Unit 2

Text 1 The Renaissance  

The intensified study of Greek and Roman literature and the renewal of rhetorical education that characterized intellectual life in 15^th-century Italy had an effect on historical study; it encouraged a secular and realistic approach to political history, both ancient and modern. Leonardo Bruni, a student of the newly recovered works of Tacitus, reconsidered the history of Republican and imperial Rome and of his native Florence in the light of Roman experience.

In the 16th century Niccoló Machiavelli and Francesco Guicciardini wrote works that again set political history in a world bounded by human laws and human ambitions. This separation of ecclesiastical from secular materials of history is evident wherever Renaissance learning had influence in Europe.

Vocabulary Notes

renewal of rhetorical education – відновлення риторичної освіти

to have an effect on sth. – впливати на що-небудь

secular approach to sth. – світський підхід

experience - досвід

bounded by human laws and human ambitions – обмежені суспільними законами та людськими амбіціями

ecclesiastical materials – духовні, церковні матеріали

wherever – при будь-яких обставинах

Answer the questions

1. What had an effect on historical study in 15^th-century Italy?

2. Who reconsidered the history of Republican and imperial Rome?

3. What was the contribution of Machiavelli and Guicciardini into the development of historical science?

Text 2 The Dawn of British History

About 3000 years BC many parts of Europe, including the British Isles, were inhabited by a people called Iberians who are still found in the North of Spain (later they were mixed with the Celts).

During the period from the 6^th to the 3^rd century BC a people called the Celts spread all over Europe from the east to the west. More than one Celtic tribe invaded Britain. From time to time these tribes were attacked and overcome by other Celtic tribes from the continent. Tribes of Scots crossed over to Ireland and settled there. Later the Scots returned to the larger island and in time the name of Scotland was given to the country. Powerful Celtic tribes, the Britons, held most of the country, and the southern half of the island was named Britain after them.

The Celts had no towns, they lived in villages. They were acquainted with the use of copper, tin, iron. They kept large herds of cattle and sheep and cultivated crops. The Celtic tribes of the Britons, who inhabited the south-eastern parts of the island, made their houses of wood while the other Celts made them of skins.

Some of the Celtic tribes were quite large and fighting was common among them. In times of war the Celts wore skins and painted their faces. They were armed with swords and spears.

The Celts worshipped Nature. They lived under a primitive system. They worked collectively in clans or family communities; they owned common property and were all equal. In the last centuries BC and the first centuries AD the Celts were in a period of transition from a primitive communal society to a class society.

Vocabulary Notes

Iberian [aı´bıәrıәn] – іберієць

to be acquainted with sth.– бути обізнаним в чомусь

sword [so׃d] – меч

spear [spıә] – спис

Answer the questions

1. What do you know about the Iberians?

2. What do you know about the occupations of the Celts, their arms, their social system?

3. Describe a Celt attacking the enemy.

4. Prove that the Celts were at a higher stage of social development than the Iberians.

5. Why did the primitive people have to live collectively?

Text 3. Conversational Topic

Pre-text exercises

I. Consult a dictionary, transcribe and give the Ukrainian equivalents of the following words:

a) adjectives,

a) glorious, powerful, continental, local, cruel, free, rich, primitive, communal

b) words with sound [w]:

b) war, which, Norway, away, Cornwall, Wales, Welsh, with, without, was, were, when, world, way.