世界遺産(世界に一つしか建てられない)
(訳注)原文ではGreat Artist(偉大な芸術家)の誕生確率について限定がされていないが、おそらくこれは建設都市にのみ有効。
At the very center of the palace was, of course, Louis' bedroom, a massive and ostentatious room. At the center of the bedroom was the Royal Bed, which was surrounded by a railing, suggesting that the king did indeed hold large audiences while reclining in the bed and needed a way to keep the visitors' fingers from messing up the royal linens.
The Hall of Mirrors is another impressive room in Versailles. Over 200 feet in length and 30 feet wide, the hall contains 578 mirrors and 17 ornate windows. On the ceiling Louis had painted 30 pictures showing his many triumphs and the benefits of his rule.
While appearing to many a massive exercise in royal excess, Louis had good reason for constructing Versailles; with one stroke he removed the nobility and bureaucracy from the intrigues of Paris and made them more immediately responsible to him. In this way he was able to render the once powerful nobility largely impotent; great families which had once battled each other for the throne of France now found themselves instead intriguing for the privilege of attending Louis' bath.
Nonetheless, Versailles was, in fact, an extraordinarily expensive building. It has been estimated that maintaining the palace and its noble denizens consumed 6% of the entire French national budget. For a comparison, the United States' President's 2006 budget estimates that the US will take in about 2.2 trillion dollars in revenue in 2006. Six percent of that amount is 132 billion dollars.
After the French Revolution and the dissolution of the monarchy, Versailles fell into disrepair and disuse. The German Army made the complex its headquarters after defeating France in the Franco-Prussian war in 1870. The building remained in decay until the 1960s, when Pierre Verlet conceived the bold idea of refurbishing Versailles to its glory days under Louis XIV. Since then the curators have managed to retrieve many of the original furnishings from across Europe.
(訳注)現在の学説では墓説よりも天文ないし祭礼の施設、あるいは失業者対策としての公共事業とする説が有力である。実際にミイラが見つかったピラミッドはたった1つだけである。なおPyramidと言うのはピラミスという古代ギリシャの三角形をしたパンから後世に付けられた名前で、実際の名はムルあるいはメル(「昇る」の意)といい、「太陽への階段」を意味したらしい。
※Calendar(暦)により時代遅れにされます。
Stonehenge was built in southern England. Consisting of concentric circles of stone surrounded by a moat (called a "henge"), Stonehenge was constructed in several stages over thousands of years. The henge was dug approximately 5000 years ago; the inner ring of smaller "bluestones" were added about a thousand years later, in approximately 2000 BC; and the outer ring of huge sarsen stones was completed 500 years later.
No one is sure exactly who constructed Stonehenge. For centuries it was romantically and erroneously believed that the Druids built the wonder, but in fact the edifice was completed 2000 years before there were any Druids. All we really know is that construction was begun by people of the Neolithic period and completed by those who supplanted them.
Stonehenge is a wonder of engineering constructed with the most primitive tools. It appears that the outer ditch was dug with wooden and bone implements. The 80 inner bluestones, weighing about 4 tons each, were transported from a quarry over 240 miles away. Scientists speculate that the stones were dragged on logs and wooden sledges for part of the journey and carried on river barges for the rest. The heaviest of the outer ring of stones weighs in at about 50 tons; it took approximately 600 men to drag such stones from their quarry, about 20 miles away. These monster stones had to be pulled upright in exactly the correct position by men equipped with ropes and wooden levers.
There is much debate about Stonehenge's purpose. Some theorize that it was built as a temple to honor earth gods, while others believe that it was a burial ground for ancient kings and noblemen. Another theory is that Stonehenge is an ancient astronomical observatory, charting the movement of the stars which men believed controlled their destinies.
Whatever its original purpose, it remains today a rugged and beautiful monument to the astonishing skill and dedication of its "primitive" builders.
