Материал: bardinskaia_tr_angliiskii_iazyk_v_sfere_kulturologii

from the same soil. (The meaning: the head and papyrus plants stand for Lower Egypt; the victorious falcon is Horus, the local God of Upper Egypt). Narmer has taken off his sandals. (The meaning: he stands on the Holy Land, he is God).

On the other side of the palette he appears barefoot, followed by the sandal carrier, he marches in solemn procession behind a group of standard-bearers to inspect the dead bodies of prisoners. In the bottom: a strong bull (Pharaoh) is trampling an enemy and knocking the citadel. The central part with two long-necked beasts and their attendants is not interpreted yet.

XI. Check your memory.

1.What is unusual for us in the history of Egypt?

2.How do they call the kings in ancient Egypt?

3.What was the role of the Pharaoh in ancient Egypt?

4.What was the source of knowledge for us about the life in ancient Egypt?

5.Why did the Egyptians equip richly their tombs?

6.What did the Egyptians think about their “KA”?

7.What can we see in the ancient Egyptian wall paintings?

8.What do we notice in human and animal figures?

9.Who ruled Egypt about 3200 BC?

10.How did the two kingdoms - Upper and Lower Egypt - appear? 11.How did the struggle between Upper and Lower Egypt end? 12.What was the name of the triumphal king?

13.What is there depicted on the “Palette of King N armer”?

14.Why do they claim the “Palette of King Narmer” t he historic work of art? 15.What is characteristic for Egyptian style?

16.What are the three possible views the Egyptian artists used in their works of art?

17.How did the artists combine these three views in a depicted human figure?

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UNIT 5.

FUNERARY DISTRICTS

Lead-in

1. Answer the questions.

1.Can you name different types of tombs?

2.What were the pyramids built by the Egyptians for?

2. Discuss with your partner.

1.The size of the pyramid reflects the position of the dead, doesn’t it?

2.Why do you think the pyramids were not placed isolated in the desert?

3.Why had so many pyramids been robbed by the time archaeologists started to study them?

Tombs. When we speak of the Egyptians’ attitude towards death and afterlife as expressed in their tombs, we must make it clear that we mean only the attitude of I he small aristocratic group. The tombs of the members of this class of high officials are usually found not far from the Pharaohs’ tombs; and their shape and contents reflect the funerary monuments of the divine kings.

Mastabas. A standard form of these tombs was the mastaba, a square mound tired with brick or stone, above the burial chamber, which was deep underground. Inside the mastaba is a chapel for offerings to the “ KA” and a secret cubicle for the I nine of the deceased. During the third Dynasty mastabas were developed into step pyramids. The best known (and probably the first) is that of King Zoser built over a traditional mastaba. The pyramid itself is a completely solid structure which only purpose seems to serve as a great landmark.

Funerary District. The pyramids were not erected as isolated structures in the middle of the desert, but as part of vast funerary districts, with temples and other

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buildings which were the scenes of great religious celebrations during the Pharaoh’s lifetime as well as after. The most elaborate of them is the funerary district around the pyramid of Zoser. Enough of its architecture has survived. Its creator was Imhotep. He was the first architect whose name was recorded in history.

Pyramids of Giza. I he development of the pyramids reached its climax during I lie Forth Dynasty in the famous triad of great pyramids at Giza. All of them are of the familiar smooth-sided shape. They originally had been faced with stone, which disappeared except near the top of the pyramid of Chefren. Each of the three pyramids differs slightly from the others in details of design and construction. The earliest and the largest among them is the pyramid of Cheops, with the burial chamber in the center of the structure. For Mycerinus, Chefren’s successor, was the third and the smallest pyramid built.

Several smaller pyramids and a large number of mastabas of the high officials are placed around the three great ones. The world has always wondered at the size and technical accomplishment of these pyramids.

Portraits. Apart from its architectural achievements - the chief glory of Egyptian art - during the Old Kingdom are the portrait statues recovered from funerary temples and tombs. One of the finest is that of Chefren from the valley temple. It is Carved of diorite - a stone of extreme hardness. It shows the king enthroned with the falcon enfolding his head in its wings. The body is well proportioned and powerfully built, but completely impersonal though the face has some individual features.

EXERCISES

I. Enlarge your vocabulary.

a) Try to remember correct pronunciation of the new words.

II. Form the verbs from nouns and adjectives by adding prefix en-. Translate

them.

Large ……………………………

Throne ………………………….

Rich ……………………………..

Frame ……………………………

Fold ……………………………...

Slave ……………………………..

Courage ………………………….

Lighten …………………………...

III.Form as many words as you can, use the given roots.

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Glory ………………………………………………………………..

Hard …………………………………………………………………

Fold …………………………………………………………………

Throne ………………………………………………………………

Offer …………………………………………………………………

IV. Match the words to their opposites.

V. Fill in the correct word from the list given in the frame. Use each word only

once.

Pharaoh’s ■ burial ■ secret ■ funerary ■ portrait

chief ■ valley ■ isolated ■ famous ■ religious

1.…………………… statue

2.…………………… glory

3.…………………… temple

4.…………………… cubicle

5.…………………… triad

6.………………….. monument

7.………………….. tomb

8.…………………… chamber

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