Dark Ages and Greek Renaissance
Answer the following questions:
What period in men’s history is called “Renaissance”? Define the term.
What do you know about the Dark Ages?
How can the idea of “Dark Ages” be applied to the history of Greece?
Give Russian equivalents to the following proper names:
Aegean Sea [i:'dʒi:ən'si:]
Asia Minor ['eiʃə'mainə]
Crete [kri:t]
Knossos ['knɒ:səs]
Mycenae [mai'si:ni:]
Minos ['mainəs]
The island of Thera ['θiərə]
Troy [trɔi]
Study the pronunciation of the following proper names and expressions:
Dark Ages ['da:k'eidʒiz] – мрачное средневековье
Doric Greeks ['dɔrik'gri:ks] – Дорийцы (жители Дориды – области Древней Греции)
Greek Mainland ['gri:k'meinlənd] – Греческая Равнина
Greek Renaissance ['gri:k rə'neis(ə)ns] – Греческий Ренессанс (Возрождение)
The Minoans [mi'nəuən] - Минойцы
Give Russian equivalents to the following words:
bureaucrat ['bjuərəukræt], n
destroy ['dis'trɔi], v
pottery ['pɔtterɪ], n
remains [ri'meinz], n
tidal wave ['taidl'weiv], n
trade [treid], v
warrior ['wɔriə], n
Study the following words and expressions:
abrupt [ə'brʌpt], adj – резкий, внезапный, неожиданный
burial ['beriəlz], n – похороны
decipher [di'saifə], v – расшифровывать, разгадывать, распутывать
decline [di'klain], n - упадок
earthquake ['ɜθˏkweik], n - землетрясение
engulf [in'gʌlf], v – затапливать, поглощать
halt [hɔ :lt], n - прекращение
invader [in'veidə], n - захватчик
invasion [in'veiʒ(ə)n], n – вторжение, захват
ornate [ɔ: 'neit]. adj – пышный, богато украшенный
script [skri:pt], n – рукописный текст, манускрипт
surround [sə'raund], v - окружать
valley ['væli], n – долина
Read and translate the text using a dictionary if necessary:
The first important society in the Greek world developed on the large island of Crete, just south of the Aegean Sea. The people of Crete were not Greek but probably came from western Asia Minor well before 3000 B.C. In 1900, the English archeologist, Arthur Evans (1851-1941), excavated Knossos, the greatest city of ancient Crete. There he discovered the remains of a magnificent palace which he named the Palace of Minos, the mythical king of Crete (and so, Cretan civilization is also known as Minoan). The palace bureaucrats of Crete wrote in a script called Linear A and although their language has not been fully deciphered, it is assumed that they may have been a member of the Indo-European family of languages, which includes Greek and Latin.
With an estimated population of 250,000 people (40,000 in Knossos alone), the Minoans traded with the people of the Fertile Crescent. Their palaces became the centers of economic activity and political power. The palaces themselves were constructed with rooms of varying sizes and functions and it seemed as if there were no apparent design (the Greeks later called them labyrinths). Although the Minoans were remarkable for their trade networks, architecture and the arts, their civilization eventually declined. Although historians have not agreed on an exact cause, it has been suggested that a large earthquake on the island of Thera may have created a tidal wave that engulfed the island of Crete. Whatever the cause of their decline, Minoan society was transformed by invaders from the Greek mainland.
How the Greeks settled on the Greek mainland is significant for their future development. Greece is a mountainous country and full of valleys. Greece is also nearly surrounded by water. Because of their geography, the Greeks were encouraged to settle the land in independent political communities. These communities would soon come to be known as city-states. Each city state or polis had its own political organization and thus was truly independent. The largest and most powerful of all the city-states in the period 1600-1100 was that of Mycenae and this period of time has come to be called the Mycenaean Age.
By the 16th century Mycenae was an extremely wealthy, prosperous and powerful state. Archeological discoveries of the area have uncovered swords, weapons and the remains of well-fortified city walls showing that this city-state was indeed a community of warriors. Each city-state in the Mycenaean period was independent and under the rule of its own king. The only time the city-states may have united was during the war with Troy in Asia Minor.
