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Language developmentUnit 2. Ancient Egypt Pre-reading Exercise 1. Answer the following questions:
Reading Exercise 2. Read the text “Ancient Egypt. Part I” and match the headings (A-G) to the correct paragraphs (1-7). Then explain the words in bold. A. Egyptian hierarchy, B. Egyptian Life, C. Geography, D. Gods and Goddesses, E. Mummification, F. Pharaoh, G. Pyramids 1. ....... . The ancient Egyptians thought of Egypt as being divided into two types of land, the 'black land' and the 'red land'. The 'black land' was the fertile land on the banks of the Nile. The ancient Egyptians used this land for growing their crops. This was the only land in ancient Egypt that could be farmed because a layer of rich, black silt was deposited there every year after the Nile flooded. The 'red land' was a barren desert that protected Egypt on two sides. These deserts separated ancient Egypt from neighbouring countries and invading armies. They also provided the ancient Egyptians with a source for precious metals and semi-precious stones. 2. ....... .Daily life in ancient Egypt revolved around the Nile and the fertile land along its banks. The yearly flooding of the Nile enriched the soil and brought good harvests and wealth to the land. The people of ancient Egypt built mudbrick homes in villages and in the country. They grew some of their own food and traded in the villages for the food and goods they could not produce. Most ancient Egyptians worked as farmers, craftsmen and scribes. A small group of people were nobles. Together, these different groups of people made up the population of ancient Egypt. 3. ....... .1. Egyptian society had a social hierarchy, with the pharaoh at the top. 2. The vizier was the second most powerful official. He was the pharaoh’s most trusted advisor. 3. Nobles in Egyptian society were related to the pharaoh, priests, scribes, doctors, lawyers or important military men. 4. Only scribes and priests were taught how to read and write. 5. Skilled craftsmen 6. At the bottom of the pyramid there were unskilled workers, slaves, labourers and peasants.
5. ....... .The earliest ancient Egyptians buriedtheir dead in small pits in a desert. The heat and dryness of the sand dehydrated the bodies quickly, creating lifelike and natural 'mummies'. Later, the ancient Egyptians began burying their dead in coffins to protect them from wild animals in the desert. However, they realized that bodies placed in coffins decayed when they were notexposed to the hot, dry sand of the desert. Over many centuries, the ancient Egyptians developed a method of preserving bodies so they would remain lifelike. The process included embalming the bodies and wrappingthem in strips of linen. Today we call this process mummification. 6. ....... .The most powerful person in ancient Egypt was a pharaoh. The pharaoh was the political and religious leader of the Egyptian people, holding the titles: 'Lord of the Two Lands' and 'High Priest of Every Temple'. As 'Lord of the Two Lands' the pharaoh was the ruler of Upper and Lower Egypt. He owned all of the land, made laws, collected taxes, and defended Egypt against foreigners. As 'High Priest of Every Temple', the pharaoh represented the gods on Earth. He performed rituals and built temples to honour the gods. Many pharaohs went to war when their land was threatened or when they wanted to control foreign lands. If the pharaoh won the battle he wanted the conqueredpeople to recognize the Egyptian pharaoh as their ruler; and they offered him the finest and most valuable goods from their land.
worked to keep the Pharaohs's body and his belongings from decomposing and rottingaway. The reason they built the pyramids next to the Nile River was so it would be easier to get the blocks to the pyramid. The stones could be bought nearer to the pyramid building site by boat. There are about eighty pyramids known today from ancient Egypt. The three largest and best-preserved of these were built at Giza at the beginning of the Old Kingdom. The most well-known of these pyramids was built from about 2560 to 2540 BC for the pharaoh Cheops or Khufu. It is known as the 'Great Pyramid'. It is about 147 m high and it took 20 years to build. The second pyramid is named after Chepren or Khafre, which is 214 m long and 136 m high. The third pyramid is named after Menkaure or Mykerinos, which is 110 m long and about 70 m high.
