Table Of ContentCopyright ОАО «ЦКБ «БИБКОМ» & ООО «Aгентство Kнига-Cервис»
МИНОБРНАУКИ РОССИИ
ФЕДЕРАЛЬНОЕ ГОСУДАРСТВЕННОЕ БЮДЖЕТНОЕ
ОБРАЗОВАТЕЛЬНОЕ УЧРЕЖДЕНИЕ ВЫСШЕГО
ПРОФЕССИОНАЛЬНОГО ОБРАЗОВАНИЯ
«ВОРОНЕЖСКИЙ ГОСУДАРСТВЕННЫЙ УНИВЕРСИТЕТ»
(ФГБОУ ВПО «ВГУ»)
Учебно-методическое пособие для вузов
ANCIENT HISTORY
Составители:
Крымова Г.В.
Фомина И.В.,
Воронеж-2015
Copyright ОАО «ЦКБ «БИБКОМ» & ООО «Aгентство Kнига-Cервис»
Утверждено Научно-методическим Советом факультета РГФ. Протокол
№ 7 от 23.03.2015 г.
Рецензент: канд. филол. наук, доцент Махонина А.А.
Учебно-методическое пособие подготовлено на кафедре английского
языка гуманитарных факультетов факультета РГФ Воронежского
государственного университета.
Рекомендуется для самостоятельной работы студентов II курса
исторического факультета по специальности 030600.62 «История»,
изучающих английский язык.
Copyright ОАО «ЦКБ «БИБКОМ» & ООО «Aгентство Kнига-Cервис»
UNIT I
HISTORY
• What do you remember about West Asia? What is its significance? What
nationalities used to inhabit it in Ancient times?
Look through the text, divide it into four parts and match them to their titles given:
Greek History; Egyptian History; Roman History; West Asian History.
Read the whole text and think of its possible title.
West Asia is also sometimes called the Near East or the Middle East: it is the
part of Asia that is closest to the Mediterranean Sea. It covers all the land between
modern Turkestan in the north. Afghanistan in the east, the Persian Gulf in the
south, and the Mediterranean Sea in the west. West Asia was one of the first places
where people farmed and lived in towns; it was also one of the first places that had
kings and built cities. Historians and archaeologists disagree about whether the
Egyptians or the Sumerians (the first people to build a civilization in West Asia)
came first, but it was about the same time.
After the Sumerians, many other groups of people came to power in West
Asia. Some of them, like the Assyrians or the Persians, stayed in power for
hundreds of years, others, like the Acadians, only for a short time. Sometimes these
groups ruled all of West Asia, like the Assyrians, the Greeks, the Parthians, or the
Arabs. Other times West Asia was broken up into many small kingdoms: Israel,
Phoenicia, Jordan, Babylon, Troy. The history of West Asia is pretty complicated,
but mostly it is the story of some people trying to stay independent while other
people try to get power over them.
Egypt is one of the most fertile areas of Africa, and one of the most fertile of
the countries around the Mediterranean Sea. Because it is so fertile, people came to
live in Egypt earlier than in most places, probably around 40,000 years ago. At first
there were not very many people, but gradually Egypt became more crowded, so
there was more need for a unified government. Around 3000 BC (5000 years ago),
Egypt was first unified under one ruler, who was called the Pharaoh.
From that time until around 525 BC, when Egypt was conquered by the
Persians, Egypt's history is divided into six different time periods. These are called
the Old Kingdom, the First Intermediate Period, the Middle Kingdom, the Second
Intermediate Period, the New Kingdom, and the Third Intermediate Period.
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Greece is a much harder place to live than Egypt, because the soil is not as
good and there is not always enough water to grow plants for food. So people did
not move there until a lot later. Our first evidence of real settlement in Greece
comes from about 55,000 BC (57,000 years ago). Even then there were not very
many people until around 3000 BC. Greek history is usually divided into a Stone
Age, a Bronze Age, and an Iron Age. Sometimes people divide each of these
periods into smaller periods as well.
