Chapter 1: Welcome to Rome - The Eternal City

Chapter 1: Welcome to Rome - The Eternal City

第一章：欢迎来到罗马——永恒之城

The Legend That Started Everything

传说：从这里开始的故事

Close your eyes and imagine, young explorers, that you are standing on a grassy hill beside a river. The year is 753 BCE—more than two thousand seven hundred years ago! In those ancient days, the air was fresh and clean, wild animals roamed the forests, and no big buildings or busy streets existed. You are about to witness the birth of one of the greatest cities the world has ever seen: Rome.

闭上你的眼睛，想象一下，小探险家们，你们正站在一条河边的一座绿草如茵的山丘上。那一年是公元前753年——距今两千七百多年前！在那些古老的岁月里，空气清新而纯净，野生动物在森林中漫步，没有高大的建筑和繁忙的街道。你即将见证世界上最伟大的城市之一的诞生：罗马。

According to Roman legend, two twin brothers named Romulus and Remus were born to a goddess and a mortal king. Their grandfather was Numitor, the king of Alba Longa, an ancient city near Rome. But Numitor's younger brother, Amulius, wanted the throne for himself. He overthrew Numitor, killed his sons, and made Numitor's daughters become priestesses so they could never marry and have children who might challenge his rule.

根据罗马传说，有一对双胞胎兄弟，名叫罗慕路斯（Romulus）和雷穆斯（Remus），他们的母亲是一位女神，父亲是一位凡人国王。他们的祖父是努米托尔（Numitor），阿尔巴·隆加城（Alba Longa）的国王，这座古老的城市就位于罗马附近。但是努米托尔的弟弟阿穆利乌斯（Amulius）想要夺取王位。他推翻了努米托尔，杀了他的儿子们，还迫使努米托尔的女儿们成为女祭司，这样她们就无法结婚生子，从而不会有人来挑战他的统治。

However, the goddess Rhea Silvia, mother of the twins, still had her children despite Amulius's wishes. When the twins were born, Amulius ordered a servant to take them and throw them into the river Tiber. This was a common way in ancient times to dispose of royal children who might become future threats. The servant, feeling sorry for the innocent babies, placed them in a basket and set them adrift on the river instead of drowning them.

然而，双胞胎的母亲——女神瑞亚·西尔维亚（Rhea Silvia）——仍然生下了她的孩子们。阿穆利乌斯知道后，命令一个仆人把双胞胎扔进台伯河（Tiber River）。在古代，把可能成为未来威胁的王室孩子扔进河里是很常见的事情。这位仆人同情无辜的婴儿们，于是把他们放在一个篮子里，让篮子顺水漂流，而不是真的把他们淹死。

The river carried the basket downstream until it reached a place where the Tiber flooded and left the twins on dry ground, next to a fig tree. A she-wolf, known in Latin as "lupa," was nursing her cubs nearby. When the wolf heard the babies crying, she approached and discovered them. Instead of attacking the infants, the she-wolf became their foster mother and nursed them alongside her own cubs. This incredible scene was witnessed by a shepherd named Faustulus, who took the twins home and raised them with his wife, Acca Larentia.

河水把篮子带到了下游，台伯河在一个地方泛滥，把双胞胎留在了干地上，旁边有一棵无花果树。一只母狼——在拉丁语中被称为"lupa"——正在附近给她的幼崽喂奶。当母狼听到婴儿的哭声时，她走过来发现了他们。母狼没有攻击婴儿，反而成为了他们的养母，和她自己的幼崽一起喂养他们。这一幕被一个名叫浮士德勒斯（Faustulus）的牧羊人看到了，他把双胞胎带回家，让他的妻子阿卡·劳伦提亚（Acca Larentia）抚养他们。

As the twins grew older, they became strong young men and joined the group of shepherds who worked for their grandfather Numitor. Eventually, the truth about their identity was revealed. Romulus and Remus learned that their grandfather was the rightful king of Alba Longa, and that their great-uncle Amulius had stolen the throne. The brothers were furious. They returned to Alba Longa, overthrew Amulius, and restored their grandfather to the throne.

随着双胞胎渐渐长大，他们成为了强壮的年轻人，加入了为祖父努米托尔工作的牧羊人队伍。终于，他们的身份真相大白了。罗慕路斯和雷穆斯得知他们的祖父才是阿尔巴·隆加城真正的国王，而他们的叔祖父阿穆利乌斯偷走了王位。兄弟俩非常愤怒。他们回到阿尔巴·隆加，推翻了阿穆利乌斯，恢复了祖父的王位。

With their grandfather restored as king, Romulus and Remus decided to build their own city. But there was a problem—they could not agree on where to build it. Romulus wanted to build on the Palatine Hill, one of the seven hills of Rome. Remus preferred the Aventine Hill. They even tried to read omens from birds to decide, a common practice in ancient Rome. According to the legend, Remus saw six vultures, but Romulus saw twelve, which was considered a more powerful sign. Romulus claimed this meant he had divine approval for his choice.

祖父恢复了王位之后，罗慕路斯和雷穆斯决定建造自己的城市。但是有一个问题——他们无法就建在哪里达成一致。罗慕路斯想在帕拉蒂尼山（Palatine Hill）建造，这是罗马七座山丘之一。雷穆斯则更喜欢阿文蒂尼山（Aventine Hill）。他们甚至尝试通过观察鸟类的迹象来做出决定，这是古罗马常见的做法。根据传说，雷穆斯看到了六只秃鹰，但罗慕路斯看到了十二只，这被认为是更有力的迹象。罗慕路斯声称这意味着他得到了神圣的认可。

The brothers argued, and in a terrible fight, Romulus killed Remus. This tragic event marks the founding of Rome on April 21, 753 BCE, with Romulus as its first king. Romulus drew a square outline for the new city walls on the Palatine Hill and invited people from all around to come and live there. The city was named "Roma" after Romulus.

