古埃及人的五項(xiàng)神奇發(fā)明

Jonathan+Atteberry+&+Patrick+J.+Kiger

There may be no greater tribute1） to a society's ingenuity2） and vision than Egypt's pyramids of Giza3）. Being the largest one among them， the Pyramid of Khufu originally stood 481 feet （147 meters） tall， towering over4） monuments5） like the Statue of Liberty and Big Ben. Of course， the pyramids are only part of ancient Egypt's legacy6）.

Over the thousands of years ancient Egyptians thrived， they ushered in perhaps the most advanced civilization the world had ever known， and many of the devices7） of their society are still commonplace. You'll see in this list of five amazing Egyptian inventions.

估計(jì)沒有什么比埃及吉薩金字塔更能彰顯一個(gè)社會的創(chuàng)造力與想象力了。胡夫金字塔是吉薩金字塔中最大的一座，原高481英尺（147米），遠(yuǎn)比自由女神像和大本鐘等歷史名勝要高。當(dāng)然，金字塔還只是古埃及遺產(chǎn)中的一部分。

在古埃及民族蓬勃發(fā)展的數(shù)千年之中，他們所開創(chuàng)的也許是當(dāng)時(shí)的世界所知的最為發(fā)達(dá)的文明，在他們生活的社會中所使用的很多東西在今天仍然隨處可見。接下來你就將看到古埃及人的五項(xiàng)神奇發(fā)明。

Eye Makeup

Sure， eye makeup might not rank alongside fire or the wheel as one of the most important discoveries in human history， but it gives the Egyptians a run for longevity. Since they first invented eye makeup as far back as 4000 B.C.， it's never gone out of style. Even more impressive， some cosmetically-minded cultures still create makeup using the same techniques pioneered by the Egyptians thousands of years ago. They combined soot8） with a mineral called galena9） to create a black ointment10） known as kohl11）， which is still popular today. They could also create green eye makeup by combining a mineral called malachite12） with galena to tint13） the ointment.

For the Egyptians， makeup was not limited to women. Status and appearance went hand in hand， and as far as the upper class was concerned， the more makeup the better. Fashion was only part of the reason for the Egyptians' notoriously14） heavy hand15） when applying eyeliner16）. They also believed that applying a thick coating17） of the stuff could cure various eye diseases and even keep them from falling victim to the evil eye18）.

Breath Mints19）

The next time you buy Mentos20） at the counter of 7-Eleven21）， you should thank the ancient Egyptians for devising a way to conceal the unpleasant aromas our mouths sometimes exude22）. Just as in modern times， bad breath in ancient Egypt often was a symptom of poor dental health. Unlike us， the Egyptians didn't gorge on23） sugary soft drinks and foods that contribute to tooth decay， but the stones they used to grind24） flour for bread contributed a lot of sand to their diet， which wore down25） tooth enamel26） to expose the pulp27） of the tooth， making it vulnerable to infection.

The Egyptians had specialists for many medical problems， but unfortunately， they didn't have dentists to fix their deteriorating teeth and gums28）. Instead， they simply suffered， and scientists who've examined mummies have found severely worn teeth， even in youthful Egyptians. To cope with the unpleasant odors from their rotting mouths， Egyptians invented the first mints， which were a combination of frankincense29）， myrrh30） and cinnamon31） boiled with honey and shaped into pills.

Bowling

In Narmoutheos， a settlement 56 miles （90 kilometers） south of Cairo that dates back to the Roman occupation period in the second and third centuries A.D.， archaeologists have discovered a room containing a set of lanes and a collection of balls of various sizes. Measuring about 13-feet-long （3.9-meter）， the 7.9-inch-wide （20-centimeter）， 3.8-inch-deep （9.6-centimeter） lane featured a 4.7-inch （11.9-centimeter） square opening at its center.

Unlike modern bowling， in which bowlers strive to knock down pins32） at the end of the alley， Egyptian bowlers aimed for the hole in the middle. Competitors stood at opposite ends of the lane and attempted to roll balls of different sizes into the center hole and in the process also knock their opponent's ball off course.

The Door Lock

Whenever you lock your door at night and slide the bolt33） into place， say a prayer of thanks for the ancient Egyptian invention of door locks. The earliest such device， created around 4000 B.C.， basically was a lock in which a hollowed-out bolt in the door was connected to pins that could be manipulated by insertion of a key.

One drawback of these ancient locks was their size. The biggest ones were up to 2 feet （0.6 meters） in length. Egyptian locks actually were more secure than the technology later developed by the Romans， who used a simpler design with a spring34） rather than a bolt to hold the door in place. The Roman locks were hidden inside the door， but compared to the Egyptian locks， they were relatively easy to pick.

Toothpaste

As we mentioned previously， the Egyptians had a lot of trouble with their teeth. While they didn't have dentists， they did make some effort to keep their teeth clean. Archaeologists have found toothpicks buried alongside mummies， apparently placed there so that they could clean food debris from between their teeth in the afterlife35）. Along with the Babylonians， they're also credited with inventing the first toothbrushes， which were worn-out ends of twigs36）.

But the Egyptians also contributed an innovation to dental hygiene37）， in the form of toothpaste. Early ingredients included the powder of ox hooves， ashes， burnt eggshells and pumice38）， which probably made for a less-than-refreshing morning tooth-care ritual. Archaeologists recently found what appears to be a more advanced toothpaste recipe and how-to-brush guide written on papyrus39） that dates back to the Roman occupation in the fourth century A.D. The unknown author explains how to mix precise amounts of rock salt， mint， dried iris40） flower and grains of pepper， to form a "powder for white and perfect teeth".

