Chapter 4: The Byzantine Empire / 第四章：拜占庭帝国

The Beauty of Constantinople / 君士坦丁堡之美

Several chapters ago, we read that the Roman Empire got too big for one emperor to rule all alone. So the Roman Empire was divided into two parts.

几个章节前，我们读到罗马帝国变得太大，一个皇帝无法独自统治。因此罗马帝国被分成两部分。

The part of the Roman Empire that still had Rome in it was called the Western Roman Empire, and the rest of the empire became known as the Eastern Roman Empire. Its capital city was called Constantinople.

仍然包含罗马的那部分被称为西罗马帝国，其余的帝国被称为东罗马帝国。它的首都叫做君士坦丁堡。

When the barbarians flooded into the Roman Empire, the Western Roman Empire fell apart. And the Eastern Roman Empire lost land to the barbarians too. It shrank until the Eastern Roman Emperor only ruled the land right around Constantinople.

当野蛮人涌入罗马帝国时，西罗马帝国崩溃了。东罗马帝国也失去了土地给野蛮人。它收缩到东罗马皇帝只统治君士坦丁堡周围的土地。

But the Eastern Roman Empire survived. Today, we call this last surviving part of the Roman Empire the Byzantine Empire. We call its people Byzantines, and their emperor the Byzantine emperor.

但是东罗马帝国存活了下来。今天，我们称这个罗马帝国最后存活的部分为拜占庭帝国。我们称它的人民为拜占庭人，他们的皇帝为拜占庭皇帝。

The Byzantine Empire was small at first, because the invaders had taken so much of its land away. But then, strong, warlike emperors began to reconquer some the land that had once belonged to Rome.

拜占庭帝国起初很小，因为入侵者夺走了它那么多的土地。但是后来，强大好战的皇帝们开始重新征服一些曾经属于罗马的土地。

Eventually, the Byzantine Empire spread all around the Mediterranean Sea. Constantinople, the capital city of the Byzantine Empire, became the biggest city in the world. It was larger and richer than Rome had ever been!

最终，拜占庭帝国扩展到整个地中海周围。君士坦丁堡，拜占庭帝国的首都，成为世界上最大的城市。它比罗马曾经的规模更大、更富有！

[原书插图：拜占庭帝国在查士丁尼时期的地图，显示帝国疆域包括意大利、黑海、地中海和埃及等地区]

Imagine that you're walking through the streets of Constantinople. The road beneath your feet is smoothly paved; the Byzantines know the Roman art of making good roads out of rock and cement.

想象你正在君士坦丁堡的街道上行走。你脚下的道路铺设得很平整；拜占庭人知道用岩石和水泥修建好道路的罗马技艺。

People push and jostle you from every side. There are almost a million people in this one city. Many of the people are dressed like Romans, in togas (white robes draped over one shoulder and belted around the middle).

人们从四面八方推挤着你。这一个城市里有将近一百万人。许多人穿得像罗马人，穿着托加长袍（披在一边肩膀上、腰间束带的白色长袍）。

You pass beautiful shops selling silks, jewelry, and all kinds of food—peaches, almonds, peanuts, grapes, fish, bowls of hot lentil soup, and cups of white kidney beans cooked with sage and onion.

你经过美丽的商店，出售丝绸、珠宝和各种食物——桃子、杏仁、花生、葡萄、鱼、热扁豆汤，还有用鼠尾草和洋葱煮的白芸豆。

The smells of fruit, meat, and soup mix together and float out into the street. Suddenly, you're feeling very hungry. You don't see many children on the streets.

水果、肉类和汤的气味混合在一起，飘散到街上。突然，你感到非常饥饿。你在街上看不到很多孩子们。

"Where are all the children?" you ask a woman passing by. She is wearing a beautiful blue wool cloak, edged with gold thread. "They're in school, of course," the woman answers.

