亚州 和北卡罗莱纳州, 曾被描述为「美国最可憎的地方」。 |
| By 1728, it was known as the Great Dismal Swamp . |
到了 1728 年,它就是人们口中的大迪斯默尔沼泽。 |
| But while many deemed it uninhabitable , recent findings suggest that a hidden society persisted in the Swamp until the mid-1800′s. |
虽然许多人认为这里无法居住, 但近期的发现显示, 一直有一个聚落藏在该沼泽中。 |
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Straddling:v.骑;跨坐;跨过;横跨;两栖于(straddle的现在分词) Virginia:adj.弗吉尼亚州的; Carolina:n.卡罗莱纳州(在美国东南部); described:v.描述;形容;把…称为;做…运动;(describe的过去分词和过去式) repulsive:adj.排斥的;令人厌恶的;击退的;冷淡的; possessions:n.拥有;个人财产;私人物品;控球状态;(possession的复数) Dismal:adj.凄凉的,忧郁的;阴沉的,沉闷的;n.低落的情绪; Swamp:v.淹没;使不堪承受;使疲于应对;使应接不暇;n.沼泽(地); deemed:v.认为;视为;相信;(deem的过去分词和过去式) uninhabitable:adj.不适宜居住的; findings:n.调查发现;判决;裁决;(finding的复数) persisted:v.持续(persist的过去分词);坚持不懈;
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| So, who lived there? And what happened to them? |
所以,什么人住在那里？ 他们后来怎么了？ |
| People long suspected that communities had settled in the Swamp, but the historical record was spotty . |
长期以来都有人怀疑 有人定居在这个沼泽里, 但历史记录零散不完整。 |
| It wasn’t until 2003 that the first systematic archaeological foray finally launched . |
一直到 2003 年才有首次系统性的考古行动。 |
| But, despite having been extensively drained over the years, the wetland still presented many practical challenges. |
尽管这些年来, 这块湿地干竭的范围急速扩大, 但考古队仍然面对重重的困难。 |
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suspected:v.怀疑;不信任;(suspect的过去分词和过去式) communities:n.社区;社会;团体;共有(community的复数) settled:adj.稳定的; v.结束; (settle的过去分词和过去式) historical:adj.历史的;史学的;基于史实的; spotty:adj.发疹的;多斑点的;质量不一的; systematic:adj.系统的;体系的;有系统的;[图情]分类的;一贯的,惯常的; archaeological:adj.[古]考古学的;[古]考古学上的; foray:n.突袭;侵略;攻击;vi.袭击;vt.劫掠; finally:adv.终于;最终;(用于列举)最后;彻底地; launched:v.发射;发起;开展;开始;(launch的过去式和过去分词) despite:prep.尽管,不管;n.轻视;憎恨;侮辱; extensively:adv.广阔地;广大地; drained:adj.精疲力竭; v.排空; (drain的过去分词和过去式) wetland:n.湿地;沼泽地; practical:adj.实际的;真实的;客观存在的;n.实习课;实践课;
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| Researchers had to penetrate thorny thickets , wade through waters studded with sinkholes , and braved the threats of dangerous animals. |
研究者得要穿越多刺的灌木丛, 涉过满布渗穴的水域, 还要勇敢面对危险动物的威胁。 |
| After several months, they finally found islands in the Swamp’s interior . |
数月之后,他们终于在沼泽内部找到了岛屿。 |
| These formations quickly revealed traces of centuries-old secrets. |
这些岛屿构造很快地揭露出 隐藏了数百年的秘密。 |
| Archeologists found buried markings that appear to have been left by raised log cabins , fire pits , and basins that may have collected drinking water . |
考古学家发现一些被埋掉的痕迹, 显然遗址上原本有加高的木屋、火堆, 和可能是用来储存饮用水的水池。 |
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penetrate:v.渗透;进入;穿过;看透; thorny:adj.多刺的;痛苦的;令人苦恼的; thickets:n.[林]灌木丛;丛林;错综复杂; wade through:涉水(泥泞等);费力地做完;艰难地通过; studded:v.镶嵌(stud的过去式和过去分词);布满颗粒,打上装饰钉; sinkholes:n.污水坑;排水口;阴沟口; interior:n.内部;内陆;内地;里面;adj.内部的;里面的; formations:n.形成(formation的复数形式);形态;队形; revealed:v.揭示;显示;露出;(reveal的过去分词和过去式) traces:v.跟踪;探索;n.痕迹;踪迹;(trace的复数和第三人单数) centuries-old:adj.悠久的; Archeologists:n.考古学家(archeologist的复数形式); markings:n.标记;记分;成交价格记录(marking的复数); cabins:n.隔间;(飞机的)座舱;小屋;(cabin的复数) pits:n.维修区(pit的复数); v.除去…的核; basins:n.盆;[地理]盆地(basin的复数);脸盆;v.凹下成盆状(basin的三单形式); drinking water:n.饮用水;
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| They identified what seems to have been a palisade wall and excavated more than 3,000 artifacts , including weaponry , stone tools, and fragments of ceramic pipes and vessels . |
他们找到了可能是尖柱式栅栏的围墙, 并挖出了至少三千件工艺品, 包括武器、石器,以及陶管和容器的碎片。 |
| These discoveries, combined with previous findings, helped tell a story that reaches far back in time. |
