英倫聚焦
St. Mark's Horses 《聖馬可之馬》 撰文及考題設計 British Council 英協教育中心 Brian Welter 中譯 陳怡君 （中央社編譯） 圖 取自Wikimedia Commons
1 If you have ever been to Italy, you know how
可追溯至古羅馬後期或更早，1798年被帶到巴黎，
much of the ancient world's art still exists. Having
與其他從羅馬等義大利城邦掠奪來的古代藝術雕
survived centuries of war, disease, and revolution,
像、繪畫或藝術品一樣，成為法國領導者拿破崙收
every piece has its own history. The statues of four
藏的一部分，至1815年才回到原本所在之處：威尼
famous horses found at the front of Venice's basilica
斯著名的聖馬可廣場。
(a large and important Catholic church) of St. Mark's
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show this as much as any other work from antiquity,
However, Venice was not their original home.
or the ancient world. The horses reflect the power
The horses have been traced back to the Emperor
and beauty of the real animals. Elegant and strong,
Constantine, who officially established Rome's new
these horses seem to have always been there.
capital, Constantinople, in 330. Whether he had the
如果你曾造訪義大利，就會知道原來古代藝術
horses made for the city or had them brought from
品迄今依舊在；歷經幾世紀的戰爭、疫病與革命，
a Greek island is unknown. This speculation shows
倖存的藝術品各自有其歷史。例如屹立威尼斯聖
just how old and mysterious the horses are.
馬可大教堂前著名的《聖馬可之馬》及其他古典藝
然而，威尼斯其實也不算牠們原本的歸宿，西元
品，皆展露其豐富內涵。這些駿馬展現了如真實動
330年君士坦丁大帝建立了羅馬新都─君士坦丁
物的力與美，優雅且強壯，好似亙古未移。
堡，《聖馬可之馬》究竟是為了這座城市所打造，
2 In fact, the horses have taken quite an itinerary, finding their beginnings in the history of late ancient
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事實上，這些馬曾歷經顛沛流離，牠們的起源
還是從某座希臘島嶼帶來的，迄今已無從考證，眾 多臆測更顯出牠們的神祕與悠久歷史
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Rome or even earlier. As recently as 1798, they were
Why would the ancients – the people of the
in Paris, as part of a collection of ancient statues,
ancient world – want to have statues of four horses?
paintings, and other artwork that French leader
Horse-racing was big business in ancient Rome,
Napoleon Bonaparte plundered from Rome and
and the emperor's new capital would have felt
other Italian cities. By 1815 they had been returned
incomplete without a fitting statue of muscular
to their previous location, in Venice's famous square
race horses. It was ancient custom that in war or
with St. Mark's Cathedral at the centre.
competition a chariot was pulled by four horses,
全球中央雜誌 2017.05
本文由BRITISH COUNCIL–全球最值得信賴的英語 教學機構–提供，網址：www.britishcouncil.org.tw
such as the chariot of the Greek god Zeus. “Quad”
going east to fight in Jerusalem had a disagreement
meaning “four”, such chariots and their four horses
with the emperor in Constantinople. Thinking that
were called a “quadriga”. Quadriga were common
the emperor was tricking them, they attacked.
decorations on pottery and mosaics in the ancient
西羅馬帝國幾世紀後瓦解成許多王國和勢力強
eastern Mediterranean. In fact, chariot races were
大的城邦，其中最有名的城邦之一―威尼斯，在
very popular in the ancient world, and were even an
體制上受直至13世紀仍自視延續古羅馬正統的東
event at the Olympic games.