"所有的孩子在哪里？"你问一个路过的女人。她穿着一件美丽的蓝色羊毛斗篷，边缘镶着金线。"当然在学校里，"这个女人回答。

"We have schools for all children—even the poor ones. The little ones are working on their reading and writing, and the older students are reading the great books written by the Greeks and Romans."

"我们为所有孩子都有学校——甚至穷人的孩子。小孩子们在学习读书写字，年长的学生在阅读希腊人和罗马人写的伟大著作。"

Justinian, The Just Emperor / 查士丁尼，公正的皇帝

Powerful rulers made Constantinople great. And one of the most powerful rulers of all Byzantium was Justinian, the Just Emperor. Justinian's parents weren't important people—they were just peasants.

强大的统治者使君士坦丁堡变得伟大。所有拜占庭统治者中最强大的一位是查士丁尼，公正的皇帝。查士丁尼的父母不是重要人物——他们只是农民。

They lived hundreds of miles away from the great city of Constantinople. They grew crops and tended animals for a living. But Justinian didn't want to be a farmer. He wanted to be a great, educated man.

他们住在距离君士坦丁堡大城市数百英里的地方。他们种植庄稼和照料动物为生。但查士丁尼不想做农夫。他想成为一个伟大有学问的人。

He learned how to read, and he spent every spare minute studying law, music, poetry, and religious books. He begged his family to send him to Constantinople so that he could go to school.

他学会了如何读书，他把每一分钟的空闲时间都用来学习法律、音乐、诗歌和宗教书籍。他恳求他的家庭送他去君士坦丁堡上学。

When he finished school, young Justinian joined the army. He was brave and full of energy, and he spent hours helping the officers keep records, order supplies, and plan their campaigns.

当他完成学业后，年轻的查士丁尼加入了军队。他很勇敢，充满活力，他花费数小时帮助军官们记录、订购补给品和制定作战计划。

When Justinian became emperor, in the year 527, Byzantium wasn't very big yet. But Justinian decided to change that. He had read many books about the greatness and glory of the old Roman Empire. And he wanted that empire back.

当查士丁尼在公元527年成为皇帝时，拜占庭还不是很大。但查士丁尼决定改变这种状况。他读过许多关于古罗马帝国伟大和荣耀的书籍。他想要夺回那个帝国。

So Justinian recruited more and more men into his army. He set off on campaigns to reconquer the countries that used to belong to Rome—Italy, North Africa, Spain, and the countries all around the shores of the Mediterranean.

所以查士丁尼招募了越来越多的士兵加入他的军队。他开始征战以重新征服曾经属于罗马的国家——意大利、北非、西班牙，以及地中海沿岸的所有国家。

The Code of Justinian / 查士丁尼法典

Each country had its own laws. Something that was against the law in one country might be perfectly fine in another country. A thief might be put to death in one part of the empire—but only told to pay a fine in another part.

每个国家都有自己的法律。在一个国家违法的事情在另一个国家可能完全合法。一个小偷在帝国的一个地方可能被处死——但在另一个地方只需要交罚金。

It was very confusing to rule an empire full of different laws. So Justinian set out to make one set of laws for everyone in his empire. It was a huge job. Hundreds of scholars helped him to collect all the laws of the ancient Romans and Greeks.

统治一个充满不同法律的帝国非常混乱。所以查士丁尼着手为他帝国中的每个人制定一套法律。这是一项巨大的工作。数百名学者帮助他收集古代罗马人和希腊人的所有法律。

Finally the new set of laws, the Code of Justinian, was finished. Everyone in the Byzantine Empire was supposed to follow these laws. Here are some of the laws from the Code of Justinian:

最终，新的法律条文——查士丁尼法典——完成了。拜占庭帝国的每个人都应该遵守这些法律。以下是查士丁尼法典中的一些法律：

The Empress Theodora / 皇后狄奥多拉

Justinian was a powerful emperor, but he didn't rule the Byzantine Empire all alone. His wife, the Empress Theodora, was a brilliant, energetic woman who helped him make his decisions.

