Unit 3 Babylon

1. Read and translate the text.

Babylon was one of the great cities of the ancient world. It was the capital of the kingdom of Babylonia in Mesopotamia. There are still some remains of ancient Babylon today. These were parts of the city built by one of the most famous of Babylonian kings Nebuchadnezzar (sometimes spelled Nebuchadrezzar).

The ancient Greek historian Herodotus described the great size and magnificence of Babylon. According to him the city was square, surrounded by walls, each side being about 22 km (14 miles) long. The walls were made of baked brick, more than 90 meters (300 feet) high and 25 meters (80 feet) thick, and were so solid that a four-horse chariot could turn round on the top of them.

A wide sacred street ran through the city. It was the “processional way”, along which religious processions passed during festivals. It led out of the city at a huge gate called the Ishtar gate, which was crowned with towers and decorated with carving of animals. The river Euphrates divided the city into two equal parts and was banked by walls of brick. Where these walls met the ends of the streets, there were gates of bronze.

Among the many fine buildings in the city there was a royal palace, built round a vast courtyard, and several enormous temples. One of the temples was dedicated to the god Marduk, the chief Babylonian god. Another, to the god Baal, was a ziggurat, or rectangular building of several stories each smaller than the one below. The stories were linked by great outside stairways. This temple may have been the Tower of Babel described in the Bible. The famous “hanging gardens”, one of the Seven Wonders of the World, were brick terraces covered with trees and plants so that from a distance the building was completely hidden.

Babylon was captured in 539 B.C. by the Persian king Cyrus. His successors pulled down the walls and plundered the city.

Vocabulary:

1) size –размер;

2) magnificence – великолепие;

3) according to – в соответствии с;

4) surround – окружать;

5) solid – твердый, прочный;

6) chariot – колесница;

7) sacred – священный, неприкосновенный;

8) huge –огромный;

9) carving – резная работа;

10) vast – обширный, громадный;

11) dedicate – посвящать, предназначать;

12) plunder – грабить.

2. Answer the questions.

1. What was the capital of Babylonia?

2. How did Herodotus describe Babylon?

3. What were the walls of the city made of?

4. Where did religious processions pass during festivals?

5. What parts did Euphrates divide the city?

6. Who were two famous temples dedicated to?

7. How were the “hanging gardens” constructed?

8. When was Babylon captured?

3. Say if these statements are true or false. Correct the false ones.

1. The walls were made of sundried brick, more than 90 meters high and 25 meters thick.

2. Marduk was the chief Babylonian god.

3. The towers crowed a huge gate called the Ishtar gate.

4. A four-horse coach could turn round on the top of the walls.

5. Babylon was captured in 589 B.C. by the Persian king Cyrus.

6. One of the temples was built in honour of the god Marduk.

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

Thin, unsteady, unknown, modern, round, tiny, low, few, narrow, bad.

5. Put different adjectives, adverbs and nouns in this sentence to make it more interesting and informative.

Babylon was the capital of Babylonia.

6. Fill in the gaps with the Past Simple of the verbs in brackets.

1. Trees and plants (to cover) the brick terraces.

2. The wide sacred street (to lead) out of the city at a huge gate.

3. The large walls (to surround) Babylon.

4. The Greek historians Herodotus (to write) about the great size and magnificence of Babylon.

5. The walls (to be) more than 90 meters high and 24 meters thick.

7. Find the English equivalents for the following.

Описывать, обоженный кирпич, прямоугольное здание, вести из, внешние лестницы, окруженный стенами, более чем, внутренний двор, такой прочный, разрушить, несколько этажей, две равные части, посвященный богу.

8. Write a written translation.

Вавилон был самым большим и богатым городом Древнего Востока. Его площадь равнялась 450 га. В нем были прямые улицы с двухэтажными домами, системой водопровода и канализацией, каменный мост через Евфрат. Город окружало двойное кольцо крепостных толстых стен, через которые в город вели восемь ворот. Самыми важными были двадцатиметровые ворота богини Иштар, сложенные из бирюзового глазурованного кирпича с орнаментом из 575 львов, драконов и быков.

9. Retell the text “Babylon”.