羅馬帝國管轄。1204年，中世紀以來最大慘事發生
古人 為何要造四匹駿馬像？賽馬在古羅馬是
了：原本打算遠征耶路撒冷的十字軍對君士坦丁
件大事，如果沒有強壯俊美的馬匹雕像，帝王的
堡的統治者產生歧見，他們認為自己遭到欺騙於
新都讓人覺得似乎不夠完整。依照傳統，雙輪戰
是發動攻擊。
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車在戰爭或 競賽時，就像宙 斯的戰 車由四匹馬 拉行，Quad意即「四個」，雙輪戰車因此被稱為
A sack – rioting and theft on a great scale –
「Quadriga」。古代在東地中海區域，Quadriga常
resulted. Soldiers had the right to take anything they
見於陶藝與馬賽克作品，事實上，雙輪戰車競賽當
could carry once they broke through the walls or
時非常熱門，甚至曾是奧運項目之一。
gates. It was considered part of their pay as soldiers,
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and was something that they all looked forward to.
As the centuries passed, the Western Roman
Naturally, the leaders of the army would get the
Empire broke up into kingdoms and large, powerful
biggest prizes. In the “Sack of Constantinople,”
cities. One of the most famous city-states, Venice,
countless pieces of art, both large and small, were
remained officially under the government in Con-
stolen and brought back to Western Europe, mostly
stantinople, which as late as the thirteenth-century
to Italy. The horses, representative of Constanti-
still saw itself in continuity with ancient Rome. In
nople's founding, were eagerly taken back to Venice
1204, one of the greatest tragedies in the Middle
via ship.
Ages took place: Soldiers from western countries
一大群暴民、強盜集團因此成形。在當時，士兵 有權在侵門踏戶後，搬走任何能搬走的物品，這 是部分薪餉來源，也是從軍動機，領頭者則可取 得最豐厚的獎賞。君士坦丁堡被洗劫一空，數不清 的金銀財寶隨十字軍進入西歐，─大部分來到義 大利。被視為東羅馬帝國發源象徵的駿馬雕像， 被火速以水運載抵威尼斯。
7 Did the Venetians, the people of Venice, feel g uilt y? Not at all. T he horses were proudly displayed as the prizes of the takeover of Constanti遊客來到威尼斯，必訪擁有四駿馬的聖馬可廣場。
nople, which once ruled Venice and at that time was
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英倫聚焦
considered to be the greatest city in Europe and the
上四駿馬高高安放，廣場上的每個人都能看到，將
Mediterranean. The horses represented Constanti-
威尼斯展現的新興力量與優越感增到最強。
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nople's wealth and power. They were a declaration to the world: Now Venice was more powerful than
Perhaps the horses were forgotten by the locals as
Constantinople. Now Venice and its ships ruled the
centuries passed. Yet in the 19th century, wealthy
Eastern Mediterranean Sea, as Constantinople had
Europeans started to go on tour, principally to Italy
previously.
and Greece, to enjoy the ancient sculptures, archi-
威尼斯人可曾為此覺得愧疚？一點也不。《聖馬
tecture, and paintings. Visitors flocked to Venice,
可之馬》被視為推翻東羅馬帝國的獎賞，驕傲地向
charmed by the waterways, old buildings, and St.
世人展示著。東羅馬帝國曾統治過威尼斯，君士坦
Mark's with its horses. Perhaps that's why the French
丁堡更是歐洲與地中海的第一大城。代表著財富
saw them as such a great prize.
和權力的《聖馬可之馬》，不啻向世人宣稱：現在
幾百年過去，威尼斯人或許已淡忘《聖馬可之
威尼斯的勢力比東羅馬帝國還強大，而威尼斯與
馬》，但在19世紀，義大利和希臘成為歐洲有錢旅
其船隊，取代了君士坦丁堡稱霸東地中海的地位。
人的主要目的地，這些觀光客為造訪古代雕塑、建
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築與畫作湧入威尼斯，讚嘆著河道、古代建築、與
Where would the recently-taken horses go? An obvious location was St. Mark's Cathedral. A city's
擁有四駿馬的聖馬可廣場，這或許也是法國人視 牠們為大禮的原因。
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cathedral church was its pride. Cities competed to have the biggest, tallest, most beautiful cathedrals,
After Napoleon's theft and then the return of the
as they were the local church's seat of power. People
horses, European upheaval led to them being moved
from all around would come to visit them, leaving
twice in the twentieth century, once to Rome in
prayers and money behind. Cathedrals were big
1917 to protect them from World War I and a second
business. Naturally, then, the horses were placed
time into the basement of an old Venetian palace
on the front of St. Mark's, where they remained
during World War II. The statues were, thankfully,
until the French took power in Italy in the 1790s.
