Albania's long-lost Roman city
By Malcolm Billings
BBC News, Albania
Malcolm Billings visits Butrint on Albania's southern coast opposite the Greek island of Corfu - one of the best-kept secrets of the ancient Roman world until it was designated a national park with foreign help.
BBC的特派記者Malcolm Billings走訪了位在阿爾巴尼亞南海岸的Butrint，這個與希臘Corfu(科孚)島隔海相望的地方，蘊藏著一個曾是世上最密而不宣的古羅馬世界，一直到在外界的幫助下， 它被選定為國家公園。
Enver Hoxha, the Stalinist communist dictator of Albania until 1985, was proud of Butrint.
Enver Hoxha，這位在1985年逝世，信奉史達林共產主義的阿爾巴尼亞獨裁者，對擁有Butrint這個地方一直感到很自豪。
At the height of the Cold War in the 1960s he showed Nikita Khrushchev around. But only after the sites in the forest were sprayed with DDT and purged of snakes, wild animals and insects.
1960年代正值冷戰的高峰期，他曾領著赫魯雪夫到處參觀。卻單是在對這個隱沒於林中的遺址噴灑了DDT，驅除了蛇虺蚊蚋和野生動物之後。
Khrushchev was more interested in establishing a secret submarine base in the lake of Butrint - an idea that Hoxha did not follow up.
赫魯雪夫更感興趣是在Butrint的湖中建造一個秘密的水下基地。對於這個想法，Hoxha並沒有付諸實行。
Forest on the march
After the fall of communism, the site was plundered and the ruins reclaimed by the dense forest. Then, there were no planning or building regulations and a rash of half-finished houses and apartment buildings were creeping towards the archaeological site.
在共產主義垮臺後，這處遺址遭到掠奪，整座廢墟再度埋沒在稠密的森林中。接著，在缺乏規劃與建築規章使然，未完工的房舍與公寓大量激增，朝著這處考古遺址蔓延。
Lord Rothschild, banker and philanthropist, could see what was happening from his villa on the Greek Island of Corfu, little more than a mile across the water.
Rothschild閣下，是銀行家以及慈善家，從自己位在希臘Corfu(科孚)島上的別墅，隔著僅僅一哩的海域，可以望見Butrint上頭有什麼動靜。
"When the communist regime ended," he told me, "I sailed over to Butrint which I thought was one of the most beautiful and unspoilt places in the Mediterranean world."
"當時正值共產主義的政權瓦解，"他告訴我，"我駕船到Butrint，覺得那是地中海一帶一個最美麗、未受破壞的人間淨土。"
Another peer, Lord Sainsbury, who also took his holidays on Corfu, became interested. Together they set up the Butrint Foundation to protect the site and excavate more of its ruins.
另一位有著相同地位的Sainsbury閣下，也是因為到Corfu(科孚)島渡假後，對Butrint越來越關心。於是兩人一同創立Butrint基金會致力於遺址的保護並且對遺跡採取更進一步的挖絕。
The Albanian government welcomed the help at a time when Mafia style racketeering was rife and the country's reputation could not have been worse.
阿爾巴尼亞政府對這個援助欣然接受，特別是當時正值敲詐勒索的黑手黨作風四處蔓延，整個國家形象已經到了不能再糟的地步。
Richard Hodges, Professor of World Archaeology at the University of East Anglia, directed the first excavations in 1994.
東英吉利亞大學的世界考古學教授Richard Hodges，主持了1994年第一次的開挖。
"Food was scarce," he said. "There was nowhere to stay and the roads were almost impassable. The country was full of old stolen cars that took forever to travel just a few miles."
"食物很缺乏，"他說。"不僅沒地方住，路還不通。這個國家到處都是偷來的老舊贓車，短短僅幾哩的路像永遠也到不了似的。"
Thirteen years on, the English lords still support the work at Butrint, along with another multi-millionaire, David Packard of the Hewlett Packard computer fortune.
十三年間，除了英國貴族仍不斷支持在Butrint的挖掘工作外，另一個大富豪，惠普公司的David Packard也加入了他們的行列。
Between them about £500,000 is being spent on Butrint every year.
