习主席19日至23日将对沙特阿拉伯、埃及、伊朗进行国事访问。这是中国最高领导人时隔12年后再次踏上尼罗河畔的这片肥沃土地。古埃及一直以人类最先进文明的姿态屹立于世几近3000年。但是，这个以金字塔闻名全球的国度，仍隐藏着一些不为人知的故事。

　　1. Cleopatra was not Egyptian.

　　埃及艳后克里欧佩特拉竟不是埃及人

　　Along with King Tut, perhaps no figure is more famously associated with ancient Egypt than Cleopatra VII. But while she was born in Alexandria, Cleopatra was actually part of a long line of Greek Macedonians originally descended from Ptolemy I, one of Alexander the Great’s most trusted lieutenants.

　　说起古埃及，除了图特王(King Tut)，最有名的人物大概就是克里欧佩特拉七世了。尽管她出身于埃及亚历山大，但她实际上是希腊马其顿人的后裔，而马其顿人则是亚历山大大帝麾下最受信任的将军托勒密一世的后代。

　　The Ptolemaic Dynasty ruled Egypt from 323 to 30 B.C., and most of its leaders remained largely Greek in their culture and sensibilities. In fact, Cleopatra was famous for being one of the first members of the Ptolemaic dynasty to actually speak the Egyptian language.

　　从公元前323年到公元前30年，托勒密王朝统治了埃及，并且大部分君主在文化和情感上都延续着希腊人的传统。事实上，克里欧佩特拉闻名于世的原因却在于她是托勒密王朝第一批会说埃及语的王室成员。

　　2. Egyptians of both sexes wore makeup.

　　古埃及人不论男女都化妆

　　Vanity is as old as civilization, and the ancient Egyptians were no exception. Both men and women were known to wear copious amounts of makeup, which they believed gave them the protection of the gods Horus and Ra.

　　有文明存在就有虚荣，古埃及也并不例外。男女都会画浓妆，他们认为这样会得到鹰神与太阳神的庇护。

　　These cosmetics were made by grinding ores like malachite and galena into a substance called kohl. It was then liberally applied around the eyes with utensils made out of wood, bone and ivory.

　　他们所使用的化妆品都是磨碎的矿石，如孔雀石、方铅矿均能制成一种称为眼影粉的东西。接着用木、骨头或象牙做的用具来将其涂在眼睛周围。

　　Women would also stain their cheeks with red paint and use henna to color their hands and fingernails, and both sexes wore perfumes made from oil, myrrh and cinnamon.

　　女人们还会将自己的脸颊涂成红色，并用指甲花给手或指甲染色。埃及男女都要喷香水，这种香水是由油、没药、肉桂混合制成。

　　The Egyptians believed their makeup had magical healing powers, and they weren’t entirely wrong: Research has shown that the lead-based cosmetics worn along the Nile actually helped stave off eye infections.

　　埃及人认为化妆有着神奇的治愈功能，这种想法并非无稽之谈：研究表明，在尼罗河畔劳作时画着以铅为原料的化妆品确实可以抑制眼部感染。

　　3. Ancient Egyptians loved board games.

　　古埃及人热爱棋盘游戏

　　After a long day’s work along the Nile River, Egyptians often relaxed by playing board games. Several different games were played, including “Mehen” and “Dogs and Jackals,” but perhaps the most popular was a game of chance known as “Senet.”

　　在尼罗河畔辛勤劳作了一天后，古埃及人通常会玩玩棋类游戏来放松一下。他们会玩各种各样的棋类游戏，例如“盘蛇图”、“狗和豺”等。但其中最受欢迎的当属“赛尼特”(Senet)，这个游戏全靠运气取胜。

　　This pastime dates back as far as 3500 B.C. and was played on a long board painted with 30 squares. Each player had a set of pieces that were moved along the board according to rolls of dice or the throwing sticks.

　　关于这一游戏，历史可追溯到公元前3500年。棋盘是一个画有30个方格的长桌，每个玩家各执一套棋子，通过掷骰子或抛木棍来决定步数，按规定将棋子沿着桌面移动。

　　4. Egyptian women had a wide range of rights and freedoms.

　　古埃及女性具有广泛的权利和自由

　　While they may have been publicly and socially viewed as inferior to men, Egyptian women enjoyed a great deal of legal and financial independence. They could buy and sell property, serve on juries, make wills and even enter into legal contracts.

　　人们普遍认为古埃及女性地位不如男性，尽管如此，但她们仍享有广泛的法定权利，并且经济相对独立。她们可以自由买卖财产，参与陪审，订立遗嘱，甚至签订合同。

　　Egyptian women did not typically work outside the home, but those who did usually received equal pay for doing the same jobs as men.

　　在古埃及，一般女性并不会在外劳作，但在外劳作的女性通常能获得和男性相等的报酬。

　　Unlike the women of ancient Greece, who were fectively owned by their husbands, Egyptian women also had the right to divorce and remarry.

　　古希腊的女性实际上是丈夫的所有物，而与之不同的是，古埃及女性同样有权利选择离婚或再婚。

　　Egyptian couples were even known to negotiate an ancient prenuptial agreement. These contracts listed all the property and wealth the woman had brought into the marriage and guaranteed that she would be compensated for it in the event of a divorce.

　　这里的夫妻甚至还会签订婚前协议。在婚前协议上会清楚列出女性结婚时所携带的嫁妆，并且，一旦离婚，将确保女性能得到一定的赔偿。

　　5. Egyptian pharaohs were often overweight.

　　古埃及法老大都是胖子

　　Egyptian art commonly depicts pharaohs as being trim and statuesque, but this was most likely not the case. The Egyptian diet of beer, wine, bread and honey was high in sugar, and studies show that it may have done a number on royal waistlines.

　　在古埃及艺术中，法老画像通常是通过精挑细琢的，法老个个身材健美挺拔，但事实并非如此。埃及人爱喝的啤酒、葡萄酒，爱吃的面包、蜂蜜大都是高糖分的，研究表明，这些食物的过度饮食是古埃及人身圆体胖的一大帮手。

　　Examinations of mummies have indicated that many Egyptian rulers were unhealthy and overweight, and even suffered from diabetes.

　　通过对埃及人木乃伊的检测发现，大部分埃及上层人士的身体健康状况并不乐观，并且体重超标，甚至有些还患有糖尿病。

　　A notable example is the legendary Queen Hatshepsut, who lived in the 15th century B.C. While her sarcophagus depicts her as slender and athletic, historians believe she was actually obese and balding.

　　哈特谢普苏特王后(Queen Hatshepsut)就是一个典型的例子。她生活在公元前15世纪，可谓是埃及一个传奇人物。她石棺上的画像身材苗条，看上去体格健康，但历史学家们认为，她实际上是个秃顶的胖女人。

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