In the movie 2012, life on Earth gets destroyed right before our eyes. Earthquakes bring down buildings, volcanoes erupt, and tsunamis swallow major cities. During these events, the main character, Jackson, realizes something: the Maya were right. The world ends on December 21, 2012, just as they had predicted with their calendar centuries ago.
Although some people believe in this doomsday idea, researchers say that it is false. NASA scientist Don Yeomans points out that this date marks only the end of a cycle of the Maya calendar. In fact, wall writings discovered recently in Xultun, Guatemala, show that the Maya calendar goes beyond the year AD 3500.
The Maya were experts at making calendars, but they also had other advanced skills. Their civilization, centered in modern-day Central America, lasted for more than 2,000 years. At their cultural height, around AD 600, they were tracking planets across the sky. They had their own writing system and used the juice of plants to make rubber balls for sports games. They were also able to build huge stone temples and palaces without the help of wheels or metal tools.
在《二○一二》這部電影中，地球上的生命就在我們眼前被摧毀。地震震倒了建築物、火山爆發，海嘯吞沒了主要城市。當這些事件發生時，主角傑克森瞭解到一件事：瑪雅人說對了。世界會在二○一二年的十二月二十一日終結，正如同他們幾世紀前以其曆法所預測的一樣。
雖然有些人相信這種末日說法，但研究員表示這不是真的。美國國家航空暨太空總署的科學家唐．尤曼斯指出，這個日期僅意味著瑪雅曆法中一個循環的結束。事實上，最近在瓜地馬拉的序頓地區發現的壁畫文字顯示瑪雅曆法其實延續到西元三五○○年之後。
瑪雅人是編製曆法的專家，但他們還有其他的先進技術。他們的文明主要集中在今日的中美洲地區，曾持續超過兩千年之久。在他們文化的鼎盛時期，時值西元六○○年前後，他們可以追蹤各行星在天空運行的軌跡。他們有自己的書寫系統，並用植物的汁液來製作運動比賽用的橡膠球。他們沒有輪子或金屬器具的協助也能夠建造巨大的石廟和宮殿。
文章出處：Live互動英語雜誌
留言列表