他們每一年總共花在Butrint的錢就有五十萬英磅。
Ruined city
From the top of the unexcavated acropolis, I had a bird's eye view of the whole city. In places I could see sections of the wall almost hidden by the forest.
我從還未開挖的衛城高處俯瞰這整座失落的城市。我看到有好幾個地方的城牆都已經隱沒在森林中。
At the foot of the acropolis there is a well-preserved Greek temple with Roman additions.
衛城下方有一座由古羅馬人增建、保存良好的希臘神殿。
And alongside the massive walls of an early Christian church, I could make out the double circle of pillars of a Baptistery in the centre of a perfectly preserved intricate mosaic floor.
沿著早期基督教教堂高大厚實的砌牆邊上，我還能分辨出在保存得相當完整、複雜精美的馬賽克鑲嵌地板中央，靜靜的躺著一座洗禮池，周圍環繞佇立著兩圈石柱。
Beyond the walls, Butrint spills out onto the plain where archaeologists have found the remains of a palatial villa.
砌牆外，Butrint的遺址向著曠野漫了出去，考古學家在此處已發現了殘存的宮殿別墅。
"One of the most important things that we do is to train young Albanian archaeologists," Oliver Gilkes of the University of East Anglia explained, as we walked along forest paths that weave through the ruined city.
當我們沿著迂迴在這座傾頹城市的林間小徑上漫步時，東英吉利大學的Oliver Gilkes解釋說: "我們做的最重要的幾件事之一就是培訓一些年輕的阿爾巴尼亞的考古學家。"
We stopped at a deep trench where a section of the Roman forum was poking out from under three metres of earth and rubble.
我們在一條很深的溝渠前停了下來，那裡有部份古羅馬廣場在三呎下的泥土與碎石堆裡顯露了出來。
"I suspect there could still be statues under all that," Oliver told me, "but getting them out," he said, "is another matter. Some might weigh as much as one of our Land Rovers."
"我懷疑那下面可能還有一些雕像，" Oliver告訴我，"但是要取上來，" 他繼續說道: "那又是另一個麻煩事。有些雕像就跟我們一台Land Rover一樣重。"
Cultural tourism
In 1997, the Butrint Foundation, along with Unesco, encouraged the Albanian government to declare the whole site, and 30 square miles around it, as a national park.
1997年，在Butrint基金會與世界教科文組織的支持下，阿爾巴尼亞政府宣布整個遺址區，連同周遭30平方英里全部劃為國家公園。
Tourists began to arrive. Now there are about 80,000 a year, most of them coming for the day on ferries from Corfu.
遊客開始紛紛造訪。現在，每年約有八萬人，大部份的遊客都是從Corfu(科孚)島搭渡輪過來做一日遊。
More parks, modelled on Butrint, are being planned to boost cultural tourism.
越來越多的公園都仿造Butrint的模式，被規劃用來推廣文化之旅。
Because the park has preserved an almost pristine landscape, there is some remarkable historical continuity.
由於這樣的公園保存的是一個最為原始的風貌，因此就會有特別的歷史延續性。
There is a Venetian fort on the waterfront and another one closer to the sea that dates from Ottoman times in the 19th Century.
在濱水區還留有一座威尼斯人的堡壘，而靠近海邊的另一座堡壘則可以追溯到19世紀的鄂圖曼帝國那個時期。
Prison state
Oliver Gilkes took me to a cluster of gun emplacements just outside the site. They looked like huge grey concrete mushrooms.
Oliver Gilkes帶我去看遺址外的一群砲台。看起來像極了巨大的灰色混凝土製的蘑菇。
Hoxha surrounded Albania with 750,000 of them and like Butrint's ancient defences, the mushrooms are a part of Albania's cultural heritage.
Hoxha用了七十五萬座長得像這樣的砲台密密的把阿爾巴尼亞圍了起來，就如同Butrint古老的防禦工事，這大朵大朵蘑菇般的砲台也屬於阿爾巴尼亞文化遺產的一部份。
But Oliver Gilkes explained: "All over the country they are just being broken up. No-one in Albania wants to be reminded of the prison state in which they were incarcerated."
