QA关于拜占庭帝国兴亡的相关问答
Why couldn't the last Byzantine Emperor survive?
译文简介
因为他不想苟活。君士坦丁十一世是一个比大多数人都勇敢的人，他有足够的机会逃跑，但他留下了。他想取得胜利，否则就与国偕亡。
正文翻译
一、 Why couldn't the last Byzantine Emperor survive?
为何拜占庭末代皇帝未能幸免于难？
为何拜占庭末代皇帝未能幸免于难？
Quinten Roald Stärk
Because he didn't want to.
Constantine XI was a man braver than most, he had ample opportunity to flee but he remained. He wanted to be victorious or go down with his empire.
因为他不想苟活。
君士坦丁十一世是一个比大多数人都勇敢的人，他有足够的机会逃跑，但他留下了。他想取得胜利，否则就与国偕亡。
Because he didn't want to.
Constantine XI was a man braver than most, he had ample opportunity to flee but he remained. He wanted to be victorious or go down with his empire.
因为他不想苟活。
君士坦丁十一世是一个比大多数人都勇敢的人，他有足够的机会逃跑，但他留下了。他想取得胜利，否则就与国偕亡。
The eastern Roman emperor died fighting alongside his soldiers earning the respect of both his subjects and his enemies for sultan Mehmet II had great respect for the emperor.
Had he fled he would have been a coward in both the eyes of the world and in the eyes of God for he believed to be defending His city.
这位东罗马皇帝和他的士兵们一起战死，赢得了他的臣民和敌人的尊敬，因为苏丹穆罕默德二世非常尊敬这位皇帝。
因为他相信他是在保卫自己的城市，如果他逃跑了，在世人和上帝的眼中，他都是一个懦夫。
二、What could the byzantine empire have done to survive longer?
拜占庭帝国能做些什么让国祚延续更久？
The fact that so many calamities befell the Romans and still managed to exist and live on is a testament to their endurance and civilization.
But I think that there’s two major things that could have caused the empire to live longer.
罗马人遭受了如此多的灾难，并且仍然能够生存下去，这一事实是他们的持久力和文明的证明。
但我认为有两件主要的事情可以让帝国延续下去。
But I think that there’s two major things that could have caused the empire to live longer.
罗马人遭受了如此多的灾难，并且仍然能够生存下去，这一事实是他们的持久力和文明的证明。
但我认为有两件主要的事情可以让帝国延续下去。
1.Don’t retake the Western territories
The Emperor Justinian appointed Belisaurius to retake the western territories of the Roman Empire, and to both their credit they succeeded. The empire had reached its zenith in territory and re-enveloped the Mediterranean sea. However, history proves this venture to be a mistake. The amount of resources that it took to re-impose roman domination in the western half wasn’t worth its cost. Not only was it very expensive (it depleted Justinian’s treasury) but there was nothing really in it for them. Throughout Roman history the eastern half of the empire was always much wealthier than the western half. The western half was home to Gauls and Germanic tribes while the Eastern half had Egyptians and Greeks. So why bother conquering the other half when you already have got the better part? What’s really tragic is the fact that Roman hold on the western territories started to slip quickly after they had been conquered.
1.不要重新占领西方领土
查士丁尼皇帝任命贝利索里乌斯夺回罗马帝国的西方领土，值得赞扬的是，他们成功了。帝国的领土达到了顶峰，重新包围了地中海。然而，历史证明，这种冒险是错误的。为了重建罗马在西方的统治所花费的资源远远不够。这不仅非常耗费金钱(耗尽了查士丁尼的国库)，而且对他们也没有任何好处。纵观罗马历史，帝国的东半部总是比西半部富裕得多。西半部是高卢人和日耳曼部落的家园，而东半部是埃及人和希腊人的家园。既然你已经得到了另一半，为什么还要去征服另一半呢?真正悲惨的是，罗马人在被征服后，对西方领土的控制开始迅速下滑。
The Emperor Justinian appointed Belisaurius to retake the western territories of the Roman Empire, and to both their credit they succeeded. The empire had reached its zenith in territory and re-enveloped the Mediterranean sea. However, history proves this venture to be a mistake. The amount of resources that it took to re-impose roman domination in the western half wasn’t worth its cost. Not only was it very expensive (it depleted Justinian’s treasury) but there was nothing really in it for them. Throughout Roman history the eastern half of the empire was always much wealthier than the western half. The western half was home to Gauls and Germanic tribes while the Eastern half had Egyptians and Greeks. So why bother conquering the other half when you already have got the better part? What’s really tragic is the fact that Roman hold on the western territories started to slip quickly after they had been conquered.