graves. Egyptians paid much money to have their bodies properly preserved. Poor Egyptians were buried in the sand while the rich ones were buried in a tomb. http://www.chiddingstone.kent.sch.uk/homework/egypt Exercise 3. Read the text “Ancient Egypt. Part II” and explain the words in bold. Temples.The ancient Egyptians believed that temples were the homes of the gods and goddesses. Every temple was dedicated to a god or goddess and he or she was worshipped there by the temple priests and the pharaoh. The large temple buildings were made of stone so that they would last forever. Their walls were covered with scenes that were carved onto the stone then brightly painted. These scenes showed the pharaoh fighting in battles and performing rituals with the gods and goddesses. Trades.Craftsmen in ancient Egypt were usually trained and skilled labourers. They were often well-respected in the community and had a comfortable lifestyle. Yet every craftsman's lifestyle and social standing depended on the quality of his skills and experience. Most craftsmen worked in workshops with other craftsmen. Objects for temples or the pharaoh were made in temple workshops or palace workshops. Objects for ordinary people were made by local craftsmen in small workshops.
The Egyptians did not write vowelsand did not use any punctuation. The Egyptian writing called hieroglyphics used pictures to represent different objects, actions, sound or ideas. There were more than 700 hieroglyphs. Some pictures stood for whole words. Hieroglyph is made from two Greek words: ‘hieros’ meaning holy and ‘glyphe’ meaning writing; so hieroglyph means ‘holy writing’. This writing was uncovered by the Rosetta Stone. Hieroglyphs were written on papyrus reed, which is a water or marsh plant, with tall straight hollow stems. The reeds were flattened, dried and stuck together to make pages. The Egyptians also carved hieroglyphs onto stone and painted them on the walls of the tombs. Egyptian writing was done with pen and ink on fine paper - papyrus. Egyptian "pens" were thin, sharp reeds, which they would dip in ink to write with.
The Egyptians wore make-up and jewel to honour the gods. Both men and women wore blue and green eyeshadowand black eyeliner. One item of jewellery, the amulet, was believed to protect the owners and give them strength. Farming.The people of ancient Egypt grew everything they needed to eat. The pharaoh got peasants to do the farm work on the rich lands. Most villagers were farmers. Farmers lived in towns too, along with craft workers, traders and other workers and their families. Egyptians grew crops such as wheat, barley, vegetables, figs, melons, pomegranates and vines. They also grew flax which was made into linen. The most important crop was grain. The ancient Egyptians used grain to make bread, porridge and beer. Grain was the first crop they grew after inundation (flooding season). Once the grain was harvested, they grew vegetables such as onions, leeks, cabbages, beans, cucumbers and lettuce. Farmers planted fruit trees and vines along paths, to give shadeas well as fruit. The Egyptians grew their crops along the banks of the River Nile on the rich black soil, or kemet which was left behind after the yearly floods. The fertile soil was ideal to grow healthy crops. Egyptian farmers divided their year into three seasons, based on the cycles of the Nile River: 1) Akhet - the inundation (June-September): The Flooding Season. No farming was done at this time, as all the fields were flooded. Instead, many farmers worked for the pharaoh, building pyramids or temples. Some of the time was spent mending their tools and looking after animals. 2) Peret (October-February): The Growing Season. In October the floodwaters receded, leaving behind a layer of rich, black soil. This fertile soil was then ploughed and seeded.
were made entirely out of wood or a combination of wood and stone. Once the floods receded and the fields dried, the plants would wither and die. The mud that the Nile left behind needed lots of watering in the hot sun. Egyptians built mud-brick reservoirs to trap and hold the water. They also had a network of irrigation canals that filled with water during the flood and were refilled from the reservoirs. To lift the water from the canal they used a shaduf. A shaduf is a large pole balanced on a crossbeam, a rope and bucket on one end and a heavy counter weight at the other. By pulling the rope it lowered the bucket into the canal. The farmer then raised the bucket of water by pulling down on the weight. Then he swung the pole around and emptied the bucket onto the field. Animals were very important to farmers. Animals helped them with jobs like trampling in the seeds, pulling the plough and providing the Egyptians with food and drink. They kept animals such as cattle, goats, pigs, ducks, cows and geese. http://www.ancientegypt.co.uk/menu2.html Exercise 4. Read the text “Ancient Egypt” again and answer the following questions.
Language development Date: 2016-04-22; view: 2698
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