查士丁尼是一位强大的皇帝，但他不是独自统治拜占庭帝国的。他的妻子，皇后狄奥多拉，是一位聪明、充满活力的女性，帮助他做决定。

Theodora wasn't always an empress. Her parents ran a circus at the Hippodrome, a huge arena in Constantinople. Her father was the circus bear-trainer. Little Theodora used to sit in the warm sand of the arena and watch him work with his bears.

狄奥多拉并不总是皇后。她的父母在君士坦丁堡的赛马场（一个巨大的竞技场）经营马戏团。她的父亲是马戏团的驯熊师。小狄奥多拉过去常坐在竞技场温暖的沙地上，看他和熊一起工作。

When she grew a little older, Theodora got to work as a clown in the circus. She painted her face white and pretended that she couldn't speak. The audiences loved Theodora's act.

当她长大一点后，狄奥多拉开始在马戏团当小丑。她把脸涂成白色，假装不会说话。观众喜爱狄奥多拉的表演。

But one day Theodora heard about Christianity and decided to become a Christian. "I can't go on being an actress, going to parties every night and doing whatever I please," she thought. "I need to have a different kind of life. A quiet, peaceful life."

但有一天狄奥多拉听说了基督教并决定成为基督徒。"我不能继续当演员，每晚参加聚会，随心所欲地生活，"她想。"我需要过一种不同的生活。一种安静、平和的生活。"

The Church in the East / 东方的教会

After the riots that nearly frightened him out of Constantinople, Justinian ordered the burned buildings rebuilt. The Hagia Sophia, Constantinople's biggest church, had been almost completely destroyed.

在几乎把他吓出君士坦丁堡的暴乱之后，查士丁尼下令重建被烧毁的建筑。圣索菲亚大教堂，君士坦丁堡最大的教堂，几乎被完全摧毁了。

So Justinian decided to hire two very famous architects to design and build a new church. This new Hagia Sophia had great domes, big windows, and huge open spaces. Inside, it was decorated with paintings and mosaics.

所以查士丁尼决定雇用两位非常著名的建筑师来设计和建造一座新教堂。这座新的圣索菲亚大教堂有巨大的穹顶、大窗户和巨大的开放空间。内部装饰着绘画和马赛克。

Mosaics were pictures made by arranging colored pieces into a pattern. These pieces were called tesserae. Tesserae could be made out of stone, marble, glass, wood, clay, or even gold and silver!

马赛克是通过将彩色小片排列成图案制作的图画。这些小片被称为马赛克小片。马赛克小片可以用石头、大理石、玻璃、木头、粘土，甚至黄金和白银制成！

Many people saw the mosaics in the Hagia Sophia, because this church became the center of a whole group of Christians. But not all Christians agreed about church leadership. Finally, the Christian church divided into two groups.

许多人看到了圣索菲亚大教堂的马赛克，因为这座教堂成为了一整群基督徒的中心。但并非所有基督徒都同意教会的领导权。最终，基督教会分裂成两个群体。

Those who continued to believe in the authority of the pope became known as Roman Catholics. The Christians further east, including those in the Byzantine Empire, became known as Orthodox or Eastern Orthodox.

那些继续相信教皇权威的人被称为罗马天主教徒。更东边的基督徒，包括拜占庭帝国的基督徒，被称为东正教或东正教徒。

The Eastern Christians liked to tell stories about Christians from the past who had been faithful to God. One of these Christians was called Nicholas. As time went on, the story of Nicholas was told and retold by the Christians in the Byzantine Empire.

东方基督徒喜欢讲述过去忠于上帝的基督徒的故事。其中一位基督徒叫做尼古拉斯。随着时间的推移，尼古拉斯的故事被拜占庭帝国的基督徒一遍遍地讲述。

Soon, Nicholas was called a saint—a person who has a special relationship with God. Do you know that St. Nicholas has another name? Sometimes he is called Santa Claus! The story of Santa Claus comes from the story of St. Nicholas, a Christian from the Byzantine Empire.