1.不要重新占领西方领土
查士丁尼皇帝任命贝利索里乌斯夺回罗马帝国的西方领土，值得赞扬的是，他们成功了。帝国的领土达到了顶峰，重新包围了地中海。然而，历史证明，这种冒险是错误的。为了重建罗马在西方的统治所花费的资源远远不够。这不仅非常耗费金钱(耗尽了查士丁尼的国库)，而且对他们也没有任何好处。纵观罗马历史，帝国的东半部总是比西半部富裕得多。西半部是高卢人和日耳曼部落的家园，而东半部是埃及人和希腊人的家园。既然你已经得到了另一半，为什么还要去征服另一半呢?真正悲惨的是，罗马人在被征服后，对西方领土的控制开始迅速下滑。
Thus, the Romans lost anything they might have gained. And had they not done this, they would have far more man-power to fight the Avars that were raiding the Balkans, the ever dangerous Persians in the east and the unified Arabs under Islam.
因此，罗马人失去了他们可能得到的一切。如果他们没有这样做，他们就会有更多的人力来对抗袭击巴尔干半岛的阿瓦尔人，对抗东部日益危险的波斯人，对抗统一的伊斯兰阿拉伯人。
2. Alexios III Angelos stays and fights.
After deposing his brother and becoming Emperor, Alexios III Angelos is faced with a crusader army funded by the Venetians being led by his nephew Isaac II Angelos in 1204.
He spent lavishly and wastefully, and left the Empire’s military in a dilapidated state.
Its important to remember two other things as well in regards to the siege of Constantinople. Firstly that 80,000 Latins were murdered in 1182 under the reign of Andronikos Komnenos (so there is greater hostility between the Latin besiegers and the Greek populace) and that the defenses of Constantinople were the strongest in the world.
2.亚历克西斯·安杰洛斯三世留下来战斗。
在废黜了他的兄弟，自己成为皇帝之后，1204年，亚历克西斯·安杰洛斯三世面临着一支由其侄子艾萨克·安杰洛斯二世领导的、威尼斯人资助的十字军。
他挥霍无度，使帝国的军队破败不堪。
关于君士坦丁堡围城，我们还要记住另外两件事。首先，1182年，8万名拉丁人在安德罗尼科斯·科姆尼诺斯统治下被杀害(因此在拉丁围城者和希腊民众之间存在着更大的敌意)，以及君士坦丁堡的防御是世界上最强大的。
After deposing his brother and becoming Emperor, Alexios III Angelos is faced with a crusader army funded by the Venetians being led by his nephew Isaac II Angelos in 1204.
He spent lavishly and wastefully, and left the Empire’s military in a dilapidated state.
Its important to remember two other things as well in regards to the siege of Constantinople. Firstly that 80,000 Latins were murdered in 1182 under the reign of Andronikos Komnenos (so there is greater hostility between the Latin besiegers and the Greek populace) and that the defenses of Constantinople were the strongest in the world.
