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Narrator: Listen to part of a lecture in a history class.

The professor has been discussing ancient Egypt.

教授：好了，总之，像古埃及这样的农业文明面临的一个挑战是如何记录时间，即日历的问题。

Professor: Ok, so one of the challenges that faced ancient civilizations like Egypt was timekeeping, calendars.

当你要为整个城市的人们种植食物时，在适当的时候播种是很重要的。

When you have to grow food for whole cities of people, it is important to plant your crops at the right time.

当政府一旦承担了经济责任，比如收纳租金、税，我们就需要记录收纳的次数。

And when you start having financial obligations, rents, taxes, you have to keep track of how often you pay.

所以，今天我们将要看看埃及人是这些解决这些问题的。

So today we will look at how the Egyptians addressed these problems.

事实上，他们最终使用了两种不同的日历，一种是用来记录自然世界的，或者是他们的农业问题，还有一个用来追踪王国的商业职能的。

In fact, they ended up using two different calendars, one to keep track of the natural world, or their agricultural concerns, and another one, that was used to keep track of the business functions of the Kingdom.

所以，让我们看看古埃及人是怎么和为什么看日历系统，先从尼罗河开始。

So let's take a look at the hows and whys of one ancient Egyptian calendar system, starting with the Nile River.

除了这番理解外，没有其它的方式来解释。

埃及人的生活始终围绕着尼罗河神秘的潮起潮落。

Egyptian life basically revolved around the mysterious rise and fall of the river.

他们农业系统的成功取决于他们知道河流什么时候会改变。

The success of their agricultural system depended upon them knowing when the river would change.

所以，自然地，他们的第一个日历系统，分为三个季节，每一个都以河流潮汐的变化为根据，节律是：淹没，退却和丰收。

So, naturally, their first calendar was divided up into three seasons, each based on the river's changes: inundation, subsidence and harvest.

第一个季节是淹没，在这个时间里尼罗河的谷底会被水淹没几个月。

The first season was the flooding, or inundation, when the Nile valley was essentially submerged in water for a few months or so.

之后，轮到了退却季，那时水就会退却了，留下一层黑色且肥沃的泥土，为植物的种植提供了合适的土壤。

And afterwards during the season of subsidence, the water would subside, or recede, revealing a new layer of fertile black silt and allowing for the planting of various crops.

最后，一年中最重要的时间到来了，大量的农作物从山谷中出产了，包括小麦，大麦，水果，都准备收获了。

And finally the time of the year would arrive when the valley would produce crops, such as wheat, barley, fruit, all ready to harvest.

所以，对于古埃及人来说，他们的生活很大程度上取决于尼罗河的各季节何时发生。

Ok, so it was very important to the ancient Egyptians to know when their Nile based seasons would occur, their way of life depended upon it.

嗯，他们习惯于通过月亮的相位来记录时间，相位的变化是周期性的，有规律且可预测，这个周期以新月开始，接着是满月，再重新回到新月。

Now, the way they used to count time was based on the phases of the moon, which, regularly and predictably, goes through a cycle, starting with a new moon, then to a full moon, and back again to the new moon.

这个周期后来被用来确定他们的月份长度。

Now this cycle was then used to determine the length of their month.

所以，按照这种算法，一整个月相变化构成一个完整的埃及月，大约四个埃及月构成一个季。

So, um, one lunar cycle was one Egyptian month, and about four of the months would constitute a season.

这样的话，12个月构成了一个长度大约为 354天的“年”。

Now, 12 of these months was an approximately 354-day year.

所以他们有354天的农业日历，帮助他们来决定什么时候尼罗河会泛滥。

So they had a 354-day agricultural calendar that was designed to help them determine when the Nile would inundate the land.

嗯，当然实际上，它比我们讲的要复杂。

Well, of course it had to be more complicated than that.

两次洪水的时间间隔实际上不是354天。

The average amount of time between floodings wasn't actually 354 days.

我的意思是，尽管这个间隔有变化，但平均时长明显长于354天。

I mean, although it varies, the average was clearly longer than 354 days.

这样的话，就产生了一个问题：他们是如何让这个短的日期与尼罗河的淹没保持一致呢？

So how did they keep this shorter calendar in step with the actual flooding of the Nile?

