凱薩大帝：名副其實的人類學家
Julius Caesar the Anthropologist
撰文及考題設計／British Council 英協教育中心 Brian Welter 中譯／陳怡君
Anthropologists are social scientists who, when they began their discipline over a hundred years ago, tended to be interested in far-away cultures that no American or European had ever before encountered. Some even ventured to Pacific Islands and wrote famous accounts of these peoples.
人類學家在100多年前即開展了他們的研究：他們對在美國或歐洲文化尚未滲入的遠古文化有極大興趣，有些更冒險進入太平洋島嶼，寫出對這些島民的記述。
In a way, humans’ natural curiosity about other humans and societies means there have always been anthropologists. Was Julius Caesar (100-44 BC), one of the most famous and interesting historical figures, an early anthropologist? Born into an aristocratic family, Caesar was above all a leader of soldiers. He created a general and shared political leadership of the entire empire with two others, including Pompey, in what was called a Triumvirate. He had many administrative successes and was well-regarded.
就某種程度而言，人類對於其他人群與社會的好奇心是出自於天性，意味著人類學家始終存在。而歷史上最有名與最有趣的歷史人物之一凱薩大帝（100-44 BC），也是早期的人類學家嗎？出身貴族世家的凱薩先是成為士兵的統帥，之後成為將領並與包含龐貝在內的兩位領袖共同統御帝國，當時稱作「三人執政團」。他擁有許多政績而備受推崇。
Just as nowadays, ancient Roman military leaders, in this case Caesar and Pompey, competed for power and glory. Since his rival took troops east to gain more lands via conquest, Caesar went northwest, to Gaul, or modern-day France. Gaul was divided among different war r ior t r ibes. Thei r society was made up of three classes, the religious leaders, called Druids, the knights, and the commoners. The last group were treated basically like slaves by the warriors. The Druids never fought, and spent many years in study. They even went to Britain to learn from the Druids there.
就像現今一般，古羅馬的軍事領袖如凱薩與龐貝，彼此競爭權力與榮耀。既然他的對手往東出征以獲取更多土地，凱薩決定往西北的高盧，也就是現今的法國。高盧被劃分為不同的戰士部落，他們的社會由三個階級組成：宗教領袖（或被稱作德魯伊）、騎士，以及庶民。庶民基本上是被戰士當作奴隸對待。德魯伊從未參與戰鬥，他們花大部分的時間在研究。他們更前往英國向當地的德魯伊學習。
How do we know all of that? Because of Caesar’s writing, The Gallic War. This work contains invaluable information on the peoples of Gaul and Germania, as the Romans then called Germany. The Gallic War offers glimpses of many different opponents of Rome from Caesar’s viewpoint. Since we have little else aside from a few scattered archaeological remains of these peoples, we have to take the author’s word for it. Much of the writings make him sound like an anthropologist studying a previously undiscovered culture. This is not surprising, since for the Romans, these were almost totally unknown societies.
我們如何一窺全貌？因為凱薩的著作《高盧戰記》。這部作品包含高盧和日耳曼地區人們的珍貴資訊，而當時羅馬人稱當地為日耳曼。由於我們只能從其他零星的建築遺跡拼湊，所以我們必須相信作者的描述。《高盧戰記》的諸多敘述，讓凱薩大帝搖身一變為人類學家，研究一個從未被研究過的文化。想當然爾，這些群體對當時的羅馬人而言，幾乎是全然未知的。
We learn, for instance, that it was the Druids who dealt with lawbreakers in Gaul. One common punishment, according to Caesar, was social isolation. No one would talk with or even greet the convicted criminal, fearing that they too would become isolated if they did. How long would such people be punished? And for what crimes? Caesar never tells us. He only notes that the Druids mostly memorised their laws and rituals, only writing a few things down in a Greek-looking script. Literacy was not prized among these peoples.