By 1300, the Greek mainland was under attack by ships from Asia Minor and by 1100, Mycenae was completely destroyed. This invasion is known as the Dorian Invasion – the Doric Greeks were supposedly tribes who had left Greece at an earlier time and then returned by 1200 B.C. Following the Dorian Invasion Greece fell into its own period of the Dark Ages. For the most part, Greek culture began to go into decline – pottery became less elegant, burials were less ornate and the building of large structures and public buildings came to an abrupt halt. However, the invasion and subsequent Dark Age did not mark the end of Greek civilization. Some technological skills survived and the Greek language was preserved by those people who settled in areas unaffected by the Dorian Invasion.
After 800 B.C. a new spirit of optimism and adventure began to appear in Greece. This spirit became so intensified that historians have called the period from 800-600 the Greek Renaissance. For instance, in literature, this is the age of the great epic poets, poets who wrote of the deeds of mortal men as well as of immortal gods. It is also the period of the first Olympic games, held in 776 B.C.
Ex. 1. Answer the following questions:
Where did the first Greek society originate from?
Who was the Cretan civilization named after?
What family of languages did the bureaucrats of Crete belong to?
Who was the main trade partner of the Minoans?
What was the alleged cause for the Cretan Civilization decline?
What was the most powerful Greek city in the period of 1600-1100?
Why was the city of Mycenae completely destroyed?
What did the period of the Dark Ages mean for Greece?
What period does the Greek Renaissance apply to?
Ex. 2. Match the words with their definitions:
Trade
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the state of human society marked by a high level of intellectual, technological, cultural and social development
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Island
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a great land mass; the principal section of a continent as compared with an island near it
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Mythical
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a man engaged or experienced in warfare
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Mainland
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a state comprised of an autonomous city and its surrounding dependent territories
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Immortal
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fictitious or fabled hero having his own history and no existing in fact
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Warrior
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not liable or subject to death; remembered or celebrated through all time
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city-state
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a tract of land surrounded by water, whether of the sea, a river or a lake
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Civilization
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buying and selling or exchanging commodities either by wholesale or retail; a particular commercial or business transaction
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Ex. 3. Complete the chart with the appropriate forms of the words:
VERB
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NOUN
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Remain
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Assume
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Invade
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Discovery
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Attack
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Burial
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Ex. 4. Complete the sentences below with the correct word forms from the box:
assume trade city-state population remain рeriod wealthy magnificent
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a) Athens was similar to other __________ of the ________of the Greek Renaissance.
b) Athens never faced the problem of trying to control a large _________ of angry and sometimes violent subjects.
c) This also explains why Sparta had to ___________ an intensely militaristic state.
d) In 561, the former military leader Pisistratus rewarded dispossessed peasants with land confiscated from ___________ families.
e) He also encouraged __________ and industry and engaged in great public works programs.
f) ____________ temples were built and religious centers improved.
g) Pisistratus was succeeded by his eldest son, Hippias, whose rule was____________ to be somewhat similar to that of his father.
Ex. 5. Translate from Russian into English:
Остров Крит стал местом появления первого греческого общества, жители острова Крит были выходцами с западной части полуострова Малая Азия.
Критская цивилизация получила название «Минойская» по имени мифического короля Миноса.
Несмотря на высокий уровень развития торговли, архитектуры и искусства Минойская цивилизация пришла в упадок.
У историков нет единого мнения о причинах упадка Минойской цивилизации.
После упадка минойское общество постепенно менялось под влиянием греческих завоевателей.
Греческие поселения представляли собой независимые политические сообщества: такие поселения вскоре стали известны как города-государства, самым крупным городом государством стали Микены.
Каждое государство Микенского периода было независимым, они объединились всего один раз во время Троянской войны.
К 1100 году Микены были полностью разрушены греческими Дорийскими племенами.
После Дорийского нашествия для Греции наступил период “Мрачного Средневековья” и, хотя он не означал конца Греческой цивилизации, многие культурные ценности пришли в упадок.
Период с 800 по 600 гг. до н.э был назван Греческим Ренессансом. Он характеризовался духом оптимизма и культурного расцвета.
Ex. 6. Discuss the following questions in pairs:
How did the ancient Greeks view their gods and goddesses? Were they similar to ordinary people?
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