2.亚历克西斯·安杰洛斯三世留下来战斗。
在废黜了他的兄弟，自己成为皇帝之后，1204年，亚历克西斯·安杰洛斯三世面临着一支由其侄子艾萨克·安杰洛斯二世领导的、威尼斯人资助的十字军。
他挥霍无度，使帝国的军队破败不堪。
关于君士坦丁堡围城，我们还要记住另外两件事。首先，1182年，8万名拉丁人在安德罗尼科斯·科姆尼诺斯统治下被杀害(因此在拉丁围城者和希腊民众之间存在着更大的敌意)，以及君士坦丁堡的防御是世界上最强大的。
Despite ample motivation Alexios III’s response to the enemy so close to the gates is pathetic. He assembles his men and decides to fight the crusaders but he turns craven and returns to the city. His courtiers demand he take action, which he does, by leaving the city in the night with one of his daughters and a mistress.
Constantinople is then easily taken by his nephew, but because of the difficulties he encounters is sacked so horribly that it permanently stunts and damages the city and the whole empire.
If Alexios III had the courage to stand up and fight to defend his empire and power, he may have crushed the crusaders and spared Constantinople its terrible fate.
尽管有充分的动机，亚历克西斯三世对离城门如此之近的敌人的回应很可悲。他召集部下，决定与十字军战斗，但他变怂了，返回城里。其臣子们要求他采取行动，他照做了，夜里带着他一个女儿和一个情妇离城而去。
君士坦丁堡很快就被他的侄子占领了，但因为他（译注：侄子）所遭遇的磨难，城市遭到如此惨重的洗劫，以致于永久性地阻碍和破坏了这座城市和整个帝国。
如果亚历克西斯三世有勇气站起来，为捍卫他的帝国和权力而战，他可能已经粉碎了十字军，使君士坦丁堡免于可怕的命运。
三、Why was the Byzantine Empire able to last over a thousand years?
为什么拜占庭帝国能够持续一千多年?
Constantinople is then easily taken by his nephew, but because of the difficulties he encounters is sacked so horribly that it permanently stunts and damages the city and the whole empire.
If Alexios III had the courage to stand up and fight to defend his empire and power, he may have crushed the crusaders and spared Constantinople its terrible fate.
尽管有充分的动机，亚历克西斯三世对离城门如此之近的敌人的回应很可悲。他召集部下，决定与十字军战斗，但他变怂了，返回城里。其臣子们要求他采取行动，他照做了，夜里带着他一个女儿和一个情妇离城而去。
君士坦丁堡很快就被他的侄子占领了，但因为他（译注：侄子）所遭遇的磨难，城市遭到如此惨重的洗劫，以致于永久性地阻碍和破坏了这座城市和整个帝国。
如果亚历克西斯三世有勇气站起来，为捍卫他的帝国和权力而战，他可能已经粉碎了十字军，使君士坦丁堡免于可怕的命运。
三、Why was the Byzantine Empire able to last over a thousand years?
为什么拜占庭帝国能够持续一千多年?
Great question and I see a number of great answers!
The Byzantine Empire survived for so long based on a number of factors. The first being their position and geography. Their eastern territories were always exposed and it was a constant struggle to maintain them. However their greek possessions, protected by the sea- were easily defendable. Many would-be conquerers were able to steamroll over Anatolia only to find themselves held up at the sea.
拜占庭帝国之所以能存活如此之久，有很多因素。首先是他们的地理位置。他们的东部领土总是暴露在外，维护它们是一场持续的斗争。然而，他们的希腊领地受到大海的保护，很容易防御。许多潜在的征服者能够横扫安纳托利亚，却发现自己被困在海上。
The Byzantine Empire survived for so long based on a number of factors. The first being their position and geography. Their eastern territories were always exposed and it was a constant struggle to maintain them. However their greek possessions, protected by the sea- were easily defendable. Many would-be conquerers were able to steamroll over Anatolia only to find themselves held up at the sea.
拜占庭帝国之所以能存活如此之久，有很多因素。首先是他们的地理位置。他们的东部领土总是暴露在外，维护它们是一场持续的斗争。然而，他们的希腊领地受到大海的保护，很容易防御。许多潜在的征服者能够横扫安纳托利亚，却发现自己被困在海上。
The Byzantine military was also a feared force. While they were no longer the dominant world superpower- their standardized infantry with their heavy shock cavalry enabled them to stand toe to toe with any great power of the time. Their cataphract calvary were fast-moving, heavily armored, and deadly. You can think of them like a faster medi knight. These well-trained troops could break enemy formations and redeploy all easily on the battlefield.
