除了骆驼，马在丝绸之路上也是很重要的运输工具。
In addition to camels, horses were also a significant mode of transportation on the Silk Road.
在这里我们可以看到东西方使用的三种马挽具。最左边的是颈带挽具，这种挽具出现的非常早，在4500多年前的古埃及就已经有了，但这种挽具主要是勒在马脖子上的，容易使马呼吸不畅，所以拉不了太重的东西。中国秦汉和古罗马时期出现了一种胸带式挽具，从示意图上您可以看出来，这种挽具主要是勒住了马的胸部，而不是脖子，可以防止马呼吸不畅。但这种挽具也有一个缺点，那就是固定的不够死，很难发力。到了公元前1世纪，中国和古罗马又改良了马挽具，还是用颈带式，但是呢，在颈带里填充了软的东西，这样马就不会觉得勒，也很好发力了。不过这种颈圈式挽具在古罗马只是昙花一现，要到1000多年后才在西方流行开来。
Here are three kinds of harnesses used in both China and other countries. The one on the far left is a neck harness, which first appeared in ancient Egypt more than 4,500 years ago. However, as this kind of harness is fastened to the horse’s neck and can easily cause breathing difficulties, the horses wearing these harnesses were often unable to carry heavy loads. The chest harness appeared in China during the Qin and Han Dynasties and also ancient Rome. As you can see from the schematic diagram, this harness is fastened to the horse’s chest instead of its neck, preventing breathing problems. However, it also has a disadvantage, that is, loose fastening, which hinders the horse to exert its full force. In the 1st century BC, China and ancient Rome both improved horse harnesses but continued using neck harnesses. They stuffed the neck straps with soft materials, so the horses would not feel strangled or pressure when exerting force. However, this type of neck harness was only a flash in the pan in ancient Rome and did not gain popularity in Europe until over a millennium later.
如果不用马来拉车，直接骑在马背上的话，也需要一件很重要的工具——马镫。马镫是一件非常便利的工具，它可以支撑人的双脚，从而解放双手，甚至能够让人在马背上做出各种高难度动作，比如，左边这块展板上，就展示了古人打马球的场景，这里的骑手们脚踏马镫，一边飞驰，一边打球。在这里有两匹马的模型，一匹马有马镫，一匹没有，您可以都骑一骑，体会一下有马镫和没马镫的区别。
If you ride directly on horseback instead of sitting in a horse drawn cart, you might need an important tool–horse stirrups. The stirrups are a handy tool that supports your feet, frees your hands, and even allows you to perform various tricks on horseback. If you look at the display panel on the left, it shows a scene of ancient polo being played, where riders with their feet in stirrups play polo while galloping around. Over here stand two horse models, one with stirrups and one without. You can try both of them to experience the difference between having stirrups and not having them.
装备也备齐了，交通工具也有了，接下来我们就到左边，去看看马可波罗具体是走的哪条路。
Now we have the equipment and transportation. So, let’s move to the left to see which road Marco Polo took.
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