There have actually been five different "Great Walls" built by different Chinese dynasties. The first four were constructed of earth and have since all but disappeared. The current wall was built almost entirely by the Ming Dynasty between 1368 and 1640 AD. This wall was constructed on a grander scale, using more permanent materials (like stone). The Ming wall stretches for 3,948 miles from Shanhai Pass on the Bohai Gulf in the east to Lop Nur in the southeast portion of Xinjiang's Uygur Autonomous Region in the west. This was the region where the Silk Road first entered China, and a series of watchtowers which could communicate via smoke signals were intended to pass messages rapidly along the vast length.
In pure military terms, the Great Wall turned out to be something of a failure. The Manchus were able to bribe a Chinese general to let them pass through the wall, so it turned out to be of little value in stopping a major barbarian attack. After the Manchus conquered China, the borders of the country extended far to the north, rendering the wall irrelevant. The sheer cost of the wall was also staggering, and the cost in human lives is said to have exceeded over one million souls (the Great Wall is sometimes nicknamed "the long graveyard").
Today much of the Great Wall is in a state of disrepair - though the tourist regions are well-preserved, much of the rest of the structure is crumbling, and perhaps only 20%% of the wall is in good condition. Despite its decay, the Great Wall remains one of China's most popular tourist attractions and a true wonder of the world.
※Scientific Method(科学的手法)により時代遅れにされます。
(訳注)古いCivでは「王立図書館」と訳されていた。文中2つの最重要~とあるがもう一方はペルガモン市にあった図書館である。アレクサンドリア図書館からはライバル視されており、写本の邪魔をするためにパピルスの輸出が止められた結果、羊皮紙が発明されたという逸話がある。 また文中A.D.391年に~とあるのは図書館の分館のあったセラピス神殿がキリスト教狂信者によって破壊された事件を指すと思われる。図書館本館は実際にはB.C.47年のカエサルのエジプト進駐時に焼失したとも、A.D.270年前後のゼノビア女王の乱の時に破壊されたとも言われている。図書館の完全な破壊はA.D.641年のイスラム勢力のアレクサンドリア占領時であるとする説もある。
※Corporation(企業)により時代遅れにされます。
(訳注)古いCivでは「大灯台」ないし「アレクサンドリアの大灯台」と訳された。よく(古代)世界の七不思議の一つに挙げられるが実はフィロンによるオリジナルの「七不思議」には数えられていない。原文では90m(300ft)とあるが120m以上とする説も多い。 地震により何度か破壊されるも修復され、12世紀頃まで使用されていたらしい。全壊したのは1303年の大地震と推定されている。その跡地にはA.D.1480年にカイトベイ城塞が建てられている。
※Astronomy(天文学)により時代遅れにされます。
(訳注)古いCivではアポロ巨像と訳される場合もあるが、これは古くからある巨像の通称で、アポロが太陽神ヘリオスと同一視されたことによる。
(訳注)古いCivでは「神託所」あるいは「デルフィの神託」と訳された。アポロはアポロンのローマ名。デルフォイの女託宣者はしばしばシビュラ(Sibylla)とも呼ばれることがあるが、これは元々個人名で、有名だった予言者の名が後世に一般化したものと考えられている。ピュティアの名はデルフォイ市の旧名ピュティーに由来する。なお神託所自体は元々は土着の地母神の神託所だったらしい。デルフォイがアポロンの神託所になった由来は神話化されている。
※Chemistry(化学)により時代遅れにされます。
パルテノン神殿は時代とともに多くの破壊行為にさらされました。5世紀、ローマ皇帝はアテナ像を略奪しコンスタンティノープルに移動させました。その後、そのアテナ像は破壊されました。13世紀、パルテノン神殿はカトリックの教会に変えられ、内装は変更され、古の神に捧げられた多くの彫像は撤去(そしておそらくは破壊)されました。15世紀、アテナイはオスマントルコに占領され、神殿はモスクに変えられました。17世紀、トルコ人とベネチア人との戦争によって部分的に破壊されました。最終的には、19世紀、イギリス大使が建物に残っていたすべての大理石フリーズを略奪し、大英博物館に売却しました。
長い年月にわたって無視され、損傷され、略奪されたにも関わらず、パルテノン神殿は今なお、非常に力強く美しい古代ギリシャの栄光のシンボルとして健在です。
The Parthenon has suffered much from the ravages of time. In the 5th century a Roman Emperor stole the statue of Athena and moved it to Constantinople, where it was subsequently destroyed. In the 13th century the Parthenon was converted to a Catholic church, which involved altering the internal structure and removing (and probably destroying) many statues dedicated to the old gods. In the 15th century Athens was captured by the Ottomans, and the temple was turned into a mosque. In the 17th century the Parthenon was partially destroyed during a war between the Ottomans and Venetians. Finally, in the 19th century, the British ambassador to Greece looted all of the surviving marble friezes from the building, which he subsequently sold to the British museum.