People have lived in Italy for a long time, because Italy is a fairly fertile
area, but the time when Rome was powerful did not begin until after the greatest
power of Egypt and Greece. Roman history is usually divided into three main
periods: before the rise of Rome, the Roman Republic, and the Roman Empire.
The Empire is usually divided up according to who was emperor.
Answer the following questions:
1. What is West Asia?
2. What are the other names for West Asia?
3. What modern countries does West Asia cover?
4. In what way is ancient West Asia significant?
5. Who first built civilization in West Asia?
6. Which countries had power over West Asia longer?
7. Who ruled all of West Asia?
8. Which areas was West Asia once broken into?
9. What were the most and the least fertile areas in West Asia?
10. Where did people settle earlier? Why?
11. What was the reason for setting up unified government in Egypt?
12. When was Greece completely populated?
13. When did Rome become powerful?
14. How do we call a person who rules the country:
– in general
– in Egypt
– in Greece
– in Rome?
VOCABULARY
1. Give Russian equivalents to the following paying attention to the context:
Middle East, to disagree, whether, kingdom, pretty, BC-AD, under one ruler,
to move, evidence, fairly, powerful.
2. Give English equivalents to the following:
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называться, Средиземное море, Персидский залив, часть чего-то, покрывать,
земля, заниматься земледелием, историк, археолог, прийти к власти, остаться
у власти, быть раздробленным на что-то, сложный, независимый, получить
власть над чем-то, плодородный, вероятно, постепенно, заселенный,
правительство, почва, растение, доказательство, согласно чему-то.
3. Complete the tables filling in the gaps:
Country Nationality Noun Adjective Noun Verb
Turkestan North farm
Afghanistan South build
Egyptian West ruler
Sumerian East unify
Assyrian settlement
Persian divide
Greek conquer
Parthian
Israel
Phoenicia
Jordan
Babylon
Troy
4. Fill in the text with the following words. Some of them are used more
than once. You have the number in brackets to indicate this.
AD, BC(2), area(2), conquered, Eastern, Empire(3), Emperors(2), gradually,
modern(3), moved(3), north, powerful, to rule.
Ancient German History
The Germans, and other people who lived in what is now Germany and
.......... Europe, were Indo-Europcans, originally from the .......... between the Black
Sea and the Caspian Sea. Sometime between 3000 .......... and 2000 .........., they
had migrated .........., in many different waves, out of that .......... and all across
Europe. Some ended up of Europe, in Scandinavia ( .......... Norway, Sweden and
Denmark). These are the ancestors of .......... Swedes, Norwegians, and Danes.
Some went to Poland, where they developed into the Visigoths and the Ostrogoths.
Some ended up in Germany, where they are the ancestors of the .......... Germans,
but also of the Franks, Vandals, and Sueves.
After the fall of the Roman .........., the Visigoths .......... into Spain, and the
Ostrogoths .......... into Italy. The Franks .......... into France, but soon ..........
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Germany as well, so that by 800 .......... Charlemagne was able to establish a
German Holy Roman .......... that extended over France, Germany, and much of
central Italy. After Charlemagne died, his sons split his .......... into three parts so
they could each have some, but it was the branch of the family who got Germany
who continued to call themselves the Holy Roman .......... .
The Holy Roman .......... continued .......... Germany, and to some extent
Italy, all through the Middle Ages. At first they were very .........., but later they
lost power to the smaller German and Italian lords in each region.
SPEAKING
Imagine you and your group mates are travelling in time. You find yourself in
indent West Asia where you have to live for a month. Compare Greek. Roman
and Egyptian territories and choose the most pleasant place for living. Explain
your choice.
UNIT II
HISTORY OF ANCIENT EGYPT
Read the text and find the topic sentences.
Ancient Egyptian Civilization
The origins of ancient Egyptian civilization, which many regard as one of
the fountainheads of Western culture, cannot be established with certainty.