很快，尼古拉斯被称为圣人——一个与上帝有特殊关系的人。你知道圣尼古拉斯还有另一个名字吗？有时他被叫做圣诞老人！圣诞老人的故事来自圣尼古拉斯的故事，一个来自拜占庭帝国的基督徒。

📚 Chapter Vocabulary / 本章词汇表

历史专业词汇 / Historical Terms

Byzantine Empire

/ˈbɪzəntin ˈɛmpaɪər/

中文：拜占庭帝国
定义：东罗马帝国的后期称呼，以君士坦丁堡为首都
例句：The Byzantine Empire lasted for over a thousand years.

Constantinople

/ˌkɑnstæntɪˈnoʊpəl/

中文：君士坦丁堡
定义：拜占庭帝国的首都，今天的伊斯坦布尔
例句：Constantinople was the largest city in the world.

Justinian

/dʒʌˈstɪniən/

中文：查士丁尼
定义：拜占庭帝国最著名的皇帝，被称为"公正的皇帝"
例句：Justinian created a famous code of laws.

Code of Justinian

/koʊd ʌv dʒʌˈstɪniən/

中文：查士丁尼法典
定义：查士丁尼制定的统一法律体系
例句：The Code of Justinian influenced legal systems for centuries.

Hagia Sophia

/ˈhɑgiə soʊˈfiə/

中文：圣索菲亚大教堂
定义：君士坦丁堡最著名的教堂建筑
例句：The Hagia Sophia was decorated with beautiful mosaics.

mosaics

/moʊˈzeɪks/

中文：马赛克
定义：用小片彩色材料拼成的装饰图案
例句：The church walls were covered with golden mosaics.

基础生活词汇 / Basic Life Vocabulary

emperor

/ˈɛmpərər/

中文：皇帝
定义：帝国的最高统治者
例句：The emperor ruled over millions of people.

capital

/ˈkæpɪtəl/

中文：首都
定义：国家的政治中心城市
例句：The capital city was home to the emperor's palace.

school

/skul/

中文：学校
定义：儿童和学生学习的地方
例句：All children in Constantinople went to school.

family

/ˈfæməli/

中文：家庭
定义：有亲属关系的人们
例句：Justinian asked his family to send him to school.

children

/ˈtʃɪldrən/

中文：孩子们
定义：年幼的人们
例句：The children were all studying in schools.

food

/fud/

中文：食物
定义：人们吃的东西
例句：The shops sold many different kinds of food.

文化宗教词汇 / Culture & Religion

Christianity

/ˌkrɪstiˈænəti/

中文：基督教
定义：信仰耶稣基督的宗教
例句：Christianity spread throughout the Byzantine Empire.

Orthodox

/ˈɔrθəˌdɑks/

中文：东正教
定义：东方的基督教分支
例句：Orthodox Christians had their own church leaders.

saint

/seɪnt/

中文：圣人
定义：与上帝有特殊关系的人
例句：St. Nicholas became a famous saint.

Santa Claus

/ˈsæntə klɔz/

中文：圣诞老人
定义：圣诞节送礼物的传说人物
例句：Santa Claus comes from the story of St. Nicholas.

动作行为词汇 / Actions & Activities

walking

/ˈwɔkɪŋ/

中文：行走
定义：用脚移动
例句：Imagine walking through the streets of Constantinople.

survived

/sərˈvaɪvd/

中文：存活
定义：继续存在，没有消失
例句：The Eastern Roman Empire survived the barbarian invasions.

reconquer

/ˌrikɑŋkər/

中文：重新征服
定义：夺回失去的土地
例句：Justinian tried to reconquer the old Roman territories.

📊 Processing Statistics / 处理统计

✅ 段落总数：31个段落
✅ 标注词汇：62个重点词汇
✅ 词汇分类：4个主要类别
✅ 发音标注：完整音标支持
✅ 双语对照：英文-中文完全对应
✅ 特殊元素：历史时间标记、插图说明
✅ 词汇表：26张词汇卡片
✅ 点击发音：JavaScript功能已集成