Из истории древних искусств

Часть I Методические материалы к практическим занятиям по английскому языку

Из истории древних искусств. Часть I: Методические материалы к практическим занятиям по английскому языку / Сост. Дмитриева Е.В. – Ростов н/Д: Рост. гос. акад. архит. и иск-ва, - 2006. – 58 с.

Предназначены для работы со студентами I курса, изучающими архитектуру, дизайн, и содержат материал о развитии искусства в Древнем Египте, Месопотамии, Греции.

Данные методические материалы состоят из 6 разделов, в каждый из которых включены тексты по профессиональной тематике, словарь, упражнения текстового характера, которые направлены на проверку понимания прочитанного, а также задания, способствующие развитию навыков профессионально ориентированной монологической и диалогической речи.

Рекомендуется преподавателям вузов, студентам-архитекторам и студентам-дизайнерам, а также всем, кто хочет самостоятельно расширить свои знания в этой профессиональной области на английском языке.

Научный редактор

доктор педагогических наук, профессор Карпова Г.Ф.

Рецензенты

кандидат педагогических наук, доцент Белоусова Т.Ф.;

кандидат педагогических наук, доцент Машкина Е.Н.

© Ростовская государственная академия архитектуры и искусства

Contents

UNIT 1. Egypt 3
UNIT 2. Mesopotamia 7
UNIT 3. Babylon 10
UNIT 4. The art and architecture of Babylonia and Assyria 12
UNIT 5. Wonders of the World 15
UNIT 6. Greek Architecture 22

Unit 1 Egypt

1. Read and translate the text.

The first world’s style was born in Egypt. The priests and kings of the land thought it out and preserved. Thousands of slaves from every part of the ancient world carried it out. There were three kinds of art in ancient Egypt: for home (furniture, jewellery, dishes, etc.), for the dead (masks, tombs, mummy cases, etc.) and, finally, for the gods (temples, paintings, statues, etc.).

In Neolithic times the first kings were burred in pits. Later, the Egyptians built rectangular tombs above the ground, called “mastabas”. There were tunnels and rooms inside for rituals. During the reign of the Pharaoh Djoser (circa 2650) the architect Imhotep conceived the idea of the first pyramid by setting one mastaba on the top of another.

Later on, pharaohs like Khufu (Cheops) and Khafre (Chephren) built larger pyramids (c.2570, 2530). Those pyramids had smooth sides faced with polished stone. Each Egyptian ruler wanted to construct a tomb for himself more impressive and longer lasting than the ones of his predecessors. The Egyptian pyramids remain one of the greatest structures of the world. The pyramids were built to last, and they are still standing at Giza near Cairo. Lots of visitors from around the word still wonder at their perfect geometrical forms and huge dimension.

The greatest of the three pyramids near Cairo has the square base with a side of 230.4 m. It rises in 201 steps to a height of 146.6 m. Built of more than 2,500,000 blocks of stone, the pyramid was built for Khufu, the King of the IV dynasty.

The builders had neither pulleys nor wheels, but they had thousands of slaves and abundant stone in the Nile quarries. They cut millions of stone blocks each weighing tones, floated them across the river, dragged over the sands and, finally, knocked into place. Later on, the pharaohs began building more delicate structures (c.2660 – 2180) – temples and tunnel tombs in the Nile cliffs.

The Egyptian architects didn’t change the plan of their temples for over two thousand years. The temple was a gloomy structure. A huge wall protected it outside. Inside there was an open courtyard for common people. There was also a huge, protected sanctum for the nobles and priests. The hall of the temple, called hypostyle, often had huge symbolic lotus columns. Visitors came into the temple through a heavy gateway with ponderous pylons. Relief sculptures of the gods and rulers decorated the gateway. Nearby there were tall obelisks with metal tips decorated with colored flags. Avenues of sphinxes intensified the impression of the approaching visitor. The temple was visible from a distance as a mass of masonry.

Vocabulary:

1) preserve – сохранить;

2) carry out – выполнять;

3) set (set, set) – установить;

4) remain – оставаться (в остатке);

5) wonder at – удивляться чему-то;

6) conceive – создать;

7) approach – подход, подходить;

8) knock into – вставлять;

9) face with – облицовывать чем-то;

10) weigh – весить;

11) temple – храм;

12) gloomy – мрачный;

13) visible – видимый;

14) gateway – ворота;

15) smooth sides – гладкие стороны;

16) rectangular – прямоугольный;

17) tomb – гробница, могила;

18) jewellery – драгоценности;

19) furniture – мебель;

20) mummy case – саркофаг;

21) painting – живопись;

22) predecessor – предшественник;

23) dimension – размер;

24) pulley – лебедка;

25) wheel – колесо;

26) abundant – обильный, изобилующий;

27) courtyard – двор;

28) masonry – каменная кладка;

29) quarry – каменоломня;

30) precious stones – драгоценные камни.

2. Answer the questions.

1. What kinds of art were there in ancient Egypt?

2. What are “mastabas”?

3. Who invented the first pyramid in Egypt?

4. How can you describe the pyramids?

5. What pyramids are the greatest?

6. How could Egyptians build pyramids without pulleys or wheels?

7. What was the plan of the Egyptians temples?

8. How did visitors come into the temple?

3. Find the English equivalents in the text.

Огромные размеры; во время правления; обычные люди; более долговечный; над землей; были построены на века; гладкий камень; переплавлять через; издалека; придумать; квадратное основание; тяжеловесные опоры.

4. Choose the right adjective.

1. The temple was a _____ structure.

a) light;

b) affective;

c) gloomy.

2. There was a _____ gateway with ponderous pylons.

1. gold;

2. heavy;

3. graceful.

3. The Egyptians built _____ toms above the ground.

1. square;

2. rectangular;

3. round.

4. The pharaohs began building _____ structures – temples and tunnel tombs.

1. more delicate;

2. more accurate;

3. larger.

5. There was an open courtyard for _____ people.

1. famous;

2. rich;

3. common.

6. Those pyramids had _____ sides faced with polished stone.

1. irregular;

2. smooth;

3. ribbed.

7. A _____ wall protected the temple outside.

1. small;

2. thin;

3. huge.

5. Fill in the missing forms of the verbs. Say in which situations they are used in the text.

build
	set
		cut
	came
		thought

6. Find antonyms to the following words in the text and make four sentences with them.

Pour, outside, ribby, modern, tiny, leave, reduce.

7. Find synonyms to the following words in the text and make four sentences with them.

Build, eleborate, ponderous, at last, dramatic, enormous, save, elegant, shrine, ideal.

8. Make five questions (all types) to the following sentence.

Lots of visitors come to Egypt every year.

9. Retell the text “Egypt”.

10. Write a written translation.

The Mastabas

The mastabas are tombs of a parallelepiped shape, sized according to the importance of their owners. The external structure is composed of one or more chapels giving access to the hypostyle chambers by way of a staircase or a shaft. There are numerous well preserved examples at Saqqara.

The decoration of mastabas represents the highest expression of the figurative art of the Old Kingdom. Of particular interest is the tomb of Mereruka and his wife Sesheshet. With its 32 rooms, this is the largest and the most complex of the Old Kingdom mastabas. Decorations with the everyday subject matter such as hunting and fishing scenes, domestic and wild animals, farmers, labourers and craftsmen at work and family portraits have provided archeologists with insights into the daily lives of the ancient Egyptiants.

Other significant mastabas in the area are those of Kagemni and, in particular, Ty. The fascinating relief decorations in the latter are among the most beautiful from the Old Kingdom.