Archaeological evidence suggests that early dwellers in the Nile Valley were
influenced by cultures of the Near East, but the degree of this influence is yet to be
determined. Describing the development or Egyptian civilization, like attempts to
identify its intellectual foundations, is largely a process of conjecture based on
archaeological discoveries of enduring ruins, tombs, and monuments, many of
which contain invaluable specimens of the ancient culture. Inscriptions in
hieroglyphs, for instance, have provided priceless data.
The framework for the study of the Dynastic period of Egyptian history,
between the 1st dynasty and the Ptolemaic period, relies on the Aegyptiaca of
Manetho, a Ptolemaic priest of the 3rd century BC, who organized the country’s
rulers into 30 dynasties, roughly corresponding to families. General agreement
exists on the division of Egyptian history, up to the conquest of Alexander the
Great, into Old, Middle, and New kingdoms with intermediate periods, followed
by the late and Ptolemaic periods, but chronology and genealogy are continually
being refined in light of new evidence and by the use or increasingly sophisticated
dating techniques.
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Answer the following questions:
1. What civilization do many researchers regard as one of the fountainheads
of Western culture?
2. What does archaeological evidence suggest?
3. What is the process of describing the development of Egyptian civilization
based on?
4. What does the frame work for the study of the Dynastic period of the
Egyptian history rely on?
5. What do you know about Manetho?
6. Why are chronology and genealogy continually being refined?
VOCABULARY
1. Give Russian equivalents to the following paying attention to the context:
fountainheads, archaeological evidence, specimens of the ancient culture,
inscriptions in hieroglyphs, priceless data, chronology and genealogy, in light of
new evidence, sophisticated dating techniques.
2. Give English equivalents to the following:
Ближний Восток, Династический период, Манефон, Старое царство, Среднее
царство, Новое царство, Птолемей
• What is meant by “prehistoric period”?
Prehistoric Period
Some 60,000 years ago the Nile River began its yearly inundation of the land
along its banks, leaving behind rich alluvial soil. Areas close to the floodplain
became attractive as a source of food and water. In time, climatic changes
including periods of aridity, further served to confine human habitation to the Nile
Valley, although this was not always true. From the Chalcolithic period (the
Copper age, beginning about 4000 BC) into the early part of the Old Kingdom,
people apparently used an extended part of the land.
In the 7th millennium BC, Egypt was environmentally hospitable, and
evidence of settlements from that time has been found in the low desert areas of
southern, or Upper, Egypt; remains of similar occupation have been discovered at
Nubian sites in modern Sudan. Enough pottery has been found in Upper Egyptian
tombs from the 4th millennium BC (in the Predynastic period) to establish a
Copyright ОАО «ЦКБ «БИБКОМ» & ООО «Aгентство Kнига-Cервис»
relative dating sequence. The Predynastic period, which ends with the unification
of Egypt under one king, is generally subdivided into three parts, each of which
refers to the site at which its archaeological materials were found: Badarian,
Amratian (Naqada I), and Gerzean (Naqada II and III). Northern sites (from about
5500 BC) have yielded datable archaeological material of apparent cultural
continuity but no long-term sequences such as those found in the south.
Answer the following questions:
1. Why did areas close to the floodplain become attractive?
2. What confined human habitation to the Nile Valley?
3. Where has evidence of settlements from the 7th millennium BC been
found?
4. How many parts is the Predynastic period generally subdivided into?
VOCABULARY
1. Give Russian equivalents to the following paying attention to the context:
inundation of the land, rich alluvial soil, floodplain, periods of aridity,
environmentally hospitable, tomb, unification of Egypt under one king, datable
archaeological material.
2. Give English equivalents to the following:
Энеолит, Бронзовый век, Бадарийский период, Амритский период,
Герзенский период, Додинастический период
• What do you know about Early Dynastic (or Archaic) Period?
Read these texts and try to find the key sentences.
