4　从飞机上向下看

掉

下

去。

生活在青铜器时代和铁器时代的人，都认为世界是平的，并且他们只了解整个世界的一点点儿，那就是他们生活的那一小块地方；所以，他们认为，如果走得太远，他们就会来到世界的尽头，就会在那里假如坐上一架飞机，在第一批文明的人类曾经生活的那个地方向下俯瞰世界，我们就会看到数条河流、几个海洋和一个海湾；而从空中那么高的地方往下看去，它们就像是这样：

注意，你们很可能从来没有听说过这些河流和海洋的名字，但其实它们为人们所知的时间，比世界上其他任何地方都更加悠久呢。其中，有一条河流叫作底格里斯河，另一条则叫作幼发拉底河。它们在流经的途中，彼此之间的距离变得越来越近，最终汇集到了一起，流入了那个叫作波斯湾的海湾当中。

你们可以在自家院子、花园的地上画出这两条河流来；要是妈妈允许的话，你们也可以在家里的地板上将它们画出来。为了好玩一点儿，你们完全可以把自己的水杯叫作“底格里斯”，将自己的牛奶杯子叫作“幼发拉底”。这样一来，你们就可以把自己的嘴巴叫作“波斯湾”了，因为水和牛奶都是喝到嘴里去的呀。由于日后会听到越来越多的新名称，所以，

many new names by and by,and as grown-up people give names to their houses and boats,to their horses and dogs,why shouldn't you give names to things that belong to you?For instance,you might call your chair,your bed,your table,your comb and brush,even your hat and shoes,after these strange names.

Then,if we flew in our airplane to the west,we should in the northeast corner of Africa see a country called Egypt,a river called the Nile,and a sea now named the Mediterranean. Mediterranean simply means between the land,for this sea is surrounded by land.It is,indeed,almost like a big lake.It is supposed that long,long ago in the Stone Age,there was no water at all where this sea now is,only a dry valley,and that people once lived there.

Along the Nile in what is now Egypt,and along the Tigris and Euphrates in what was then Babylon,Assyria,and Syria,lived people who were recording their activities in writing and pictures that have survived to this day.

Certainly there were cave men and other primitive peoples who were drawing pictures of their way of life.But because travel was not easy in those days,people in one

你们为什么就不能像大人给他们的房子、船只、马儿、小狗都起个名字那样，给那些属于你们自己的东西也起个名字呢？比如说，你们完全可以用这些陌生的名称，来给自己的椅子、床、桌子、梳子和牙刷，甚至是帽子和鞋子起名。

接下来，如果乘坐飞机往西飞去，我们就会看到，非洲的东北角有一个叫作埃及的国家，有一条叫作尼罗河的河流，以及如今称作地中海的一个海域。顾名思义，“地中”就是指“陆地之间”，因为这个大海的四周都是陆地。事实上，地中海差不多就像是一个巨大的湖泊。人们认为，在很久、很久以前的石器时代，如今这个海洋所在的地方根本就没有水，只是一个干涸的谷地，还有人类曾经在这里生活过呢。

沿着如今埃及境内的尼罗河两岸和沿着当时的古巴比伦、亚述和叙利亚境内的底格里斯河与幼发拉底河两岸生活着的人类，都用文字和图画记录下了他们的活动；这些文字和图画，一直保存到了今天。

当然，还有穴居人和其他一些原始人类也用图画描绘出了他们的生活方式。但是，由于当时交通不便，生活在一个地方的人，对生活在另一个地方的人并不是很

region didn't know a great deal about people in another part of the world. This was soon to change.

Many different groups of people lived in the country of the Tigris and Euphrates and along the Nile,and all of them wanted to own the best land. There were many battles.People moved around a lot—because they lost a battle and had to move or just because they were looking for a better place to live.

One group or family of people called Semites lived in the land that today we call the Middle East,near the Mediterranean Sea and the Tigris and Euphrates. Modern Arabs and Jews are Semites.They speak Semitic languages that are part of one language family and sound very similar.Here's an example.In Hebrew,the word for peace is shalom.In Arabic,the word for peace is salaam.

Another group of people lived along the Nile. In Egypt and other parts of North Africa,Egyptians and people called Berbers were related to the Middle Eastern Semites.Nubians who came from the part of Africa south of Egypt belonged to a group of people called Nilo-Saharans.If you look at a map,you can see how they got this name.They lived along the Nile River and near the Sahara Desert.These Nubians traveled northward along the Nile Valley into Egypt.And sometimes Egyptians traveled south into Nubia.

Another group of people came from the area that is now Iran.They are called Indo-Europeans,and they spread eastward into northern India and westward into Europe.Today,people in Europe,Iran,and India are descended from these early Indo-Europeans.Just like

了解。不过，这种情况很快就会改变了。

在底格里斯河与幼发拉底河所在的那个国度，以及尼罗河两岸，生活着许多不同的人群，并且他们都想拥有最好的土地。他们之间，进行了许多次战争。因为打输了一场战争而不得不迁徙，或者仅仅是因为他们正在寻找更好的生活之地，所以那时的人们经常迁徙。

有一群人，或者说一个氏族，叫作闪米特人，他们生活在如今我们所称的“中东”地区；这里靠近地中海，以及底格里斯河与幼发拉底河。现代的阿拉伯人和犹太人，都属于闪族人。他们都说属于同一语系的并且听上去很相似的闪族语。给你们举个例子吧。在希伯来语中，表示“和平”的词语是“萨洛姆”（shalom）。而在阿拉伯语中，表示“和平”的词语则是“萨拉姆”（salaam）。

还有一群人则生活在尼罗河两岸。在埃及和北非的其他地区，埃及人以及那些叫作“柏柏尔人”的人，都与生活在中东地区的闪族人有关。来自埃及以南的非洲地区的努比亚人，属于一个叫作“尼罗河-撒哈拉人”的族群。如果从地图上来看，你们就会明白，他们为什么会叫这个名字。那是因为他们生活在尼罗河沿岸，距撒哈拉沙漠不远。这些努比亚人沿着尼罗河河谷向北迁徙，从而进入了埃及。有的时候，埃及人也会向南迁徙到努比亚去。

还有一个族群，来自如今伊朗所在的那个地区。他们被称为“印欧人”；他们向东扩张，进入印度北部，向西扩张，则进入了欧洲。如今，居住在欧洲、伊朗和印度的人，都是这些早期印欧人的后裔。与闪米特人一样，他们所说的语言，相互

the Semites,they speak languages that are related to each other.

We know now that these ancient peoples moved around a lot more than we used to think they did. They taught each other to grow different kinds of food.They exchanged goods with each other.And sometimes people settled down in the new land and stayed there.Just as the United States has seen many nationalities of people move here and become Americans,people in ancient times also migrated and settled down in a new land.

之间也有关联。

如今我们知道，这些古代人经常迁徙，并且迁徙得比我们过去所认为的更加频繁。他们相互传授不同粮食作物的种植方法。他们彼此交换物品。有的时候，人们迁徙到一个新的地方之后，就在那里永久定居下来。就像有许多不同的民族迁徙到美利坚合众国，从而变成了美国人一样，古代人也会四处迁徙，然后在一个新的地方定居下来。