埃及古王国（中英双语）

THE OLD KINGDOM

古王国

Throughout the Old Kingdom (2686–2181 BCE), ancient Egypt thrived.

整个古王国（公元前2686-前2181年）古埃及兴旺发达。

King Djoser’s Step Pyramid (Old Kingdom, 3rd dynasty) in the Saqqara Necropolis, Memphis, Egypt, was the first of its kind. It paved the way for the smoother, sloping-sided pyramids of later kingdoms.

埃及孟菲斯萨卡拉墓地的左塞尔阶梯金字塔（古王国第三王朝）是此类金字塔中的第一座。它为后来的王国建造更平滑、更倾斜的金字塔铺平了道路。

The climax of pyramid building was reached in the three enormous tombs erected for the kings Khufu, Khafre, and Menkaure at Giza. Each pyramid guarded the body of one king, housed in a chamber deep within the structure.

金字塔建造的高潮是在吉萨为胡夫、哈夫拉和门卡乌拉国王建造的三座巨型陵墓。每座金字塔守卫着一位国王的遗体，安置在建筑深处的一个房间里。

To the south of the Great Pyramid lies the Great Sphinx, the best known of all Egyptian sculpture. Carved out of limestone, the Great Sphinx has human facial features but the body of a lion. The head is believed to be a portrait of Khafre.

大金字塔的南面坐落着狮身人面像，它是所有埃及雕塑中最著名的。大狮身人面像是由石灰石雕刻而成的，它有人类的面部特征，但身体像狮子。这个头像据信是哈夫拉的肖像。

Eventually, the climate in Egypt became drier. A series of droughts and famines hastened the fall of the Old Kingdom, and a period of decline known as the First Intermediate Period (2181–1985 BCE) followed. It was a dark time, as Egypt suffered civil wars.

最终，埃及的气候变得更加干燥。一系列的干旱和饥荒加速了古王国的衰落，随后出现了一段被称为第一中间期（公元前2181-前2055年）的衰退期。

Noblemen abused power; warlords fought among themselves; thieves stole from the pyramids; and ancient Egypt was again divided.

贵族滥用权力；军阀自相残杀；窃贼从金字塔盗窃；古埃及再次分裂。

词汇短语： thrive 兴旺发达

saqqara 萨卡拉（孟菲斯以南）

necropolis 墓地

pave 铺

smoother 更平滑

sloping-sided 倾斜边

climax 高潮

enormous 巨大的

guarded 保留的

chamber 房间

structure 结构

sculpture 雕像

carve out 雕刻出

limestone 石灰石

feature 特征

portrait 肖像

drought 干旱

famine 饥荒

hasten 促进

suffer 蒙受

nobleman 贵族

abuse 滥用

warlord 军阀

among themselves 相互之间