兄弟俩争吵起来，在一场可怕的冲突中，罗慕路斯杀死了雷穆斯。这场悲剧性的事件标志着罗马在公元前753年4月21日的诞生，罗慕路斯成为了第一任国王。罗慕路斯在帕拉蒂尼山上画了一个四方形的城墙轮廓，邀请四面八方的人们来这里居住。这座城市以罗慕路斯命名，叫做"Roma"（罗马）。

The story of Romulus and Remus teaches us important lessons about ancient Roman values. Courage, strength, and determination were highly prized qualities. The fact that Romulus killed his own brother in anger shows that ambition, even when it leads to terrible actions, was also respected in Roman culture. The legend also demonstrates the Romans' belief in divine favor and the importance of omens in their decision-making.

罗慕路斯和雷穆斯的故事向我们展示了古罗马价值观的重要教训。勇气、力量和决心是非常宝贵的品质。罗慕路斯因为愤怒杀死了自己的兄弟这一事实表明，雄心勃勃——即使它导致了可怕的行为——在罗马文化中也是受到尊重的。这个传说还展示了罗马人对神佑的信仰以及预兆在他们决策中的重要性。

The Seven Hills of Rome: Nature's Perfect Fortress

罗马七丘：大自然完美的堡垒

While the legend of Romulus and Remus captures our imagination, the real reason Rome became so powerful had much to do with its geography. Rome was built on seven hills, and each hill had its own character and purpose. Understanding these hills helps us understand why Rome was able to grow from a small village into the capital of a vast empire.

虽然罗慕路斯和雷穆斯的传说吸引了我们的想象力，但罗马变得如此强大的真正原因与它的地理位置有很大关系。罗马建在七座山丘上，每座山丘都有自己独特的特征和用途。了解这些山丘能帮助我们理解罗马是如何从小村庄发展成为庞大帝国首都的。

The seven hills are, in order from north to south: the Palatine Hill, the Aventine Hill, the Capitoline Hill, the Esquiline Hill, the Viminal Hill, the Quirinal Hill, and the Caelian Hill. Each hill rises above the others like steps in a giant staircase, creating a natural fortress that was very difficult for enemies to attack.

七座山丘从北到南依次是：帕拉蒂尼山、阿文蒂尼山、卡比托利欧山（Capitoline Hill）、埃斯奎林山（Esquiline Hill）、维米纳尔山（Viminal Hill）、奎里纳尔山（Quirinal Hill）和凯利安山（Caelian Hill）。每座山丘都像巨大的楼梯上的台阶一样高于其他山丘，形成了一个天然的堡垒，敌人很难进攻。

The Palatine Hill was the most important of the seven hills. This is where the legend says Romulus built his original city walls. The Palatine was the center of religious and political life in Rome for centuries. Rich Romans built their homes here, and emperors constructed magnificent palaces. The word "palace" actually comes from the Latin word "Palatium," which was the name of the Palatine Hill. If you visit Rome today, you can still see the ruins of the palace where Emperor Augustus lived.

帕拉蒂尼山是七座山丘中最重要的。传说中，罗慕路斯就是在这里建造了最初的城市围墙。几个世纪以来，帕拉蒂尼一直是罗马宗教和政治生活的中心。富有的罗马人在这里建造家园，皇帝们建造了宏伟的宫殿。"宫殿"这个词实际上来源于拉丁语"Palatium"，也就是帕拉蒂尼山的名字。如果你今天去罗马旅游，你仍然可以看到奥古斯都皇帝居住过的宫殿废墟。

The Capitoline Hill was considered the most sacred of all the hills. At its peak stood the Temple of Jupiter, the king of the Roman gods. This temple was so important that Roman generals, after winning great victories, would climb to the temple to offer sacrifices and display their captured enemy standards. The Capitoline was also where the Roman treasury was kept, and the Temple of Juno, Jupiter's wife and goddess of marriage, stood nearby.

卡比托利欧山被认为是所有山丘中最神圣的。在它的顶峰矗立着朱庇特神庙——朱庇特是罗马众神之王。这座神庙非常重要，以至于罗马将军们在取得重大胜利后，会爬上神庙献祭并展示他们缴获的敌方军旗。卡比托利欧山还是罗马国库的所在地，朱庇特的妻子、婚姻女神朱诺的神庙也坐落在附近。

The Aventine Hill was a residential area where working-class Romans lived. It was also home to several important temples, including the Temple of Diana, goddess of the hunt. The Aventine offered a beautiful view of the city and the Tiber River below, making it a pleasant place to live.

阿文蒂尼山是一个住宅区，工人阶层的罗马人住在这里。这里也是几座重要神庙的所在地，包括狩猎女神狄安娜的神庙。阿文蒂尼可以俯瞰下面美丽的城市和台伯河景色，是一个宜人的居住地。

The Esquiline Hill was the largest of the seven hills. It was divided into three parts: the Cispius (the highest point), the Oppius (the middle part), and the Lavernium (the lowest part). Wealthy Romans built elegant homes here, and some of the city's most famous gardens were lo