拜占庭军队也是令人畏惧的力量。虽然他们不再是主宰世界的超级大国，但他们的标准化步兵和重装骑兵使他们能够与当时的任何强权抗衡。他们的铁甲骑兵移动迅速，武装到牙齿，冷酷无情。你可以把他们想象成一个速度更快的中世纪骑士。这些训练有素的部队可以轻易地打破敌人的阵型并在战场上重新部署。
Communicated lines were also key. The Byzantines utilized a system of large fires to alx the emperor in times of invasion. Within mere hours of an invasion in Anatolia, the emperor could be made aware and dispatch forces.
通信渠道也很关键。拜占庭人利用大火系统在被入侵时向皇帝发出警报。在入侵安纳托利亚的短短几小时内，皇帝就会察觉并调遣军队。
In reality, the Byzantines did really struggle though. They were under constant attack and over time they lost more and more territory. Losing Anatolia was a huge loss to the empire- for much of their manpower and tax revenue came from this region. They were able to hang on a little longer but never able to recapture their former glory. Eventually defending their greek possessions became impossible as their small military could not hope to match the Ottoman’s might. They were reduced to a city- and then to nothing at all.
事实上，拜占庭人确实拼杀激烈。他们不断受到攻击，随着时间的推移，他们失去了越来越多的领土。失去安纳托利亚对帝国来说是一个巨大的损失——因为他们的大部分人力和税收都来自这个地区。他们能够再延续一段时间，但再也无法重获昔日的荣耀。最终，保卫他们的希腊领土变得不可能，因为他们的小型军队无法指望与奥斯曼帝国的力量相匹敌。他们被压缩到一座城市，然后一无所有。
事实上，拜占庭人确实拼杀激烈。他们不断受到攻击，随着时间的推移，他们失去了越来越多的领土。失去安纳托利亚对帝国来说是一个巨大的损失——因为他们的大部分人力和税收都来自这个地区。他们能够再延续一段时间，但再也无法重获昔日的荣耀。最终，保卫他们的希腊领土变得不可能，因为他们的小型军队无法指望与奥斯曼帝国的力量相匹敌。他们被压缩到一座城市，然后一无所有。
There were also a series of capable and skilled emperors that took up the purple and won glorious wars against Rome’s enemies. The most notable among them was Justinian who was able to recapture Italy, Spain, and North Africa for a short time. That being said there were many inept emperors as well who squandered Byzantine recourses, greatly weakening an already vulnerable empire.
还有一系列精明能干的皇帝，他们继承了紫色，赢得了与罗马敌人的光荣战争。其中最著名的是查士丁尼，他能够在短时间内重新占领意大利、西班牙和北非。也就是说，还有很多不称职的皇帝挥霍拜占庭的资源，极大地削弱了本已脆弱的帝国。
One huge and overlooked factor is the crusades. The first 3 crusades allowed the Byzantines to recapture Anatolia and even Armenian territories. This bolstered the empire for decades and although this conquest would not last it allowed them to regain their footing.
In the end though nothing would last. Plagues, near-constant war, economic issues, and loss of manpower compounded and left the empire weak. But the fact they lived on so long is an amazing feat.