这些新发现再加上先前的发现, 拼凑出发生在很久以前的故事。 |
| Indigenous American people began regularly inhabiting or visiting the area around 11,000 BCE, before it was even a swampland . |
西元前一万一千年,经常有美国原住民 定居或造访这个区域, 这里在当时还不是沼泽地。 |
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identified:v.确认;认出;找到;发现;说明身份;(identify的过去式和过去分词) palisade:n.栅栏;木桩;细胞层;vt.用栅栏围护; excavated:v.发掘;挖掘(excavate的过去式,过去分词); artifacts:n.史前古器物;人工产品; weaponry:n.兵器,武器(总称); fragments:n.碎片(fragment的复数);片断;[计]分段;v.破碎(fragment的三单形式);打碎; ceramic:adj.陶瓷的;陶器的;制陶艺术的;n.陶瓷;陶瓷制品; vessels:n.血管(vessel的复数);船舶;容器; previous:adj.以前的;早先的;过早的;adv.在先;在…以前; Indigenous:adj.本土的;土著的;国产的;固有的; regularly:adv.经常地;有规律地;定期的 inhabiting:vt.栖息;居住于;占据;vi.(古)居住;栖息; swampland:n.沼泽地;
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| A second era of occupation began much later. |
这里有人居住的第二段时期 是许久之后的事了。 |
| In the early 1600′s, more Indigenous people came seeking refuge from colonization . |
1600 年代初期,有更多原住民来此寻找庇护, 躲避殖民。 |
| And later that century, it seems that Maroons— or people escaping from slavery— began entering the area. |
似乎在同世纪较晚些的时候, 逃亡的黑奴开始进入这个区域。 |
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occupation:n.职业;占领;占用;工作; seeking:v.寻找;寻求;谋求;争取;(向人)请求(seek的现在分词) refuge:n.避难所;庇护;慰藉;庇护者;v.避难;(古)庇护; colonization:n.殖民;殖民地化;
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| In fact, the team’s findings support the theory that the Great Dismal Swamp was home to the largest Maroon settlement in all of North America . |
事实上,考古团队的发现 也支持这个理论: 整个北美最大的有色人种聚落 就在大迪斯默尔沼泽。 |
| Because their success and survival depended on staying hidden from the outside world, these Swamp communities were largely self-sufficient . |
因为成功以及生存 都要仰赖藏身的隐密性, 不被外界发现, 所以这些沼泽聚落 大致上都能自给自足。 |
| Based on primary sources, historians believe that people cultivated grains and created homes, furniture , musical instruments , and more from the Swamp’s available resources . |
根据较可靠的资讯来源, 历史学家相信, 这些人用来打造住房、 家具、乐器等的材料, 都是沼泽中可取得的资源。 |
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Maroon:n.褐红色; adj.紫褐色的; v.困住; settlement:n.协议:处理:结算:定居点; North America:n.北美洲; survival:n.幸存,残存;幸存者,残存物; largely:adv.主要地;大部分;大量地; self-sufficient:adj.自给自足的;极为自负的;过于自信的; cultivated:adj.栽培的; v.栽培; (cultivate的过去式和过去分词) grains:n.谷物;颗粒;细粒;少量;一点儿;(grain的复数) furniture:n.家具;设备;储藏物; instruments:n.器械;仪器;器具;手段(instrument的复数) resources:n.[计][环境]资源; v.向…提供资金(resource的第三人称单数);
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| These organic materials had probably already decomposed by the time archaeologists came to investigate . |
等到考古学家来此进行调查时, 这些天然材料可能都已经分解掉了。 |
| But researchers were able to find more durable objects, like ceramic and stone items that were likely left by ancient Indigenous people then reused and modified by others later on. |
但研究者也找到了更多耐久的物品, 当中有一些陶器和石器,可能是远古时代的原住民遗留下来, 再被后来的人重新使用并改造。 |
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organic:adj.有机的;不使用化肥的;绿色的;有机物的;n.分子有机体; decomposed:adj.已腐烂的,已分解的; archaeologists:n.[古]考古学家(archaeologist的复数); investigate:v.调查;研究;审查; durable:adj.耐用的;耐久的;长期的;长久的;n.耐久品; items:n.项目;一件商品(或物品);一则,一条(新闻)(item的复数) modified:adj.改进的,修改的;改良的;v.修改;缓和;(modify的过去分词);
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| Around the turn of the 19th century, It seems the relationship between the Swamp’s community and the outside world changed. |
在进入十九世纪时, 沼泽聚落和外界之间的关系 似乎改变了。 |
| Lumber and manufacturing companies began encroaching on the Swamp’s interior. |
伐木業与制造業开始侵入沼泽内部, |
