6. ……………… story-telling
7. ……………… bricks
8. ……………… band
9. …………….. wall
10. ………………. Relief
VI. Enrich your vocabulary by useful expressions and idioms.
a) Translate into Russian and remember.
1.to describe in detail;
2.to develop an entirely new type of art;
3.pictorial story-telling;
4.to be widely used for;
5.special-genius of ancient art;
6.to fit one’s own distinctive character;
7.to be clearly readable.
b)Complete the sentences with the expressions given above (in point a).
1.Baked and glazed bricks... architectural reliefs. 2. The Assyrian masters were lucky to .... 3. The main aim of... is to give a correct idea of the events happened in their history. 4. Assyrian civilization reinterpreted Sumerian models.... 5. Looking at the Assyrian reliefs we feel again that... for the portrayal of animals.
VII. Fill in the correct preposition; then choose any three and make sentences.
shallowness ... the carving; arranged ... ornamental bands; decorated ... low relief, the achievements... the south; mass ... descriptive details ... the reliefs; surrounded ... a citadel... turreted walls; used ... surface ornament.
VIII. Match the words to their definitions.
shrine ■ cella ■ citadel ■ ziggurat ■ relief ■ pictorial
85
city-state ■ turret ■ slab ■ glaze
1) the principal enclosed room of a temple, to house an image; 2) a thin layer translucent oil colour applied to a painted surface or parts of it m order to modify the tone; 3) a fortress usually at the edge of the town; 4) a small tower, esp. at the corner of a building or defensive wall; 5) an autonomous political unit comprising a city and surrounding country-side; 6) in ancient Assyria and Babylonia a pyramid tower built of mud bricks and forming the base of a temple; it was either stepped or had a broad ascent winding around it; 7) the projection of a figure oi a part of a design from the background or plane on which it is carved or modeled, 8) thick flat (usually square or rectangular) piece of stone; 9) expressed in pictures; consisting of pictures; 10) tomb or casket containing holy relics, altar or chapel with special associations or memory.
IX. Choose the correct item.
The Assyrian masters developed a new style - … (pic torial, picture, picturesque) story-telling. 2.The palace of Sargon II was built in the … (eightieth, eighteenth, eighth) century BC. 3. Everyone is amazed by the procession of animals arranged m
... (ornate ornament, ornamental) bands. 4. Every event is described in (details detail, detain). 5. It is built... (on, of, in) bricks and stone slabs. 6. The reliefs of military (campaign, company, camp) leave little space for the glorification of the kings. 7. The lion hunt … (relieve, relic, relief) was found in N ineveh.
X. Learn some useful techniques for making up a dialogue.
a) Read the following information about answering technique.
Sometimes you have to answer rather specific questions. Here are some of the expressions that may be helpful for you
1. As far as I can remember... . 2.I remember quite clearly that... . 3. After that
Before that.... 5. While that was happening.... 6. The next thing was … .
86
b) Use the expressions 1-6mentioned above in the following dialogue.
A: Excuse me! Do you happen to know anything about the city-state of Urartu? B:
(express perfect memory: it was the first city-state on the territory of Georgia). A:
Could you tell me which place it was situated.
B: (show your knowledge with slight hesitation: lake Van, the Caucasus).
A:It may sound a stupid question, but do you know who was the king of Urartu at the height of its power?
B:(you are not sure but suppose Rusas).
A:I’ve heard that there were hostile relationships between Assyrian and Urartian rulers, weren’t there?
B:(confirm and explain that the rulers always wanted to enlarge their territories)
A:Oh really? They lived close to each other. They should have been good neighbours.
B: (say that they had another way of thinking and style of life).
A:That sounds very interesting! I am sorry to press you, but what happened to this country after the King Rusas reigning?
B:(apologize and suggest going to the library together and to find out what was before and after that).
c)Make up your own dialogue using the expressions given in this exercise.
X I . U s e t h i s b r i e f o w n d e s c r i p t i o n o f G a t e ” .
i n f o r m a t i o n t h e “ D y i n g
a n d m a k e L i o n e s s ” o r
u p y o u r “ I s h t a r
Dying Lioness
It was created in 650 BC, in Nineveh. Now it is kept in the British Museum in London. The lioness has three arrows stuck in her body. The lioness is depicted in her agony with the open sharp-teethed mouth in the last roar. The eyes are full of blood and suffering, but she is still ready to defend herself.
87
The body has a great sense of weight and volume. The back part of the lioness is too heavy as it is paralyzed but the front part is in great tension. Of magnificent strength and courage, the wounded animal seems to embody all the dramatic emotions.
Images such as the dying lioness have an unforgettable tragic grandeur!
I s h t a r G a t e
Ishtar Gate was created in 575 BC as Nabuchadnezzar’s sacred entrance to the city of Neo-Babylon. Ishtar was the goddess of war and love. Several thousands of individual glazed bricks were used for building it. The bricks are of different colours and are arranged in ornamental bands on the blue background.
The bands are made of red-and-white lines, white flowers and heraldic animals, such as bulls, lions and dragons. The animals are graceful, full of gaiety. Here for the last time we can sense that special genius of ancient Mesopotamian art for the portrayal of animals.
The restored Ishtar Gate from Babylon is kept in the State Museum in Berlin.
XI. Check your memory.
1.Where was the city-state of Assur located?
2.How large was the Assyrian Empire at the height of its power?
3.What did the Assyrian civilization do with the art of the conquered city-
states?
4.What served as the models for the Assyrian temples and ziggurats?
5.The palaces of Asyrian kings were similar to the Sumerian ones, weren’t they?
6.Whose palace was surrounded by a citadel with turreted walls?
7.Why were the gates to the citadel decorated with demons?
8.What kind of art did the Assyrians use for decorating their palaces?
9.What is the name of the new style developed by the Assyrian masters?
88
10.Why did the Assyrians lose the tradition of personal glorification of their kings?
11.Where was the lion hunt relief found?
12.Why is the image of the dying lioness so impressive?
13.What city-state became powerful after the declining of Assyrian Empire?
14.What brought fame to Nebuchadnezzar?
15.What new technique was used in building Ishtar Gate?
16.Where did they use glazed bricks?
17.How is the Ishtar Gate decorated?
18.What was the essence of that special genius of ancient Mesopotamian art?
89