一个巨大且被忽视的因素是十字军东征。前三次十字军东征让拜占庭人重新夺回了安纳托利亚，甚至亚美尼亚的领土。这巩固了帝国几十年，虽然这次征服没有持续多久，但却让他们重新站稳了脚跟。
虽然最后没什么会一直持续下去。瘟疫、持续不断的战争、经济问题和人力的流失使帝国变得虚弱。但事实上他们能存在这么久是一个了不起的壮举。
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如果皇帝愿意做奥斯曼帝国的附庸，拜占庭帝国还能幸存下来吗？
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During the reigns of Andronikos II and III Palaiologos, the Ottomans picked off Byzantine possessions in Anatolia; by taking Nicaea, Nicomedia, and various other historically important cities, they greatly reducing Constantinople’s Asian possessions. The Ottomans remained a mostly Asian power for the next few years, but the Byzantine civil war in the 1340s between the conservative faction of John Kantakouzenos and the forces of Empress Anna enabled the Serbs to take over most of the Empire’s European possessions. The Ottomans were employed as mercenaries by the winning faction, and were granted control over the Gallipoli peninsula as a result.
这个问题作了错误的假设。拜占庭帝国在其存在的最后一个世纪里几乎一直是奥斯曼帝国的附庸。
在安德罗尼科斯二世和帕莱奥洛戈斯三世统治期间，奥斯曼人夺取了拜占庭在安纳托利亚的领地；通过占领尼西亚、尼哥米底亚和其他历史上重要的城市，他们极大地减少了君士坦丁堡在亚洲的领地。在接下来的几年里，奥斯曼帝国主要是亚洲国家，但是13世纪40年代的拜占庭内战，约翰·坎塔库泽诺斯的保守派和安娜皇后的军队之间的战争，使塞尔维亚人接管了奥斯曼帝国在欧洲的大部分领地。奥斯曼人被胜利的一方雇作佣兵，并最终获得了对加里波利半岛的控制权。
(14th century expansion of the Ottoman Empire into the Balkans)
(14世纪奥斯曼帝国向巴尔干半岛的扩张)
奥斯曼人随后迅速扩张了他们的欧洲领地，1371年在马里察击败了塞尔维亚人，使他们能够威胁君士坦丁堡。由于无法获得任何盟友，皇帝同意向奥斯曼苏丹进贡。在接下来的20年里，奥斯曼人征服了塞尔维亚和保加利亚帝国，从而使君士坦丁堡四面都被土耳其包围。奥斯曼人不断提醒拜占庭人他们的附庸身份;他们甚至强迫（拜占庭）皇帝派遣一支分队围攻帝国城市费城。苏丹要求曼努埃尔·帕里奥洛加斯二世在帮助他登上王位后，于1392年拆除黄金城门;当曼努埃尔试图维护自己的独立时，奥斯曼人包围了君士坦丁堡八年。罗马教皇派了一支军队去拯救拜占庭人，但在尼哥波里斯被奥斯曼人击溃。
（译注：此处的费城，是现在的约旦首都安曼最为古老的居民区，名字源于曾统治该地区的埃及法老托勒密二世的绰号——费拉德尔菲。黄金城门，是君士坦丁堡的主要出入口。）
(Medi depiction of Bayezid I’s siege of Constantinople, 1394–1492)
(描述中世纪巴耶济德一世围攻君士坦丁堡，1394-1492年)
然而，当亚洲征服者帖木儿在安卡拉屠杀了奥斯曼帝国的军队并杀害了苏丹时，围攻被打断了。这为奥斯曼人带来了一段无政府状态时期，拜占庭人曾试图支持奥斯曼王位的候选人。当他们支持获胜的派系时，就暂时脱离了附属国地位，但是苏丹的儿子在1422年包围了君士坦丁堡，迫使拜占庭人恢复其作为奥斯曼帝国附属国的地位。当拜占庭人开始在伯罗奔尼撒的十字军国家获得霸权时，已经拥有帝国野心的苏丹穆罕默德二世于1453年围攻君士坦丁堡，最终征服了垂死的拜占庭帝国。
五、Who was the worst Roman Emperor when it comes to the long-term survival of the Empire?
说到帝国的长期存续，谁是最糟糕的罗马皇帝?
我得说是卡拉卡拉。
Caracalla is often ignored when we discuss evil or bad emperors and it’s a crime to ignore him. He was one of history’s great monsters and almost single-handedly brought the empire to its knees.
