Unit 1 — Ancient civilizations › Language form
Lexis: the rise and fall of civilizations, beliefs and myths
- ترتيب أفعال نشأة الحضارة ونموّها وازدهارها وأفولها على منحنى حياتها، مثل emerge, spread, flourish, decline, collapse
- رواية تاريخ حضارة بهذه الأفعال في الزمن المناسب، مع صيغ الماضي الشاذّة rose, fell, began, spread
- التعبير عن المعتقدات والأساطير بمفردات مثل a belief, a living god, divine, a spirit, eternal, a myth
- فهم سبب انحطاط حضارة وسقوطها في نصّ تاريخيّ، والتعبير عنه بـ the decline and fall of
- الماضي البسيط للأفعال المنتظمة والشاذّة
- الحاضر البسيط للتعبير عن الحقائق العامّة
- أقسام الكلمة: الفعل والاسم والصفة
1. The life of a civilization: rise, flourish, fall
History shows that civilizations have a life. The curve of their history goes up — they rise —, reaches a peak — they flourish —, then goes down — they fall, sometimes without a trace. Each stage has its verbs, and a historian chooses them with care: a civilization emerges in one place, spreads to other regions, flourishes in its golden age, declines little by little and finally collapses. Rise and fall are also nouns: together they name the whole curve — the rise and fall of civilizations.
Task 1 — Place the words of the box on the curve: which ones tell the beginning, the growth, the peak, the decline, the end?Task 1 — Place the words of the box on the curve: which ones tell the beginning, the growth, the peak, the decline, the end?ضع كلّ كلمة في مكانها على المنحنى: النشأة، أم النموّ، أم الأوج، أم الضعف، أم النهاية؟
| Stage | Verbs | What they mean |
|---|---|---|
| the beginning | start · begin · originate · emerge · rise | come into existence, appear for the first time |
| the growth | develop · evolve · expand · spread · mature | grow and change, become bigger, reach new places, become fully developed |
| the peak | flourish · bloom | be at its best: rich, strong and successful |
| the decline | decline | become weaker, little by little |
| the end | collapse · fall to decay · fall to ruins · vanish · disappear | break down, be destroyed, stop existing |
Task 2 — Rose, flourished, fell: which verbs of the box are irregular in the past?Task 2 — Rose, flourished, fell: which verbs of the box are irregular in the past?أيّ أفعال المنحنى شاذّة في الماضي؟
| Infinitive | Past simple | Past participle |
|---|---|---|
| rise | rose | risen |
| fall | fell | fallen |
| begin | began | begun |
| spread | spread | spread |
All the other verbs of the box are regular: emerged, flourished, declined, collapsed, vanished, disappeared…
2. Telling the story of a civilization
History shows that civilizations …(1), …(2), and then …(3), sometimes without a trace. This is the case of ancient Maya civilization in the New World. The Maya civilization …(4) in the Yucatan Peninsula in Central America about 2000 BC. Later, it …(5) to Mexico, Guatemala, and Belize. The Maya civilization …(6) a form of writing that could express all types of thought and language. It also …(7) a highly developed system of government and of agriculture, as well as an incredibly accurate system for measuring time. It …(8) in its classical period between 325 and 925 A.D. After that, it gradually …(9) before it finally …(10) in the fifteenth century, probably because of diseases, or epidemics, or sudden environmental changes.
Task 3 — the answers, and the stage of each blankTask 3 — the answers, and the stage of each blankفي كلّ فراغ اسأل: أيّ مرحلة من حياة الحضارة؟ ثمّ صرّف الفعل.
- 1. emerge (or rise) — the beginning. The present simple, because « History shows » a general truth.
- 2. flourish — the peak.
- 3. disappear (or vanish) — the end: « sometimes without a trace ».
- 4. originated (or emerged) — the beginning, in the past simple: « about 2000 BC ».
- 5. spread (or expanded) — it reached new regions: Mexico, Guatemala and Belize. Spread keeps the same form in the past.
- 6. developed (or evolved) — a form of writing.
- 7. evolved (or developed) — a highly developed system of government and of agriculture.
- 8. flourished (or bloomed) — the peak: « its classical period ».
- 9. declined — « gradually »: it became weaker, little by little.
- 10. collapsed (or disappeared, vanished) — « finally », in the fifteenth century.
The time words guide you along the curve: about 2000 BC, later, in its classical period, after that, gradually, finally.
3. Beliefs and myths
A belief is something that people accept as true, especially about gods or about life after death. We believe in something: « Ancient Greeks believed in many gods. » To report a belief, we can also say that people thought that or believed that something was true, or that « it was believed that … ». A myth is a very old story about gods and heroes, like the Ancient Greek myth of Ulysses; its hero is a legendary figure. With their customs and traditions, the beliefs and myths of a people are part of its civilization.
It was the Ancient Egyptians' feelings and beliefs about the Pharaoh that provided the strongest unifying force of all. In Sumer, the king of each city was thought to be the chief servant of the city's god. The Egyptian idea of kingship went further than this. They thought that their king was himself a living god, a divine ruler who had magic control over the weather and the Nile, and who alone brought safety, prosperity and happiness to the nation. The Pharaoh was revered to such a degree that his people dared not mention him by name. […] […] Since he was a god, he could not be allowed to die. It was believed that his spirit would survive only if his body were preserved, together with everything that was needed for its future well-being. The pyramids, therefore, were designed as eternal dwelling places for the god-kings […]. […] The later Pharaohs were buried, not in pyramids, but in rock tombs. Yet the contents of the tombs remained as extravagant as before. […] With all this treasure going into the ground instead of being invested, it was no surprise that eventually the Pharaohs proved to be the major cause behind the decline and fall of the ancient Egyptian economy, and therefore of its civilization. From Victor Skipp, Out of the Ancient World, Penguin, p. 61
Task 4 — What did the Ancient Egyptians believe about their Pharaoh, and what did these beliefs lead them to do?Task 4 — What did the Ancient Egyptians believe about their Pharaoh, and what did these beliefs lead them to do?بمَ آمن المصريّون القدماء في فرعونهم؟ وإلامَ دفعهم هذا المعتقد؟
- They thought that their king was a living god, a divine ruler with magic control over the weather and the Nile.
- They revered him so much that they dared not mention him by name.
- It was believed that his spirit would survive only if his body were preserved.
- So they built the pyramids as eternal dwelling places for their god-kings, and filled the tombs with treasure.
Notice the ways of reporting a belief: they thought that…, it was believed that…, and to believe in gods or spirits.
Task 5 — According to the writer, what caused the decline and fall of ancient Egyptian civilization?Task 5 — According to the writer, what caused the decline and fall of ancient Egyptian civilization?ما سبب انحطاط الحضارة المصرية القديمة وسقوطها في رأي الكاتب؟
The treasure of the tombs: « all this treasure » went into the ground instead of being invested. So the Pharaohs themselves became « the major cause behind the decline and fall » of the Egyptian economy, and therefore of the civilization. The decline is the slow weakening; the fall is the end. Together, the decline and fall of a civilization names the whole descending side of the curve.
A model answerA model answer
The Maya civilization emerged in the Yucatan Peninsula about 2000 BC. Later, it spread to Mexico, Guatemala and Belize. It developed a form of writing and an accurate system for measuring time, and it flourished in its classical period, between 325 and 925 A.D. After that, it gradually declined. It finally disappeared in the fifteenth century, probably because of diseases or sudden environmental changes.
الصفحة 1/3
© مدرستي — هذا الدرس من تأليف مدرستي · madrassati.net