但Oliver Gilkes解釋: "佈滿在這個國家的一座座砲台正開始逐漸的崩壞。在阿爾巴尼亞，沒有人想因之憶起被這些砲台監禁時的狀態。"
"They used to try to swim across there," he said pointing to the headland closest to Corfu, "under the guns and searchlights of the army. A lot never made it."
他指著最靠近Corfu(科孚)島的一片陸岬說:"他們過去曾試圖在槍砲與探照燈下從那裡游過去。大部份的人都沒能成功。"
But the national park is a new concept. For some emergent Albanian oligarchs, the boundaries are just another challenge on the path to riches.
但國家公園是一個新的概念。對一些突然出現的阿爾巴尼亞寡頭來說，界限的存在僅是通往財富路徑上的另一個挑戰。
In the Butrint National Park, an entrepreneur has tried three times to build a discotheque on the coast facing Corfu. The so-called "construction police" have twice disabled it by demolishing the staircases. On their last visit they pushed the structure over on its side.
一位企業家三度嘗試在Butrint國家公園內朝著Corfu(科孚)島的海岸邊建一個小舞廳。所謂的"建設警察"已經兩次拆除樓梯迫使它停業。在最後一次視察時他們把整座建物給推倒在一旁。
But perhaps this story is not over yet. There are those who think that the thudding beat of so-called Albanian Turbo rock may yet be wafted on the sea breeze across the water to the terraces of Jacob Rothschild's villa on Corfu.
但或許這事還沒了結。總是有這樣的人認為這種所謂Albanian Turbo式搖滾悶悶的節奏會有那麼一天隨著海風飄洋吹送到Corfu(科孚)島Jacob Rothschild閣下的別墅陽台上。
Story from BBC NEWS:
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/programmes/from_our_own_correspondent/6278418.stm
Published: 2007/07/07 11:22:22 GMT
© BBC MMVII
By Malcolm Billings
BBC News, Albania
Malcolm Billings visits Butrint on Albania's southern coast opposite the Greek island of Corfu - one of the best-kept secrets of the ancient Roman world until it was designated a national park with foreign help.
BBC的特派記者Malcolm Billings走訪了位在阿爾巴尼亞南海岸的Butrint，這個與希臘Corfu(科孚)島隔海相望的地方，蘊藏著一個曾是世上最密而不宣的古羅馬世界，一直到在外界的幫助下， 它被選定為國家公園。
Enver Hoxha, the Stalinist communist dictator of Albania until 1985, was proud of Butrint.
Enver Hoxha，這位在1985年逝世，信奉史達林共產主義的阿爾巴尼亞獨裁者，對擁有Butrint這個地方一直感到很自豪。
At the height of the Cold War in the 1960s he showed Nikita Khrushchev around. But only after the sites in the forest were sprayed with DDT and purged of snakes, wild animals and insects.
1960年代正值冷戰的高峰期，他曾領著赫魯雪夫到處參觀。卻單是在對這個隱沒於林中的遺址噴灑了DDT，驅除了蛇虺蚊蚋和野生動物之後。
Khrushchev was more interested in establishing a secret submarine base in the lake of Butrint - an idea that Hoxha did not follow up.
赫魯雪夫更感興趣是在Butrint的湖中建造一個秘密的水下基地。對於這個想法，Hoxha並沒有付諸實行。
Forest on the march
After the fall of communism, the site was plundered and the ruins reclaimed by the dense forest. Then, there were no planning or building regulations and a rash of half-finished houses and apartment buildings were creeping towards the archaeological site.
在共產主義垮臺後，這處遺址遭到掠奪，整座廢墟再度埋沒在稠密的森林中。接著，在缺乏規劃與建築規章使然，未完工的房舍與公寓大量激增，朝著這處考古遺址蔓延。
Lord Rothschild, banker and philanthropist, could see what was happening from his villa on the Greek Island of Corfu, little more than a mile across the water.
