Ten Minute History - The Viking Age (Short Documentary) · History Matters
短纪录片讲述维京时代的起源与影响，涵盖历史、文化、贸易与战争等内容，适合练习历史和文化类词汇。
793 in Lindisfar Monastery here is a little bit on fire.
793年，林迪斯法尔修道院发生了一起火灾。
It was set on fire by a group of raiders, commonly known as Vikings, who saw the wealthy poorly defended monastery as easy pickings,
这座修道院被一群被称为“维京人”的掠夺者放火烧毁。他们认为这座防御薄弱的富丽修道院很容易成为他们的目标。
which, to be fair, it was.
公平地说，确实如此。
The raid on Lindisfarne is often considered to be the beginning of the period of European history known as the Viking Age,
对林迪斯法恩岛的袭击通常被视为欧洲历史上被称为“维京时代”的时期的开端。
because hereafter the number of sea -borne raids and the amount of Viking activity across Europe increased dramatically.
因为从那时起，海上袭击的次数以及维京人在欧洲的活跃程度都急剧增加了。
So who were these Vikings?
那么，这些维京人到底是谁呢？
Well, they originated from Scandinavia, what is now Denmark, Norway and Sweden.
它们起源于斯堪的纳维亚地区，也就是现在的丹麦、挪威和瑞典。
Be aware that these weren't a single group of people, they had different social and religious practices,
请注意，这些人并非属于同一个群体；他们拥有不同的社会习俗和宗教信仰。
and were more than happy to raid each other when it was profitable.
当这样做有利可图时，他们非常乐意互相攻击（或进行掠夺行为）。
Speaking of raiding, Viking has become synonymous with raiders, but it's important to note that many Vikings were simply sea -borne traders,
说到劫掠行为，维京人常常被视为劫掠者的代名词；不过需要注意的是，许多维京人其实只是从事海上贸易的商人罢了。
and most stayed at home farming.
大多数人仍然待在家里务农。
Farming in Scandinavia was a mixed bag, and in the north of the Viking territories it was practically impossible,
斯堪的纳维亚地区的农业发展情况参差不齐；在维京人统治区域的北部地区，农业几乎根本无法进行（即农业条件极其恶劣）。
because cold.
因为天气很冷。
Southern Denmark and parts of Norway and Sweden were actually quite good for farming,
丹麦南部以及挪威和瑞典的部分地区实际上非常适合农业生产。
but population growth meant that other means such as fishing was needed for sustenance.
然而，人口的增长意味着人们需要依靠其他方式（如捕鱼）来维持生计。
The difficult climate and terrain of Scandinavia also made governing the people there very difficult.
斯堪的纳维亚地区恶劣的气候和复杂的地形，使得对该地区人民的统治工作变得极为困难。
Kings often ruled with the light touched
国王们通常以温和、宽容的方式统治国家。
in commanding someone who was on an island over a mountain or on the other side of a dense forest wasn't that easy.
要指挥一个身处岛屿上、位于山脉后方或茂密森林另一侧的人，其实并不容易。
That said, force was one of the primary ways of securing loyalty along with rewarding followers with gifts.
尽管如此，武力仍是获取忠诚的主要手段之一；同时，通过赠送礼物来奖励追随者也是另一种有效的方式。
There were some areas in Scandinavia which were pretty good in terms of resources,
斯堪的纳维亚地区有一些地方在资源方面相当丰富。
and it was around these areas that power coalesced.
正是在这些地区，各种力量开始汇聚（或：正是在这些地区，权力开始集中）。
The history of Scandinavia during the 9th century is shrouded in myth and legend,
9世纪斯堪的纳维亚的历史笼罩在神话和传说之中。
and frankly there is very little that could be said as definite fact.
坦率地说，几乎没有什么可以被确定为确凿事实的内容。
Just a quick note on names too.
关于名字的问题，我也想简单说一下。
We'll be using the names Danish, Swedish and Norse Norwegian,
我们将使用“Danish”（丹麦语）、“Swedish”（瑞典语）以及“Norse Norwegian”（挪威语）这些名称。
but be aware that the borders in Scandinavia weren't settled and that people simply lived wherever was habitable.
但需要注意的是，斯堪的纳维亚地区的边界在当时尚未被明确划定；人们只是选择那些适合居住的地方安家落户而已。
Anyway, in the 9th century Norway named after the sea route along its coast,
无论如何，在9世纪时，挪威这个国家的名字来源于沿其海岸线分布的海运航线。
the northern way was a land of many petty kingdoms who rose and fell as they vied for dominance.
北方地区由许多小王国组成，这些王国为了争夺统治权而不断兴衰更迭。
That is, until a certain king, Harold Fairhair shows up around 872, but again no one knows for sure.
直到大约872年，一位名叫哈罗德·费尔黑尔的国王出现了——不过，对此仍然没有人能确定。
It was he who established a power
正是他建立了这个政权（或：正是他确立了这种权力结构）。
base over the course of a few decades gained overlordship over the north and then defeated a confederation of petty kings at the battle of Haffersfield,
在几十年的时间里，这个政权逐渐在北方建立了霸权地位，并在哈弗斯菲尔德战役中击败了一个由众多小国王组成的联盟。
and it was after his victory that Harold declared himself to be the first king of the Norwegians.
就在他取得胜利之后，哈罗德宣布自己为挪威人的第一位国王。
In what is now Denmark, the 9th century isn't much clearer and actually the name Denmark wasn't used until about the year 930.
在今天的丹麦地区，9世纪的历史记录并不十分清晰；事实上，“丹麦”这个名称直到大约930年左右才开始被使用。
It is known though from the records
不过，根据相关记录可以得知这一点。
of the Frankish Empire of Charlemagne that
属于查理曼大帝统治下的法兰克帝国……
some of the lords who lived there will do the great deal of power and that the Danes were noted fighters.
居住在那里的一些领主拥有极大的权力；此外，丹麦人以擅长战斗而闻名。
In Sweden, named after the spare people who lived here, there is loads of evidence about what happened down to the tiniest minutiae.
在瑞典——这个国家之所以得名，是因为这里曾经居住着许多“多余的人”（即那些被认为对社会没有贡献的人）——有大量关于当时发生的事情的详细记录，甚至连最微小的细节都包含在内。
Await, no there isn't.
等等……其实并没有（什么特定的东西）。
What can be said for sure though
不过，有一件事是可以确定的……
is that the people that live there
就是那些住在那里的人吗？