Despite the centuries of neglect, mutilation and pillaging, the Parthenon still stands - a remarkably powerful and beautiful symbol of the glories of ancient Greece.
Unfortunately, the Temple of Artemis was destroyed again in 356 BC by a man named Herostratus, who deliberately committed arson in an attempt to immortalize his name (in which he obviously succeeded). Legend has it that the temple burned to the ground on the same night as Alexander the Great was born, and that Artemis was too busy attending his birth to save her temple. After Alexander's death, the Temple of Artemis was rebuilt once more, achieving its largest and most impressive size yet. Aside from its roof, the new temple was made entirely out of marble, with steps leading up to a huge terrace that measured 260 by 430 feet in size. The temple was re-adorned with statues, paintings, and other fine artwork, and over time regained its position of glory.
When St. Paul visited Ephesus in the first century AD, the Temple of Artemis was still standing and its priests had no intention of renouncing their goddess. Unfortunately, the building was burned down by the Goths during a raid in 262 AD. The Ephesians vowed to rebuild it, but interest in the Hellenic gods and goddesses was beginning to wane by that point. By 400 AD, most of the people of Ephesus had converted to Christianity, and the remnants of the temple were torn down by St. John Chrysostom. The marble from the temple was salvaged for use in other building projects, and almost nothing remains of the Temple of Artemis today.
※Computers(コンピュータ)により時代遅れにされます。
Angkor Wat is constructed primarily of sandstone blocks. The complex is laid out in a rectangular pattern somewhat resembling that of an ancient fortress; the inner buildings are separated from the outer walls by a courtyard similar to a bailey one might find in a castle.
At one time the courtyard was filled with wooden buildings, but these have all since perished. The inner structure is split into three galleries built on raised platforms. The outer galleys once contained libraries, while the inner was a shrine to Vishnu (and has since been converted to a shrine to Buddha). The galleries are topped with towers that resemble stylized beehives, the tallest reaching about 140 feet in height. The buildings' walls are covered with ornate and beautiful bas relief sculptures depicting scenes from Hindu mythology.
Though largely neglected in the latter half of the 20th century, serious efforts are now being made to preserve and restore this wonderful and unique place of worship, and pilgrims and tourists are visiting it in ever-greater numbers each year.
※Steam Power(蒸気機関)により時代遅れにされます。
The interior of the Hagia Sophia is a marvelous space of columns and arches extending up to the dome, which appears almost to float atop the building. The interior was sheathed in colored marble and golden mosaics depicting biblical scenes and images of Christian saints.
In 1453 Constantinople was captured by the Ottoman Turks, and the Hagia Sophia was converted into a mosque. Human images are not welcome in mosques, and many of the mosaics were covered with plaster.
In 1934, Turkish President Kemal Ataturk turned the building into a museum. In recent years some restoration work has been done on the Hagia Sophia, and a few of the mosaics have been uncovered. Despite the ravages of time, the Hagia Sophia remains universally acknowledged as one of the most beautiful buildings in the world.