He ascended to the throne in 198 AD as a co-emperor with his father Septimius Severus. In 209 Septimius died and Caracalla’s hated brother Geta would become the next co-emperor.
当我们讨论邪恶或坏的皇帝时，卡拉卡拉经常被忽略，忽视他是一种犯罪。他是史上最大的怪物之一，几乎凭一己之力让帝国垮掉。
他于公元198年登上帝位，与他的父亲塞普蒂米乌斯·塞维鲁共同登基。209年，塞普蒂米乌斯去世，卡拉卡拉痛恨的兄弟盖塔成为下一任联合皇帝。
卡拉卡拉以停战为借口，邀请他兄弟去他们母亲房子里参加一个会议。盖塔孤身到达，卡拉卡拉给附近的暴徒发信号，暴徒在盖塔母亲面前谋杀了他。还有，很重要的一点是，那也是卡拉卡拉的母亲。所以他当着他们母亲的面杀了自己的兄弟。这使他成为唯一的皇帝，但也被大多数罗马人所憎恨，因为当着你母亲的面杀了你兄弟是不光彩的。
Caracalla raised the pay of the legions from 2000 sesterces to 3000 sesterces. This was a serious problem. The 2000 sesterces a year was already way too much for the treasury to bear. The increase to 3000 made it an impossible sum of money.
在杀死他的兄弟之后，他系统地追捕并杀死了他兄弟所有的支持者。成千上万的人死于暴力。
卡拉卡拉将军团的工资从2000元提高到3000元。这是一个严重的问题。每年2000元对财政部来说已经不堪重负了。增加到3000元，这笔钱根本拿不出来。
This left the Roman Empire unable to pay its armies and caused massive civil wars.
Typically, only Rome suffered the cruelty of bad emperors like Caligula or Nero. Caracalla took his horror show on the road going from town to town unleashing hell upon the people. He committed killings, raping women he desired, and seizing land from rich people. The list goes on.
没有回头路了。试着做一个能降低军团工资的皇帝。他们立即联合起来，随便选了一个将军当皇帝，他答应给他们钱，然后向罗马进军。
这使得罗马帝国无力支付军队的工资，并引发了大规模的内战。
一般来说，罗马只遭受过卡利古拉或尼禄这样的坏皇帝的残酷。卡拉卡拉在公路上上演了他的恐怖秀，从一个城镇到另一个城镇向人们施以地狱般的残酷行径。他杀人如麻，强奸所有他中意的女人，掠夺富人的土地。这样的例子不胜枚举。
He started a war with Parthia over nothing.
War with the Parthians was no joke. They were big wars and very expensive. Rome would pay for this.
He wholesale slaughtered and pillaged Alexandria after a play parodying the murder of his brother was shown in the streets.
In 217 Caracalla was assassinated and his reign was ended. He was not damned like so many before him because his support among the legions was too strong.
为了资助他大兴土木和给军团加薪，他让每个人都成为公民，这意味着更高的税收。然后他从一个城镇到另一个城镇，从人们那里榨出钱来。
他无缘无故地和帕提亚开战。
与帕提亚人的战争可不是闹着玩的。它们是大型的战争，非常花钱。罗马会为此付出代价。
一出夸张演绎他弟弟被谋杀的戏在街上上演后，他大肆屠杀和掠夺亚历山大港。
217年卡拉卡拉被暗杀，他的统治结束了。他不像以前那么多人那样被诅咒，因为他在军团中所受到的支持太强烈了。
原创翻译：龙腾网 http://www.ltaaa.cn 转载请注明出处
Macrinus tried to lower the soldier's pay and refuse to give the large “donative” gifts typically given to the legions upon the ascension of a new emperor. Macrinus was killed by the soldiers for this only a year later and was succeeded by Elagabulus, the strangest and weakest emperor in Roman history.