Rothschild閣下，是銀行家以及慈善家，從自己位在希臘Corfu(科孚)島上的別墅，隔著僅僅一哩的海域，可以望見Butrint上頭有什麼動靜。
"When the communist regime ended," he told me, "I sailed over to Butrint which I thought was one of the most beautiful and unspoilt places in the Mediterranean world."
"當時正值共產主義的政權瓦解，"他告訴我，"我駕船到Butrint，覺得那是地中海一帶一個最美麗、未受破壞的人間淨土。"
Another peer, Lord Sainsbury, who also took his holidays on Corfu, became interested. Together they set up the Butrint Foundation to protect the site and excavate more of its ruins.
另一位有著相同地位的Sainsbury閣下，也是因為到Corfu(科孚)島渡假後，對Butrint越來越關心。於是兩人一同創立Butrint基金會致力於遺址的保護並且對遺跡採取更進一步的挖絕。
The Albanian government welcomed the help at a time when Mafia style racketeering was rife and the country's reputation could not have been worse.
阿爾巴尼亞政府對這個援助欣然接受，特別是當時正值敲詐勒索的黑手黨作風四處蔓延，整個國家形象已經到了不能再糟的地步。
Richard Hodges, Professor of World Archaeology at the University of East Anglia, directed the first excavations in 1994.
東英吉利亞大學的世界考古學教授Richard Hodges，主持了1994年第一次的開挖。
"Food was scarce," he said. "There was nowhere to stay and the roads were almost impassable. The country was full of old stolen cars that took forever to travel just a few miles."
"食物很缺乏，"他說。"不僅沒地方住，路還不通。這個國家到處都是偷來的老舊贓車，短短僅幾哩的路像永遠也到不了似的。"
Thirteen years on, the English lords still support the work at Butrint, along with another multi-millionaire, David Packard of the Hewlett Packard computer fortune.
十三年間，除了英國貴族仍不斷支持在Butrint的挖掘工作外，另一個大富豪，惠普公司的David Packard也加入了他們的行列。
Between them about £500,000 is being spent on Butrint every year.
他們每一年總共花在Butrint的錢就有五十萬英磅。
Ruined city
From the top of the unexcavated acropolis, I had a bird's eye view of the whole city. In places I could see sections of the wall almost hidden by the forest.
我從還未開挖的衛城高處俯瞰這整座失落的城市。我看到有好幾個地方的城牆都已經隱沒在森林中。
At the foot of the acropolis there is a well-preserved Greek temple with Roman additions.
衛城下方有一座由古羅馬人增建、保存良好的希臘神殿。
And alongside the massive walls of an early Christian church, I could make out the double circle of pillars of a Baptistery in the centre of a perfectly preserved intricate mosaic floor.
沿著早期基督教教堂高大厚實的砌牆邊上，我還能分辨出在保存得相當完整、複雜精美的馬賽克鑲嵌地板中央，靜靜的躺著一座洗禮池，周圍環繞佇立著兩圈石柱。
Beyond the walls, Butrint spills out onto the plain where archaeologists have found the remains of a palatial villa.
砌牆外，Butrint的遺址向著曠野漫了出去，考古學家在此處已發現了殘存的宮殿別墅。
"One of the most important things that we do is to train young Albanian archaeologists," Oliver Gilkes of the University of East Anglia explained, as we walked along forest paths that weave through the ruined city.
當我們沿著迂迴在這座傾頹城市的林間小徑上漫步時，東英吉利大學的Oliver Gilkes解釋說: "我們做的最重要的幾件事之一就是培訓一些年輕的阿爾巴尼亞的考古學家。"
We stopped at a deep trench where a section of the Roman forum was poking out from under three metres of earth and rubble.
我們在一條很深的溝渠前停了下來，那裡有部份古羅馬廣場在三呎下的泥土與碎石堆裡顯露了出來。
"I suspect there could still be statues under all that," Oliver told me, "but getting them out," he said, "is another matter. Some might weigh as much as one of our Land Rovers."