※Rifling(施条)により時代遅れにされます。
Chichen Itza consists of buildings, temples and courtyards of stone. A large "pok tap ok" or ceremonial ball court stands off to one side. (Ceremonial ball is that most interesting of games in which two sides seek to pass the ball through hoops at each end of the court. The captain of the winning team was then beheaded as a sacrifice to the gods.) Though the city is much ravaged by time (and looters), there still remain many beautiful stone carvings and statues.
At the center of the city stands the mighty stepped pyramid of Kukulcan, also known as "El Castillo." Constructed around the 13th century, El Castillo is approximately 180 feet square at the base and 78 feet in height. As was the Mayan practice, Kukulcan was constructed atop an older and smaller pyramid.
Chichen Itza was a thriving city until the 13th century, when revolt and civil war broke out among the Mayans, at which point the city went into a steep decline from which it never recovered. The center of the city was largely abandoned and in ruins by the time of the Spanish Conquest of the Yucatan in the 16th century.
※Computers(コンピュータ)により時代遅れにされます。
A remarkable triumph of ancient engineering, the minaret is a circular tower 170 feet in height. A spiral exterior staircase extends up the tower to the platform where the "muezzin" called the people to prayer. It is said that the caliph al-Mutawakkil once rode up the stairs on a white Egyptian donkey.
An imposing yet magnificent building, the Spiral Minaret still stands today, calling the people of Samarra to prayer at the Mosque of al-Mutawakkil. The more courageous visitors can climb the staircase to the top of the minaret, which appears to lack an outside guardrail.
Notre Dame is a massive stone building of square towers, flying buttresses, and tall spires. The exterior of the building is decorated with delicate ribbons of arches and statues of saints and kings. The roofline of the building is festooned with gargoyles. The interior of the cathedral is a long, narrow space with columns lining each side, supporting two beautiful raised galleries. Brilliant stained glass windows shine gently down on the main altar, which contains a beautiful statue of the Virgin Mary, the cathedral's patron, holding the body of Jesus.
The cathedral has suffered many periods of neglect over the years. During the French Revolution, many of Notre Dame's treasures were stolen and the building was used as a warehouse. In the early 1800s, the cathedral was in such a state of disrepair that the city planners contemplated tearing it down. In fact, Victor Hugo wrote "The Hunchback of Notre Dame" in part to raise awareness of the cathedral's plight. In 1871, during the short-lived Paris Commune, Notre Dame was almost set on fire.
Fortunately the cathedral survived it all, and has now been largely restored to its original grandeur.
The organization of the University of Sankore was very different from that of medieval European universities. It had no central administration, student registers, or prescribed courses of study: instead, it was composed of many entirely independent colleges, each run by a single "imam" (scholar). Students associated themselves with an imam (rather than with a subject or department) and instruction was often carried out on an individual basis. Anyone could establish a college if he so wished; not surprisingly, the quality of the different schools was said to be very uneven.
Courses took place in the open courtyards of mosques or in private homes. The primary focus of the university was study of the Qur'an, although some imams gave lessons in history, astronomy, and logic. Scholars were encouraged to write their own books because it was profitable to do so - in the Islamic world at that time, books commanded a much higher price than gold or slaves. Among the most famous scholars at the University of Sankore was Ahmed Baba, a highly-distinguished historian quoted often in Islamic scholarship.
Unfortunately, the best scholars left the school during the Moroccan invasion of Mali in the 1590s and did not return later. Sankore was never able to recover its former glory.
Acknowledged as one of the most beautiful structures in the world, the Taj Mahal is constructed of rare and brilliant materials imported from across India and Asia - it is said that over 1000 elephants were employed to carry the sandstone, marble, jade, turquoise, sapphires, and other materials used in its construction.