埃及人的天文学家发现，在一年的某些时间，最亮的行星，即天狼星将会从天空消失。

Well, their astronomers had discovered that at a certain time of year the brightest star, Sirius, would disappear.

实际上，它是被太阳光的光亮给盖住了。

Actually, it'd be hidden in the glare of the Sun.

几个月之后的某一天的大清早晨，黎明之前东方，天狼星又会重新出现。

And then, a couple of months later, one morning in the eastern sky just before dawn, Sirius would reappear.

这个周期很有规律，长度大约为365天。

And it happened regularly, about every 365 days.

更重要的是，天狼星的出现基本与尼罗河水涨潮同步。

Even more significantly, the reappearance of Sirius would occur around the same time as the Nile's flooding.

所以每年的这个事件都被称作“偕日出”。

And this annual event is called a heliacal rising.

偕日出能够很好地告诉我们尼罗河将在何时被泛滥。

The heliacal rising was a fair indicator of when the Nile would flood.

“偕日出”之后，一年最后一个月里的新月，标志着古埃及人新年的到来。

The next new moon, after the heliacal rising of Sirius, which happened in the last month of the calendar year, marked the New Year.

因为古埃及人的历法包括了月相和天狼星的“偕日出”，有的年份有12个月，如果天狼星没有在第12个月升起的话，那么当年就会有13个月。

And because the ancient Egyptians were using the lunar cycle in combination with this heliacal rising, some years ended up having 12 lunar months, while others had 13 lunar months, if Sirius didn't rise in the 12th month.

即使这个农业的日历仍然是波动的，一些有12个月，一些有13个月，它却比以前的历法系统更为可靠了。

Even though the length of the agricultural calendar still fluctuated, with some years having 12 months and others having 13, it ended up being much more reliable than it was before.

他们不断协调历法，以保证与天狼星的出现保持一致，确保他们不会错过各种季节。

They continually adjusted it to the heliacal rising of Sirius, ensuring that they never got too far off in their seasons.

这个日历很理想，因为，嗯，它既很好地服务于农业，又能够提醒宗教的节日的到来。

This new calendar was ideal, because, well, it worked well for agricultural purposes as well as for knowing when to have traditional religious festivals.

总之，这就是他们的第一个日历。

但他们用这一套来管理政府吗？

对于行政管理功能，长短变化的日历并不方便。

For administrative purposes, it was very inconvenient to have years of different lengths.

所以另外一个日历就出现了，它专门被用于行政管理。

So another calendar was introduced, an administrative one.

大概在3000年之后，他们宣布了一个长度为365天的年，每年有12个月，每个月严格地对应了30天，年尾额外有5天。

Probably soon after 3,000 BC, they declared a 365-day year, with 12 months per year, with exactly 30 days each month, with an extra 5 days at the end of each year.

这个政府的日历与早期的农业历、依赖于天狼星的宗教历并行不悖。

This administrative calendar existed alongside the earlier agricultural and religious calendar that depended on the heliacal rising of Sirius.

这个行政日历很好地用于安排税收或者其它的需要按时交纳的东西。

This administrative calendar was much easier to use for things like scheduling taxes and other things that had to be paid on time.

随着时间的流逝，这个日历逐渐与季节和尼罗河的淹没脱离了关系，但由于这项日历是被用于官方目的，政府官员并不看重它是否有农业方面的用途。

Over time, the calendar got out of step with seasons and the flooding of the Nile, but for bureaucratic purposes, they didn't mind.

Why does the professor mention the names of the seasons in ancient Egypt?

Why was the heliacal rising of Sirius important to the Egyptians?

Once the Egyptians realized the significance of the heliacal rising of Sirius, what change did they make to their agricultural calendar?

What are two points the professor makes about the administrative calendar?

What is the professor explaining when she says this?