1.眼妝

誠然，眼妝可能不比火或車輪，算不上是人類歷史上最重要的發(fā)現(xiàn)之一，但它卻能讓古埃及人延年益壽。古埃及人早在公元前4000年就首先發(fā)明了眼妝，自誕生以來，眼妝從未過時(shí)。更令人感到不可思議的是，在某些注重妝容的文化中，人們至今仍在沿用古埃及人幾千年前首創(chuàng)的技術(shù)來配制化妝品。他們將煙灰與一種名為方鉛礦的礦物質(zhì)相混合，來制成一種被稱為眼圈粉的黑色油膏，這種油膏在今天仍然備受歡迎。他們還能配制出綠色的眼妝，方法是將名為孔雀石的礦物質(zhì)與方鉛礦相混合，這樣就能將油膏染上綠色了。

對古埃及人來說，化妝并不僅限于女性。地位與形象是密切相關(guān)的，而且在上層階級看來，妝越濃越好。眾所周知，古埃及人在抹眼線膏時(shí)下手都很重，但講求時(shí)尚僅僅是部分原因。還有一個(gè)原因便是，他們相信在眼部抹上一層厚厚的眼線膏可以治療各種眼疾，甚至還能祛邪避災(zāi)。

2.清新口氣的薄荷糖

下次在7-11便利店的柜臺買曼妥思薄荷糖時(shí)，你應(yīng)當(dāng)感謝一下古埃及人，因?yàn)槭撬麄兿氤隽诉@種辦法來遮蓋我們口中有時(shí)會散發(fā)出來的難聞氣味。和在現(xiàn)代社會一樣，口臭在古埃及也往往是牙齒狀況不佳的一種癥狀。跟我們不同的是，古埃及人并沒有貪吃那些會導(dǎo)致蛀牙的含糖軟飲料和甜食，但他們用來磨面粉做面包的石磨卻使其日常飲食中摻入了大量的沙子。這些沙子會使牙釉質(zhì)受到磨損，導(dǎo)致牙髓暴露在外，從而使牙齒容易感染發(fā)炎。

古埃及人不乏治療眾多疾病的專家，但遺憾的是，他們偏偏沒有牙醫(yī)來為自己治療日益變差的牙齒和牙齦，反而只能飽受牙病之苦。那些檢查過木乃伊的科學(xué)家發(fā)現(xiàn)，木乃伊的牙齒磨損得很嚴(yán)重，即使英年早逝的埃及人也是如此。為遮蓋口腔潰爛所發(fā)出的難聞氣味，古埃及人發(fā)明了最早的薄荷糖，即把乳香、沒藥和肉桂混合，再兌入蜂蜜煮沸而制成的丸狀物。

3.保齡球

納姆西奧斯村落位于開羅以南56英里（90公里）處，其歷史可追溯至公元2～3世紀(jì)的羅馬統(tǒng)治時(shí)期。考古學(xué)家在此發(fā)現(xiàn)了一個(gè)房間，里面有一組球道和許多大小不一的球。球道約長13英尺（3.9米），寬7.9英寸（20厘米），深3.8英寸（9.6厘米），中部還有一個(gè)4.7英寸（11.9厘米）的方形開口。

在現(xiàn)代保齡球中，玩家需盡力擊倒擺放在球道盡頭的球瓶，與之不同，古埃及保齡球玩家的目標(biāo)則是位于球道中間的那個(gè)孔洞——選手需站在球道兩頭，奮力將大小不一的球滾入中間的孔洞中，并在此過程中將對手的球撞出球道。

4.門鎖

晚上鎖門并推上插銷時(shí)，不妨對發(fā)明門鎖的古埃及人說句感謝的祝福語吧。最早的這類裝置約出現(xiàn)于公元前4000年，大致說來，就是將門上掏出的一個(gè)閂孔接上銷子之后插入鑰匙即可實(shí)現(xiàn)開合的一套鎖具。

這類古代門鎖的一大缺點(diǎn)就在于它們的個(gè)頭。最大的鎖長達(dá)兩英尺（0.6米）。古埃及人的鎖實(shí)際上比羅馬人后來發(fā)明的鎖要更加牢靠。羅馬人的鎖設(shè)計(jì)得更為簡單，它們使用彈簧而不是門閂來鎖門，而且鎖隱藏在門內(nèi)，比埃及人發(fā)明的鎖更容易撬開。

5.牙膏

正如我們前面所提到的那樣，古埃及人有很多牙齒問題。盡管沒有牙醫(yī)，他們還是想出了一些辦法來保持牙齒清潔?？脊艑W(xué)家在木乃伊的陪葬品中發(fā)現(xiàn)了牙簽，這顯然是有人放在那里供死者在來生清理齒縫中的食物殘?jiān)?。和巴比倫人一樣，古埃及人也被認(rèn)為是最早發(fā)明牙刷的人，而那牙刷其實(shí)是已經(jīng)磨損得不像樣的小樹枝的末端。

非但如此，古埃及人還為口腔衛(wèi)生方面貢獻(xiàn)了一大創(chuàng)舉——他們發(fā)明了牙膏。早期牙膏的成分包括牛蹄粉、灰燼、焦蛋殼和浮石，它們或許促成了一次不那么清爽的晨間牙齒保健儀式?？脊艑W(xué)家最近發(fā)現(xiàn)了一張公元4世紀(jì)羅馬統(tǒng)治時(shí)期的紙莎草紙，上面記載著一份似乎更為高級的牙膏配方及刷牙方法說明。雖然作者是誰不得而知，但他講解了應(yīng)如何將定量的巖鹽、薄荷、干鳶尾花和胡椒粒混合起來，從而制成一種“美白且保健牙齒的粉末”。