Учебное пособие для студентов, обучающихся по специальности «История», «Музеология»

Ex. 3. Give English equivalents to these expressions:

Ex.4. Match the words with their definitions:

1. a barbarian	The time in history before anything was written down
2. a solar calendar	Someone whose job is to do something using hands
3. pre-history	A system of organization in which people or things are divided into levels of importance
4. an artifact	A disease that causes death and spreads quickly to a large number of people
5. a craftsman	A system which divides and measures time with the help of the Sun
6. an irrigation ditch	Someone from a different tribe or land, who people believe to be wild and uncivilized
7. plague	An object which was made in the past (a tool, a weapon etc.) that was made in the past and is historically important
8. hierarchy	A device designed to supply land or crops with water

Ex. 5. Complete the table with the appropriate forms of the words given:

Verb	Noun
	civilization
to barbarize	1. 2.
to enlighten
	irrigation
to smelt

Ex. 6. Insert the words and phrases given into the sentences in their correct form. Translate the sentences into Russian:

Greeks Produce tools Urban centres Prehistory Ruling class Morality Artefacts Centralized government Religious hierarchy Ownership

1. 
   The term _________ means the period of distant past before the written documents appeared.
   
2. 
   The ________ found during the digs can tell us about the way people stored food, _________ _____ and gathered harvests.
   
3. 
   Such notions as faith and ________, philosophy and science, law and government were introduced by ancient civilizations of Hebrews, __________ and Romans.
   
4. 
   _______ _______ contained specialized craftsmen and non-agricultural workers, but they didn’t include peasant producers.
   
5. 
   The privileged _________ _______ could collect money through taxes and organize __________ ________. This system was based on __________.
   
6. 
   Priestly class stood on the top of _______ __________.
   

Ex. 5. Translate from Russian into English:

1. 
   До середины XIX в. человеческая история была разделена на три эпохи: древнюю, средневековую и современную.
   
2. 
   Изучая археологические останки, мы можем узнать о религиозных практиках, политической организации и классовой структуре общества.
   
3. 
   Процветающие древние сообщества Месопотамии и Египта были цивилизациями городского типа. Они также были религиозными и законопослушными.
   
4. 
   Чтобы стать цивилизованным, человеческому обществу пришлось выйти из состояния варварства и стать просвещенным.
   
5. 
   Одними из основных признаков цивилизации являются плуг, колесная повозка, тягловые животные, плавление меди и бронзы, солнечный календарь, письменность и стандарты измерения.
   
6. 
   Крестьяне, горожане, чиновники и солдаты являются функционально взаимозависимыми элементами городского сообщества.
   

Ex. 6. Discuss the following question as a group:

Is it possible to give a solid definition of civilization? Why? Why not?


Text B

Abu Dhabi Discovery
. Before reading the text, answer the questions:

1. 
   What remains of human culture may help archaeologists learn more about distant past?
   
2. 
   Which of these remains are better preserved?
   

Read the following text quickly without a dictionary and find out the following information:

1. 
   the type of the artifact found
   
2. 
   the age of the discovery
   
3. 
   the way it looked like
   
4. 
   the place where it was found
   
5. 
   other things that archaeologists found during the digs
   

A pottery vessel discovered at the oldest, best-preserved Neolithic village in eastern Arabia may be evidence of early trade across the Persian Gulf between southern Mesopotamia and an island community off the coast of the United Arab Emirates.

Found on the island of Marawah near the UAE capital Abu Dhabi, the 7,000-year-old pottery vessel has a pale-green surface and is painted with black geometric lines and chevrons--characteristics of pottery from Tell Al-Ubaid in southern Iraq, the heart of Mesopotamia. The design is also similar to that found on pottery made in the Susiana region of southern Iran during the fifth millennium B.C. Archaeologists suggest the presence of the pottery indicates trade at a surprisingly early time between peoples on the Gulf.

The vessel was discovered in the remains of a four-room building erected in phases between 7000 and 6500 B.C. So far, archaeologists have only excavated one of the rooms, in which they have also unearthed the oldest human remains ever found in the region. The person had been buried just inside the threshold, making it likely the building hadn't been in regular use by the time of the burial--anyone entering would have literally tripped over the remains. In fact, at one point someone may indeed have stumbled over them--the bones were damaged and scattered, the feet found several yards away from the rest of the body. Among the most beautiful artifacts found so far, according to the archaeologists, were delicate buttons made of pearl oyster shells.

the Archaeological Institute of America

Vol. 57 № 5, September/October 2004
Ex. 1. Use the context of the article to work out the meaning of these words:



Ex. 2. Give a short summary of the article in 4-5 sentences.

Lesson 2
Text A
Ancient Western Asia. Before Civilization