Throughout history men have been killing each other on battlefields all over the world. In this series our expert archaeologist Stuart Prior and ex-Marine Monty Halls search through time to find mankind’s most awesome and terrifying killing machines. From the raw brutality of hammers and flails, the surgical precision of swords and axes, the destructive power of siege engines, the speed and stealth of longbows and crossbows, to the grace and technology of armor and the crude and overwhelming force of gunpowder, Monty and Stuart will find their perfect weapon.
從古至今，人類在全球戰場上彼此廝殺。本系列節目的兩位考古專家史都華•普萊爾和前海軍陸戰隊員蒙提•霍爾斯，縱橫古今尋找人類擁有的最可怕殺戮機器。從施展蠻力的戰鎚和連枷、攻擊精準的刀劍與戰斧、攻城掠地的圍城器械、高速匿蹤的長弓和十字弓、精密護衛的盔甲，到威力猛烈強大的火藥，蒙提和史都華將找出最佳武器。
No single invention has transformed warfare and killing like gunpowder and firearms. From the tiny .22 pistol to the mighty Gustav that fired a shell weighing over seven tonnes, humans have devised many lethal ways of using the explosive chemical power of substances like gunpowder. To explore a range of firearms we’ve brought together two very different kinds of weapons experts. Stuart is a lecturer in archaeology at Bristol University and also an authority on medieval weapons and war; Monty served with the British Marines for over eight years, and he was also an instructor in physical fitness.
火藥與槍械的發明徹底改變戰爭型態與殺人方式。從輕巧的點二二手槍到發射七公噸重砲彈的古斯塔夫巨炮，人類利用火藥等爆炸性化學物質的威力，發明各種致命手段。我們召集兩位不同領域的武器專家研究各式槍械，史都華是布里斯托大學考古學講師，也是中古世紀武器與戰爭專家；蒙提在英國陸戰隊服役八年，他也是名體適能教練。
Monty and Stuart’s quest for the perfect weapon includes a grueling series of tests and demonstrations. They’ll find out how easy they are to make, what damage they can inflict on flesh and blood, how they work and how straightforward they are to learn how to use. They’ll test how much power they can bring to bear on an enemy and how much skill it takes to use them accurately. Only then can they agree on their perfect weapon.
蒙提和史都華要尋找最佳武器，辛苦進行一連串測試與示範。他們要知道武器製造的難易度、對人體的傷害程度、使用方式，以及是否容易上手。他們要測試武器能對敵人施展多大威力，以及正確使用的技巧，然後才能決定何者是最佳武器。
To get the ball rolling, Monty and Stuart get their hands on a range of firearms from the 14th up to the early 20th century. The first weapon is a matchlock musket. Evidence points to it having its origins in the orient and it was first seen in Europe at the end of the 14th century. The trigger mechanism pulls the burning end of the match down to the pan. There it ignites the gunpowder, which then fires the ball.
為了展開測試，蒙提和史都華收集各式槍械，年代橫跨十四世紀至二十世紀初。第一件是火繩槍，證據指出它源自東方，十四世紀末首度傳到歐洲。扳機把火繩燃燒的一端推進火藥盆，點燃火藥發射彈丸。
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