Narrator 
Listen to part of a lecture in a history class. The professor has been discussing ancient Egypt. 
Professor 
Ok, so one of the challenges that faced ancient civilizations like Egypt was timekeeping, calendars. When you have to grow food for whole cities of people, it is important to plant your crops at the right time. And when you start having financial obligations, rents, taxes, you have to keep track of how often you pay. So today we will look at how the Egyptians adressed these problems. In fact, they ended up using two calendars, one to keep track of the natural world, or their agriculture concerns, and another one, that was used to keep track of the business functions of the Kingdom. So let’s take a look at the hows and whys of one ancient Egyptian calendar system, starting with the Nile River. 
Why the Nile? Well, there’s no other way to put it. Egyptian life basically revolved around the mysterious rise and fall of the river. The success of their agriculture system depended upon them knowing when the river would change. So, naturally, their first calendar was divided up into three seasons, each based on the river’s changes: inundation, subsidence and harvest. 
The first season was the flooding, or inundation, when the Nile valley was essentially submerged in water for a few months or so. And afterwards during the season of subsidence, the water would subside, or recede, revealing a new layer of fertile black silt and allowing for the planting of various crops. And finally the time of the year would arrive when the valley would produce crops, such as wheat, barley, fruit, all ready to harvest. 
Ok, so it was important to the ancient Egyptians to know when their Nile based seasons would occur, their way of life depended upon it. Now, the way they used to count time was based on the phases of the moon, which, regularly and predictably, goes through a cycle, starting with a new moon, then to a full moon, and back again to the new moon. Now this cycle was then used to determine the length of their month. So, um, one lunar cycle was one Egyptian month, and about four of the months would constitute a season. Now, 12 of these months was an approximately 354-day year. So they had a 354-day agricultural calendar that was designed to help them determine when the Nile would inunadate the land. 
Well, of course it had to be more complicated than that. The average amount of time between floodings wasn’t actually 354 days. I mean, although it varies, the average was clearly longer than 354 days. So how did they keep this short calendar in step with the actual flooding of the Nile? 
Well, their astronomers had discovered that at a certain time of year the brightest star, Sirius, would disappear. Actually, it’d be hidden in the glare of the Sun. And then, a couple of months later, one morning in the eastern sky just before dawn, Sirius would reappear. And it happened regularly, about every 365 days. Even more significantly, the reappearance of Sirius would occur around the same time as the Nile’s flooding. And this annual event is called a heliacal rising. 
The heliacal rising was a fair indicator of when the Nile would flood. The next new moon, after the heliacal rising of Sirius, which happened in the last month of the calendar year, marked the New Year. And because the ancient Egyptians were using the lunar cycle in combination with this heliacal rising, some years ended up having 12 lunar months, while others had 13 lunar calender months, if Sirius didn’t rise in the 12th month. 
The heliacal rising was a fair indicator of when the Nile would flood. The next new moon, after the heliacal rising of Sirius, which happened in the last month of the calendar year, marked the New Year. And because the ancient Egyptians were using the lunar cycle in combination with this heliacal rising, some years ended up having 12 lunar months, while others had 13 lunar calender months, if Sirius didn’t rise in the 12th month. 
Even though the length of the agricultural calendar still fluctuated, with some years having 12 months and others having 13, it ended up being much more reliable than it was before. They continually adjusted it to the heliacal rising of Sirius, ensuring that they never got too far off in their seasons. This new calendar was ideal, because, well, it worked well for agricultural purposes as well as for knowing when to have traditional religious festivals. So, that was their first calendar. 
But was it any way to run a government? They didn’t think so. For administrative purposes, it was very inconvenient to have years of different lengths. So another calendar was introduced, an administrative one. Probably soon after 3,000 BC, they declared a 365-day year, with 12 months per year, with exactly 30 days each month, with an extra 5 days at the end of each year. This administrative calendar existed alongside the earlier agricultural and religious calendar that depended on the heliacal rising of Sirius. This administrative calendar was much easier to use for things like scheduling taxes and other things that had to be paid on time. Over time, the calendar got out of step with seasons and the flooding of the Nile, but for bureaucratic purposes, they didn’t mind. 
But was it any way to run a government? They didn’t think so. For administrative purposes, it was very inconvenient to have years of different lengths. So another calendar was introduced, an administrative one. Probably soon after 3,000 BC, they declared a 365-day year, with 12 months per year, with exactly 30 days each month, with an extra 5 days at the end of each year.

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