| They brought thousands of free and enslaved workers to live in the Swamp and made them harvest wood, excavate canals, and drain fields. |
把数千名免费的奴隶工人带进来 并安置在沼泽里, 要他们伐木、挖渠道, 并排干地面的水。 |
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community:n.社区;[生态]群落;共同体;团体; Lumber:vi.伐木; vt.砍伐木材; n.木材; manufacturing:n.制造业;工业;v.制造;生产(manufacture的现在分词); encroaching:adj.渐渐渗入的; enslaved:v.使成为奴隶;奴役;使受控制;(enslave的过去分词和过去式)
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| Certain findings suggest that the Swamp’s hidden communities might have switched to a more defensive mode during this period. |
某些发现指出,在这段时期,藏在沼泽中的聚落 可能转换成了比较防御性的模式。 |
| But researchers also observed more mass-produced objects from this time, indicating that trading was taking place. |
但研究者也观察到,在这个时期有比较多量产的物品, 表示有贸易行为发生。 |
| Researchers think that the secret Swamp communities dispersed during or soon after the American Civil War, by the end of which slavery was abolished in the United States. |
研究者认为,这些神秘的沼泽聚落 在美国内战期间 或结束没多久后就解散了, 因为内战结束后, 美国便废除了奴隶制度。 |
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defensive:n.辩护;守势;adj.防御的;保护的;保卫的;戒备的; observed:adj.观察的;观测的;v.观察;遵守;注意到(observe的过去分词形式); mass-produced:adj.大量生产的,大批生产的; indicating:v.表明;显示;象征;暗示;(indicate的现在分词) dispersed:adj.散布的;被分散的;被驱散的;v.分散;传播(disperse的过去分词); Civil:adj.公民的;民间的;文职的;有礼貌的;根据民法的; slavery:n.奴隶制;奴隶身份;蓄奴;adj.流口水的;被口水弄脏的; abolished:adj.废除的;v.彻底废除;摧毁(abolish的过去分词); United:adj.联合的; v.联合,团结; (unite的过去分词和过去式)
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| Some people may have stayed in the Swamp until they passed away or left to settle elsewhere . |
有些人可能在沼泽度完余生, 或者离开沼泽,到别处定居。 |
| Most of what we know about these hidden communities has come to light after archeologists excavated sections of a single island. |
我们现在对这些隐藏聚落的了解 多半是因为考古学家 挖出了一个岛屿的某些部分。 |
| However, there may have been hundreds of habitable islands dotting the Swamp’s interior at the time. |
然而,当时在沼泽内部 可能有数百个可居住的岛屿 分布在各处。 |
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elsewhere:adv.在别处;到别处;
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| Between 1600 and 1860, many people lived in these hidden settlements . |
在 1600 年到 1860 年间, |
| Some probably lived their entire lives within the Swamp and never saw a white person or experienced racial persecution in broader American society. |
有些人可能一生都生活在沼泽中, 从来没有见过白人,也没有经历过广大的美国社会中 发生的种族迫害。 |
| Generations of Black Maroons and Indigenous Americans resisted slavery and colonization by creating an independent society in the heart of the Great Dismal Swamp. |
有些逃亡黑奴 以及美国原住民的世世代代 反抗奴隶制度和殖民的方式 建造一个独立的社会。 |
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settlements:n.协议:处理:结算:定居点;(settlement的复数) racial:adj.种族的;人种的; persecution:n.迫害;烦扰; resisted:v.抵制;阻挡;反抗;回击;抵抗;忍住;(resist的过去分词和过去式) independent:adj.独立的; n.无党派议员(或候选人等);
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| They fostered a refuge in what might seem like the unlikeliest of places— but one that was more hospitable than what lay outside. |
他们避难的地方, 是最意想不到的地方—— 但这个地方却还比外界更易生存。 |
| Today, this area offers a partial record of that secret, self-reliant world, imagined and built for survival and the preservation of freedom. |
现今,这个区域 为那个自力更生的秘密世界、 那个为了生存和守护自由 而想像和建构的世界,留下了部分的记录。 |
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fostered:vt.培养;养育,抚育;抱(希望等);adj.收养的,养育的; unlikeliest:不太可能的(unlikely的最高级); hospitable:adj.热情友好的;(环境)舒适的; partial:adj.部分的;不完整的;片面的;有偏见的; self-reliant:adj.自力更生的;自恃的; preservation:n.保存,保留;
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