2016-07-14

【Aiden in English】

        In the UK, there are thousands of stone circles. Not to crush any dreams, but unfortunately, Stonehenge near London is not a one-of-a-kind weird stone structure built in a circle in England. In fact, it is quite common in the countryside for a farmer to uncover or settle next to mysterious pieces of rocks. Some say they are alien, or even supernatural, which gets many people to scratch their heads. We are going to see Stonehenge later on, but for now, we'll settle in the Heart of Neolithic Orkney located in the north of Scotland to have a close look at the Standing Stones of Stenness, the Ring of Brodgar, Skara Brae, and Maeshowe. 

        The Standing Stones of Stenness is a miniature Stonehenge in the sense that they have larger stones. Even so, it's designated as the UNESCO World Heritage Site since 1999. However caveman-like that sounds in Skara Brae, it's true. Back in 3,000 BCE, the residents near Stonehenge probably bragged to the people of the Standing Stones of Stenness about their tiny stones, while the people of the Ring of Brodgar probably bragged that their stone circle was wider. Then Stonehenge would probably say that their popularity was much higher than the Stenness's, and the Ring of Brodgar would probably say that they were much more complete than Stonehenge was. The competition is close and competitive, so much that the face of the modern locals turns red at the mention of their rival. The Ring of Brodgar is indeed the most complete stone circle in the UK, having twenty-seven of its original sixty, which is relatively good. It also is way, way older than Stonehenge. 

        Here's a timeline. The Great Wall of China was built in 220 BCE. The Giza Pyramids of Egypt were built in 2,500 BCE. The Stonehenge of England was built in 3,000 BCE. Skara Brae was built in 3,100 BCE, which beats that Stonehenge. Truthfully, the conditions the rocks are in can't really distinguish any differences. Although a guy blew up a few stones with dynamite, the Ring of Brodgar is still fairly intact. I bet Stonehenge can't say that. But unfortunately, both Standing Stones of Stenness and Ring of Brodgar here really don't serve a known purpose. The sun does not strike it like a sundial, nor does it seem like a sacrificial area. One major event did set off some theories: in 1982, lightning struck a pillar. Although thank goodness, nothing exploded, people now believe that the stones are lightning rods, since the area is lacking in trees and tall objects. Still, a highly doubtful theory, if you ask me. The lack of evidence of anything, in particular, is quite something to work with. Therefore, every hypothesis sounds blatantly stupid. The stones have been under constant weathering, and the elements have taken a toll on the rocks. Chipping, holes, and bog have allowed grass and mold to grow directly on the stones, giving the rocks many unnecessary colors. In fact, the bog has allowed the stones to begin sinking into the ground, and so the area needs a bit of help. 

        In a few days, we'll be seeing Stonehenge, probably one of the world's most popular sights. Being nearly the face of ancient England, I'll have a great comparison between these two historic circles. Then again, they're only rocks...

【紅霞譯文】

        英國有成千上萬個石圈，咱不想有意打碎任何美夢，但遺憾的是倫敦附近的英格蘭石圈──巨石陣算不上稀奇古怪的玩藝，實際上，一位老農在鄉下某個神秘地方隨意發現或者信手拈來這樣的石圈可以說家常便飯。有人推測這些不是外星人搞的名堂就是超自然神力再現，很多民眾對之將信將疑。再有幾天我們要去領略巨石陣，但眼下還是先到蘇格蘭北部近距離參觀由斯丹尼斯立石、布羅德蓋石圈、斯卡拉布雷村落以及梅肖韋古墓四部分組成的奧克尼新石器時代遺址。

        相對巨石陣的石塊大小來說，斯丹尼斯立石真有點小巫見大巫，既便如此，它仍舊於1999年被聯合國教科文組織列入《世界遺產名錄》，不過這個聽起來如同山頂洞人出沒的斯卡拉布雷村落確實小得憋屈。追溯到公元前3,000年，居住在巨石陣的傻大個興許會嘲笑斯卡拉布雷頂多是塊彈丸之地，而穴居於此的矮矬子卻吹噓自己的布羅德蓋石圈更加寬乎；傻大個似乎不以為然，揚言巨石陣名聲在外，而矮矬子哪甘示弱，堅稱布羅德蓋石圈完整無比。雙方爭得面紅耳赤難分仲伯，不過布羅德蓋石圈的確是英國最全乎的石圈，至今60個立石當中有27個居然保留了下來。

        以下提供一個時間表：中國長城始建於公元前220年，埃及吉薩金字塔始建於公元前2,500年，巨石陣始建於公元前3,000年，而斯卡拉布雷村落始建於公元前3,100年，單憑年曆，後者就比前者更加古老。說實話，兩地立石本身並沒有多大區別，儘管早先曾有壞蛋蓄意炸毀了幾塊石頭，但布羅德蓋石圈依舊保存完好，我敢打賭巨石陣肯定沒法做到這一點。遺憾的是，無人清楚斯丹尼斯立石和布羅德蓋石圈的用途所在，它們既不用作指示時間的日晷，也不當成祭祀神靈的地方，倒是因為後來發生的事情而引發出一些推論：1982年閃電擊中了其中一根石柱，謝天謝地沒有出現爆炸，然而人們開始相信這些石頭莫非就是避雷針，因為周圍缺少樹林及高大建築物。在我看來，該理論是否成立值得商榷，既然人們對某特殊事物缺乏足夠的認識，就需要投注力量去探索研究，因此任何憑空想象的解釋都是無稽之談。立石經長年風吹雨打，結構已有改變，裂縫、窟窿、積水為青草生長黴菌繁衍提供了可乘之機，岩石因此而染上許多不必要的色彩。事實上，積水使得立石下沉並深入地面，所以說該地區亟待幫助。

        再過幾天，我們將親臨知名度極其可觀的巨石陣，那裡堪稱古代英格蘭的象徵，屆時我將有資格比較兩個石圈歷史遺蹟。話又說回來，它們畢竟就是一堆石頭……