is very limited. But what there is, is very important

十分有限这些有限的部分都很重要
and no part of it is more important than the Homeric poems themselves.

但没有任何一部分比荷马式的史诗本身更重要
But if we look at the society that emerges,

如果我们仔细观察这渐渐浮出水面的社会
this Dark Age society that emerges from

这个从古代迈锡尼文明浮现出来的
the ancient world of Mycenae,

黑暗时代的社会
what you have is a rare human experience.

你会得到一些相当宝贵的经验
The creation almost of a clean slate,

这几乎就是从一张白纸重新创作
even more so I would argue than

甚至比起我认为
the disruption that it came after the fall of Rome,

比起紧随罗马陷落而出现的分裂更有价值
because there's one big difference.

因为这两者有一个巨大的差别
The fall of Rome did not destroy one of the most important tenacious

罗马的灭亡并没有对旧文化中最重要
and significant aspects of the old culture, the Roman Catholic Church,

最强韧最意味深远的罗马天主教会产生破坏