unharmed. Today they proudly stand over St. Mark's
To maximize the message of Venice's new found
Square in Venice, Italy.
strength and superiority, the horses were put high
在拿破崙竊取又歸還這些馬匹後，歐洲的動盪
up on a sort of balcony, the church's Loggia, so that
不安，讓牠們在20世紀被移動了兩次：1917年被運
everyone in the square would see them.
至羅馬免於一次世界大戰，第二次則是二戰期間，
搶來的馬要放在哪裡呢？聖馬可大教堂是個明
被安放於威尼斯一座古老宮殿地下室。《聖馬可之
顯易懂的位置。大教堂是城市的驕傲，也是教會的
馬》幸運地毫髮無傷，如今驕傲地在義大利威尼
權力象徵，許多城市爭相建造更大、更高、更美的
斯的聖馬可廣場屹立不搖。
教堂。大教堂同時也是門好生意，各地的人都來祝 禱並給予資助。於是直到1790年法國統治義大利， 《聖馬可之馬》都被安置在聖馬可大教堂前；陽台
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全球中央雜誌 2017.05
參考文獻：《The Horses of St. Mark's》, Freeman, C. (2010).
本文由BRITISH COUNCIL–全球最值得信賴的英語 教學機構–提供，網址：www.britishcouncil.org.tw
Key Words itinerary 路線 – the schedule and places of a
transport
journey
mosaic 馬賽克 – a kind of artwork where the
plunder 掠奪 – to rob a city or large area, usually
material is little pieces of glass or tiles
by soldiers in a violent manner
founding 創立 – the original setting up of a city or
ancient 古代的 – the classical era, usually of
organisation
Egypt, Greece, and Rome
maximize 最大化 – to use or exploit to the fullest
chariot （由馬匹拉引的）雙輪戰車 – an ancient
principally 主要地 – mainly
horse-drawn wagon used in war, competition, or
upheaval 顛覆 – a revolutionary change
雅思考試粉絲團： www.facebook.com/ielts.testcentre
雅思考試模擬試題 IELTS questions
Sometimes a writer provides the definition for a difficult word within the article itself. See if you can find the definitions to the following words. How many different ways can a word be defined within an article? basilica a sack
antiquity Venetians
ancients cathedral
quadriga loggia
Summary: Use the eight words above to complete the summary: The horses are set high up in a part of St Mark’s, a sort of giant shelf called the __________1. They are the pride of the __________2, the people who live in the city. Their very large and important church, called both a __________3 and a __________4, is a major tourist attraction. Yet these four horses, called a __________5 when they were made about two thousand years ago in a period of time called __________6, do not come from Venice. They were brought to Italy after __________7 of another great city which had a direct connection to the __________8, the people who lived about two thousand years ago.
Find the word(s) in the reading with a similar meaning: Paragraph 1 classical located demonstrate Paragraph 5 battled well-known occurred
Paragraph 2 rooted Paragraph 6 was the consequence symbolic
Paragraph 3 tracked guesswork reflects Paragraph 7 govern statement surpassed
Paragraph 4 suitable known as images
Answers:Summary: 1. loggia 2. Venetians 3. basilica / cathedral 4. basilica / cathedral 5. quadrigga 6. antiquity 7. a sack 8. ancients Synonyms: ancient found show; finding their beginnings; traced speculation shows; fitting called decorations; fought against famous took place; resulted represented; rule declaration was more powerful than CNA NEWSWORLD
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