"我懷疑那下面可能還有一些雕像，" Oliver告訴我，"但是要取上來，" 他繼續說道: "那又是另一個麻煩事。有些雕像就跟我們一台Land Rover一樣重。"
Cultural tourism
In 1997, the Butrint Foundation, along with Unesco, encouraged the Albanian government to declare the whole site, and 30 square miles around it, as a national park.
1997年，在Butrint基金會與世界教科文組織的支持下，阿爾巴尼亞政府宣布整個遺址區，連同周遭30平方英里全部劃為國家公園。
Tourists began to arrive. Now there are about 80,000 a year, most of them coming for the day on ferries from Corfu.
遊客開始紛紛造訪。現在，每年約有八萬人，大部份的遊客都是從Corfu(科孚)島搭渡輪過來做一日遊。
More parks, modelled on Butrint, are being planned to boost cultural tourism.
越來越多的公園都仿造Butrint的模式，被規劃用來推廣文化之旅。
Because the park has preserved an almost pristine landscape, there is some remarkable historical continuity.
由於這樣的公園保存的是一個最為原始的風貌，因此就會有特別的歷史延續性。
There is a Venetian fort on the waterfront and another one closer to the sea that dates from Ottoman times in the 19th Century.
在濱水區還留有一座威尼斯人的堡壘，而靠近海邊的另一座堡壘則可以追溯到19世紀的鄂圖曼帝國那個時期。
Prison state
Oliver Gilkes took me to a cluster of gun emplacements just outside the site. They looked like huge grey concrete mushrooms.
Oliver Gilkes帶我去看遺址外的一群砲台。看起來像極了巨大的灰色混凝土製的蘑菇。
Hoxha surrounded Albania with 750,000 of them and like Butrint's ancient defences, the mushrooms are a part of Albania's cultural heritage.
Hoxha用了七十五萬座長得像這樣的砲台密密的把阿爾巴尼亞圍了起來，就如同Butrint古老的防禦工事，這大朵大朵蘑菇般的砲台也屬於阿爾巴尼亞文化遺產的一部份。
But Oliver Gilkes explained: "All over the country they are just being broken up. No-one in Albania wants to be reminded of the prison state in which they were incarcerated."
但Oliver Gilkes解釋: "佈滿在這個國家的一座座砲台正開始逐漸的崩壞。在阿爾巴尼亞，沒有人想因之憶起被這些砲台監禁時的狀態。"
"They used to try to swim across there," he said pointing to the headland closest to Corfu, "under the guns and searchlights of the army. A lot never made it."
他指著最靠近Corfu(科孚)島的一片陸岬說:"他們過去曾試圖在槍砲與探照燈下從那裡游過去。大部份的人都沒能成功。"
But the national park is a new concept. For some emergent Albanian oligarchs, the boundaries are just another challenge on the path to riches.
但國家公園是一個新的概念。對一些突然出現的阿爾巴尼亞寡頭來說，界限的存在僅是通往財富路徑上的另一個挑戰。
In the Butrint National Park, an entrepreneur has tried three times to build a discotheque on the coast facing Corfu. The so-called "construction police" have twice disabled it by demolishing the staircases. On their last visit they pushed the structure over on its side.
一位企業家三度嘗試在Butrint國家公園內朝著Corfu(科孚)島的海岸邊建一個小舞廳。所謂的"建設警察"已經兩次拆除樓梯迫使它停業。在最後一次視察時他們把整座建物給推倒在一旁。
But perhaps this story is not over yet. There are those who think that the thudding beat of so-called Albanian Turbo rock may yet be wafted on the sea breeze across the water to the terraces of Jacob Rothschild's villa on Corfu.
但或許這事還沒了結。總是有這樣的人認為這種所謂Albanian Turbo式搖滾悶悶的節奏會有那麼一天隨著海風飄洋吹送到Corfu(科孚)島Jacob Rothschild閣下的別墅陽台上。
Story from BBC NEWS:
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/programmes/from_our_own_correspondent/6278418.stm
Published: 2007/07/07 11:22:22 GMT
© BBC MMVII
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