舉例來說，我們得知在高盧，是由德魯伊負責處置犯法者。根據凱薩的記載，其中一個常見的刑罰是社交孤立，沒有人能夠和罪犯交談甚至招呼， 因為怕連帶被孤立。這些人會被處罰多久？犯了什麼罪？凱薩從未告訴我們。他只記載德魯伊大多背誦法條與儀式，只用希臘文字記載少數事件，讀寫能力在這些人中並不受到重視。
The Germans, whom Caesar encountered on his military expeditions, differed from the Gauls in important ways, chiefly in religion. They had no Druid class, and, aside from worshiping a few traditional gods, didn’t really focus on belief or ritual. Caesar characterises the Germans as practical and close to the earth. Yet, he notes, they were not farmers. They would move yearly, and tended not to establish permanent settlements or build farms. Not surprisingly, their diet featured milk, cheese, and meat instead of bread.
凱撒軍事征途中遭遇的日耳曼人，和高盧人有許多重要的不同，尤其在宗教方面。他們並沒有德魯伊的階級概念，縱使在信仰傳統諸神以外， 並不特別鑽研信仰或儀式。凱薩將日耳曼人的特徵描述為務實、親近土地。然而他記載著，他們並非務農維生。他們逐年遷徙，並不會建立永久固定的駐紮地或建立農場。理所當然地，他們的飲食以牛奶、乳酪與肉食而非麵包為主。
Caesar admired the Germanic warrior spirit. They ruled over a large area, and would attack any other peoples, such as the Gauls, who established settlements near their vast forests. It was these forests, which Caesar described as great in size, that defined the Germans. The boys, Caesar notes, were taught from a young age to enjoy adventure and fighting. Not surprisingly, the Germans were keen hunters.
凱薩崇尚日耳曼人的戰士精神。他們統治大片土地，並攻擊任何嘗試在他們廣袤森林附近建立領地的族群，例如高盧人。正是這片被凱薩描述極為廣大的森林，定義了日耳曼人。凱薩記載著，年輕人從小即被教導去享受冒險與戰鬥，日耳曼人也因此為敏銳的獵人。
Perhaps due to their ferocious warrior spirit, the Germans were egalitarian: There was no over-class treating commoners like slaves, as was the case with the Gauls. Caesar noted that whereas the Germans were fierce opponents of the Romans, the Gauls were less so, as their economic development afforded them certain luxuries and made them dependent on trade with the Romans. He also notes rather smugly that they were used to being defeated by the Romans. He does note that in the past the Gauls had been as fierce as the Germans.
也許因為他們凶猛的戰士精神，日耳曼人崇尚平等主義。他們並不像高盧人，允許上層階級凌駕庶民、待之如奴隸。凱薩記載著，當凶猛的日耳曼人成為羅馬人強勁的對手時，相形之下高盧人較無戰鬥意志，因為他們的經濟發展讓他們有能力享受一定的豪奢生活，讓他們倚賴和羅馬人的交易。他更沾沾自喜地記載著高盧人似已習慣被羅馬人擊敗。他更記載著在過去的年代，高盧人曾經和日耳曼人一樣剽悍。 Caesar’s keen observation of his opponents demonstrates his political sense. He was more than a soldier. When defeating a part of Gaul, for instance, he would incorporate the leaders into the local Roman administration. The Roman empire counted on offering good government to conquered peoples as a way to keep the pax romana, the Roman peace.
凱薩對於對手的敏銳觀察展現了他的政治手腕。他並不僅止於一位軍人。舉例來說，當他擊敗了部分高盧，他會把將領收編為當地羅馬的政務官。羅馬帝國靠善待被征服人民的政府制度，用以維持所謂的「羅馬治世」。 We’ll never know for certain how accurate Caesar was as an anthropologist. However, The Gallic Wars have immeasurably enriched our understanding of the Gauls and Germans, two mysterious ancient European peoples.
我們永遠無法證實凱薩的人類學研究是否精確。然而，《高盧戰記》無疑豐富了我們對於這群神祕的古歐民族─高盧人與日耳曼人的理解。
本網站之文字、圖片及影音，非經授權，不得轉載、公開播送或公開傳輸及利用。