Early Dynastic (or Archaic) Period
Archaeological sources indicate the emergence, by the late Gerzean period
(about 3200 BC), of a dominant political force that was to become the
consolidating element in the first united kingdom of ancient Egypt. The earliest
known hieroglyphic writing dates from this period; soon the names of early rulers
began to appear on monuments. This period began with a 0 Dynasty, which had as
many as 13 rulers, ending with Narmer (about 3100 BC), followed by the 1st and
2nd dynasties (about 3100-2755 BC), with at least 17 kings. Some of the earliest
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massive mortuary structures (predecessors of the pyramids) were built a Saqqara,
Abydos, and elsewhere during the 1st and 2nd dynasties.
VOCABULARY
1. Give Russian equivalents to the following paying attention to the context:
Archaeological sources , a dominant political force, hieroglyphic writing, to
date from, mortuary structures.
The Old Kingdom
The Old Kingdom (about 2755-2255 BC) spanned five centuries of rule by
the 3rd through the 6th dynasties. The capital was in the north, at Memphis, and
the ruling monarchs held absolute power over a strongly unified government.
Religion played an important role; in fact, the government had evolved into a
theocracy, wherein the pharaohs, as the rulers were called, were both absolute
monarchs and, possibly, gods on earth.
A Golden Age
The 3rd Dynasty was the first of the Memphite houses, and its second ruler.
Zoser, or Djoser, who reigned about 2737-2717 BC, emphasized national unity by
balancing northern and southern motifs in his mortuary buildings at Saqqara. His
architect, Imhotep, used stone blocks rather than traditional mud bricks in the
complex there, thus creating the first monumental structure of stone; its central
element, the Step Pyramid, was Zoser’s tomb. In order to deal with affairs of state
and to administer construction projects, the king began to develop an effective
bureaucracy. In general, the 3rd Dynasty marked the beginning of a golden age of
cultural freshness and vigor. The 4th Dynast began with King Snefru, whose
building projects included the first true pyramid at Dahshur (south of Saqqara).
Snefru, the earliest warrior king for whom extensive documents remain,
campaigned in Nubia and Libya and was active in the Sinai. Promoting commerce
and mining, he brought prosperity to the kingdom. Snefru was succeeded by his
son Khufu (or Cheops), who built the Great Pyramid at Giza. Although little else is
known of his reign, that monument not only attests to his power but also indicates
the administrative skills the bureaucracy had gained. Khufu’s son Redjedef, who
reigned about 2613-2603 BC, introduced the solar element (Ra, or Re) in the royal
titulary and the religion. Khafre (or Chephren), another son of Khufu, succeeded
his brother to the throne and built his mortuary complex at Giza. The remaining
rulers of the dynasty included Menkaure, or Mycerinus, who reigned about 2578-
2553 BC; he is known primarily for the smallest of the three large pyramids at
Giza.
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Under the 4th Dynasty, Egyptian civilization reached a peak in its
development, and this high level was generally maintained in the 5th and 6th
dynasties. The splendor of the engineering feats of the pyramids was approximated
in every other field of endeavor, including architecture, sculpture, painting,
navigation, the industrial arts and sciences, and astronomy; Memphite astronomers
first created a solar calendar based on a year of 356 days. Old Kingdom physicians
also displayed a remarkable knowledge of physiology, surgery, the circulatory
system of the body, and antiseptics.
Answer the following questions:
1. How was national unity emphasized in the mortuary buildings of
Djoser?
2. Who was Imhotep?
3. Why did the king begin to develop an effective bureaucracy?
4. Who did the 3rd Dynasty mark?
5. Who did the 4th Dynasty begin with?
6. Where did Snefru campaign?
7. In what way does the Great Pyramid of Khuhfu indicate the
administrative skills of the bureaucracy?
8. Who introduced the solar element in the royal titulary?
9. What are the archievements of Egyptian civilization under the 4th, the
5th, and the 6th dynasties?
VOCABULARY
1. Give Russian equivalents to the following paying attention to the context:
to reign, stone blocks, traditional mud bricks, an effective bureaucracy, a golden
age of cultural freshness and vigor, to be succeeded, administrative skills, the royal
titulary, primarily, to reach a peak in its development, the splendor of the
engineering feats, field of endeavor.
SPEAKING
Discuss the following:
