Selling Salamis
推銷薩拉米斯島
It turns out to be hard to interest people in an ancient sea battle
古代海戰場難以吸引遊客
People on salamis hoped that their hilly island would be on the tourist map this year. It is the 2,500th anniversary of one of the greatest naval battles of the ancient world. In the early autumn of 480bc, in the strait between Salamis and the mainland, a few hundred Greek triremes (warships with three banks of oars and bronze battering-rams) defeated a much larger Persian armada.
薩拉米斯島的居民原本希望他們多丘陵的小島會出現在今年的旅遊地圖上。今年是古代最著名海戰之一的2500年紀念。公元前480年的早秋，數百艘希臘三列槳戰船（配備三排划槳和青銅攻船錘的戰艦）在薩拉米斯和大陸之間的海峽擊敗了波斯的無敵艦隊。
It was an unexpected triumph. Xerxes, the Persian king, was so confident of victory that he erected a throne from which to enjoy it, on a slope overlooking the sea. To his horror, the agile Greek fleet sank 200 lumbering Persian vessels, and lost only 40 of its own. Xerxes 「counted them at break of day—/And when the sun set, where were they?」 crowed Lord Byron, an English poet, 2,300 years later. The victory opened the way for Athens, which led the Greek fleet, to become Europe’s first superpower. A Hollywood film in 2014 portrayed the Greek sailors as perfectly sculpted hunks (and annoyed modern Iranians with its cartoonish depiction of the Persians).
這場勝利出人意料，波斯王薛西斯對取勝抱有十足信心，他甚至在可以眺望海面的山麓上樹立王座以觀賞戰況。令他恐懼的是，靈巧的希臘艦隊擊沉了200艘沉重的波斯艦隊，自己僅損失40艘。拜倫勳爵在2300年後曾作詩炫耀道，薛西斯「在黎明時清點艦隊—待到黃昏戰艦何在？「這場勝利為雅典打開了道路，並使得希臘艦隊成為歐洲的首支超級強權。在一部2014的好萊塢電影中，希臘水手們被描繪為體型完美的猛男（同時因為其中對波斯人卡通式的表現而熱鬧了現代伊朗人）。
Yet still the tourists do not come to Salamis. Covid-19 scuttled plans for a big celebration. Tourist visits to Greece fell by around 75% this summer. Only a few history buffs came to view the battle site. 「It’s been a big disappointment,」 says Georgios Panagopoulos, the mayor.
然而薩拉米斯仍未迎來遊客。新冠疫情使得大型慶祝活動無法進行。今年夏天，希臘的旅遊人數下降了75%。只有一些歷史愛好者來參觀了戰場遺址。薩拉米斯市長Georgios Panagopoulos表示，「這很令人失望。」
There are other reasons why Salamis has never become a tourist destination. It is host to a naval base, so parts of the island are off-limits. It is also close to Perama, a scruffy port surrounded by small ship-repair yards. And there is not much to see, apart from two modern bronze statues of warriors on a low mound, the supposed burial place of sailors killed in the battle. Nearby, noisy hammering comes from a large shed beside a pier. A rusty ship is moored alongside. A 50-year-old shipyard on the island’s Kynousoura peninsula is still in business, despite four government rulings since 2010 declaring the area a protected archaeological zone.
還有另外一個原因使薩拉米斯從未成為旅遊勝地。這裡駐紮有海軍基地，所以由島上有一部分是禁止進入的。此外這裡還靠近帕拉瑪港，這裡不太整潔的海港周圍環繞著小型修理船塢。除了在矮丘上的兩座戰士銅像以及據稱是戰士水手的埋葬地外，島上其實沒有更多的景點。不遠處碼頭旁的大型廠房裡還傳出嘈雜的敲擊聲。碼頭旁停泊了一艘鏽蝕的船隻。位於島上Kynousoura 半島的修船塢有50年的歷史並仍在運作，儘管自2010年的4屆政府已經宣布此處為考古保護區。
This year the environment ministry fast-tracked a new 15-year licence for the yard, whose owner, say islanders, has powerful connections. Clientelism is hard to crack in Greece, but Mr Panagopoulos, a newish mayor, says 「We』ll do our utmost to get this yard shut down.」 If he clears it, they may come. Greeks have beaten tougher odds before.
今年，環境部快速為船塢批准了一份長達15年的新營業執照。島民稱，船塢的所有人有很強力的人脈。庇護主義在希臘仍難以禁絕，但新市長Panagopoulos表示「我們會盡所能關閉這個船塢。」如果他能成功，也許會迎來遊客。希臘人曾經贏過更加希望渺茫的戰鬥。
本文不代表譯者及英語聽譯組觀點
翻譯：道化
朗讀：shiyi