马克林努斯于217年接替卡拉卡拉。他立刻意识到帝国的财政状况注定要完蛋了。军团增加工资造成的赤字将会破坏经济。此外，与帕提亚和罗马的大规模战争的代价，也让财政处于崩溃的边缘。
马克林努斯试图降低士兵的工资，并拒绝在新皇帝上台时给予军团的大额“捐赠”礼物。仅仅一年之后，马克林努斯就被士兵杀死，埃拉加布卢斯继位，他是罗马历史上最奇怪、最软弱的皇帝。
A quick rundown on the crisis. Rome was unable to pay its troops and disloyalty became common. With an empty treasury and serious turmoil, everything fell apart.
埃拉加巴卢斯在位时间不长，在位仅几年就被暗杀。亚历山大·西弗勒斯继承了他的王位，他尽了最大努力稳定罗马。但最后，他失败了，随着他的死亡，公元三世纪的危机开始了。这场危机几乎彻底摧毁了罗马帝国，尽管帝国幸存了下来，但却被它削弱了很多。
关于危机的简要介绍。罗马无法支付军队的军饷，军队的不忠变得司空见惯。随着国库空虚和严重的混乱，一切都崩溃了。
危机的根源很大程度上可以归咎于卡拉卡拉。他的消费习惯加上他的政治策略，播下了毁灭的种子。人们意识到，只要提高罗马军团的工资，皇帝就可以随心所欲。卡拉卡拉引发了财政困难，这标志着帝国晚期的崩溃。随着危机的发展，新兵和资金的缺乏会让罗马不堪一击，并导致政治、经济和军事动荡，这成为这段历史时期的象征。
六、Why did the Byzantine Empire last for so long?
为什么拜占庭帝国能持续这么久?
东罗马帝国之所以能在西方灭亡后持续近1000年，主要是因为在火药大炮出现之前，根本不可能攻破君士坦丁堡的城墙。
Constantinople had 3 layers of defensive walls and a large moat.
君士坦丁堡有三层防御墙和一条大护城河。
原创翻译：龙腾网 http://www.ltaaa.cn 转载请注明出处
It also had a massive chain protecting one side so that enemy ships could not simply sail in and attack them from the estuary known as the Golden Horn.
Anytime they were outnumbered, the Romans could simply hide inside their city until the threat passed.
Inside the walls they were completely safe until, in 1453, the Turkish Sultan Mehmet II decided to build the biggest cannon that the world had ever seen.
它还有一条巨大的铁链保护着一边，这样敌军船只就不能从被称为金角的河口驶入并攻击他们。
一旦寡不敌众，罗马人就可以躲在城里，直到威胁消失。
在城墙内，他们是完全安全的，直到1453年，土耳其苏丹穆罕默德二世决定建造世界上有史以来最大的大炮。
The sultans army bombarded Constantinople relentlessly for weeks until someone accidentally left the inner gates unlocked.
After that, it was game over for the Romans and an empire that had lasted nearly 1500 years.
Not only did Constantinople have impenetrable walls but they also had massive underground fresh water reservoirs. These underground cisterns were filled from springs in the surrounding hills via aqueducts and were able to supply the city with enough fresh water to outlast almost any siege.
苏丹的军队连续数周无情地轰炸君士坦丁堡，直到有人不小心忘了锁里面的门。
在那之后，罗马人和一个延续了近1500年的帝国的游戏结束了。
君士坦丁堡不仅有坚不可摧的城墙，而且还有巨大的地下淡水水库。这些地下蓄水池是由周围山上的泉水通过水渠灌满的，能够为这座城市提供足够的淡水，几乎可以熬过任何围城。
Basilica Cistern (one of several underground cisterns) believed to have a capacity of 80 million liters of fresh water.
巴西利卡蓄水池(几个地下蓄水池之一)据信有8000万公升的淡水容量。
Greek fire was a very effective early form of flame thrower and hand grenade.
正如其他人正确指出的那样，希腊火也是东罗马海军防御战略的重要组成部分。
希腊火是火焰喷射器和手榴弹的一种非常有效的早期形态。