The Taj Mahal complex covers an area of approximately 1000 feet by 1900 feet and consists of a gateway, garden, mausoleum, mosque, and guest house. The first three buildings are clad in white marble and covered with geometric patterns, while the mosque and guesthouse are built of brilliant red sandstone. The buildings are topped with magnificent onion-shaped domes and minarets.
Experts have debated about what makes the Taj Mahal unique and beautiful. Some suggest that it lies in the structures' marvelous proportions and symmetry, while others argue in favor of the way that the marble buildings interact with the light, giving the Taj Mahal ever-changing character as the sun rises and sets. Still others believe that its inherent beauty lies in its purpose - a man seeking to cast in stone his love for his departed wife.
※Fiber Optics(繊維光学)により時代遅れにされます。
The Kremlin is within a triangular, walled area about 68 acres in extent. The walls are of red brick, with pencil-like towers at the corners and entrances. Many of the buildings are painted white with yellow trim and green roofs that look quite cheerful from a distance. The Cathedral of the Dormition, constructed in the 1470s, is the oldest building in the complex. Two other cathedrals lie within its walls, as do a surprising number of palaces, the Kremlin Palace being the largest.
The Kremlin has seen many great figures rise and fall within its walls. Ivan the Terrible built the Palace of Facets in the Kremlin. In the Great Patriotic War (WWII), Josef Stalin drove the German invaders from the gates of Moscow - perhaps the greatest service that any Russian ruler has ever performed for his country. (It was also here that Stalin planned the systematic extermination of millions of his own people.) It was here that Mikhail Gorbachev oversaw the dissolution of the Soviet Union. Today, the Kremlin holds the government of the Russian Federation.
To whatever use it might be put in the future, the Kremlin will always stand as a mighty monument to Russia's past - for it has seen the best and the worst of that great nation.
The first recorded professional theatrical performance held in New York occurred in 1732. The play was a comedy titled "The Recruiting Officer." The play was performed in an improvised space; unfortunately, the exact location of the performance has been lost. New York's first known theatre was opened in 1750; the Theatre on Nassau Street held about 280 people. The theatre lasted about four years before being torn down and replaced by a church.
At present there are over forty theatres in operation. These theatres offer a selection of dramas, comedies and musicals, with musicals being in vogue at present. The competition is extremely tough, and many shows fail within weeks of opening. Clearly, Broadway is one of the two centers of American performance arts - with Hollywood, of course, being the other.
Today Graceland stands as a remarkable testament to a man who achieved almost mythological status in American culture. Therein one can see glimpses of the young Elvis - the brilliant jeans-clad rebel who "sang like a black man," the man who seduced American teens from the clutches of British rockers and frightened parents everywhere.
Overlaying these faint images is the picture of what Elvis became: the jaded overweight man, singing in Las Vegas in a white sequined jumpsuit, dodging underwear thrown by middle-aged housewives, shaking hands with Richard Nixon, and finally dying of his excesses.
Today, Elvis is still beloved by millions, many of whom refuse to believe that he died. Despite this, they flock to the mansion by the thousands to lay flowers at his gravesite.
New Jersey was the first film center in the United States, owing to the simple fact that Thomas Edison lived in New Jersey and he held many patents regarding the new technology. He and other early film producers formed a powerful monopoly on the East Coast, where they spent much time and effort trying to stamp out the many small independent producers. To evade Edison and his lawyers, a number of these businesses relocated to Hollywood, Los Angeles, where they were to shortly put Edison and his cronies out of business.
The period of 1927 to 1948 was the "Golden Age of Hollywood." Five major studios dominated the industry. The studios created the "star system," in which they heavily promoted their actors and actresses, making them household names while keeping them in ironclad contracts. The system was eventually broken when the actors began refusing to sign the contracts and instead created their own production companies. During this period Hollywood produced hundreds of movies, some-of which were great, many more of which were mediocre or worse.
While Hollywood