8. to hew into the living rock.
b ) C o m p l e t e t h e s e n g i v e n a b o v e ( i n p o i n t
t e n c e s w i t h t h e e x p r e s s i o n s a ) .
1.We can say with assurance that the Scythians ... the Luristan masters.
2.Shapur I ... two Roman Emperors in a huge relief. 3. The Persian masters worked out a special form known as the ... for their works of art. 4. ... may be represented by weapons, articles of adornment and the like. 5. The Scythian gold stag from Russia has a real form of its body but the antlers ... of a rather abstract or imaginative character.
VI. Fill in the correct preposition; then choose any three and
make sentences.
a great similarity ... the real one; belong ... a group ... nomadic tribes; permanent monuments... written records; careful study... the objects they buried ... their dead; the decorative use ... animal motifs; the chief glory ... the Persian art; the period
... flourishing ... the Persian art was ... the Sassanians; a gateway ... migratory tribes
... I the Asiatic steppes ... the north... and ... whom Luristan bronzes were produced.
VII. Match the words to their definitions.
nomad ■ bronze ■ permanent ■ refined ■ elaborate portable ■ ornament ■ motif
1) work of art made of bronze; 2) something designed or used to add beauty, or to decorate; 3) worked out with much care and in great detail; 4) intended to last; 5) a distinctive usually repeated figure, design, or colour, as in a decoration or printed pattern; 6) something that can be carried easily; 7) a member of a group or tribe that has no permanent home and moves from place to place in search of food or land on which to graze their animals; 8) free from coarseness and vulgarity; elegant, cultured, or polished.
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VIII. Choose the correct item.
1. The Persians belong to a group of... (normal, nomad, nomadic) tribes. 2. The main feature of animal style is the decorative use of animal... (motifs, motive, melodies). 3. Small objects of bone, wood or metal represent a ... (distinctive, distinguished, distinct) kind of portable art. 4. The body of the Scythian gold stag has a great... (similarity, simplicity, simplification) to a real one. 5. The chief glory of the Persian art is ... (woolen, wormy, woven) silks. 6. Shapur I commemorated his victory in an enormous relief, hewn... (of, into, out of) the living rock. 7. The Scythians learned a good ... (deal, dill, deed) from the Luristan bronze-casters during their stay in Iran.
IX. Learn some useful techniques for making up a dialogue.
a) Read the following information about hesitating technique.
Hesitation is a natural part of using a language - both for those learning English as well as for native speakers. Most people need to hesitate quite a lot during a conversation. The worst way to hesitate is with silence. Silence causes an embarrassment and confusion. Hesitation devices give you time to think - to organize your thoughts and decide how to express them. Here are some useful hesitation devices.
1) |
um, |
2) |
er, |
3) |
well, |
4) |
actually, |
5) |
in fact, |
6) |
sort of... |
7) |
you see... |
8) |
you know... |
9) |
the thing is... |
10) |
how shall I put it... |
11) |
let’s see now ... |
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12) |
it’s like this, you see ... |
X. Use the expressions 1-12 mentioned above in the following dialogue.
A: (attract the attention of everyone, as you want to make a suggestion). B: It’s interesting! Go ahead!
A: (with hesitation suggest visiting Iran).
B: It: Why not? When do you think we can arrange this trip?
A: (reject this month, suggest different summer months).
B: Not a bad idea! But why do you want to have one?
A: (you have no perfect answer, give different versions like long holidays, lack of trips, not to part for three months).
B: Let’s think a little. Do you want to spend three months in Iran? A: (certainly not, try to calculate how much time you need).
B: Let’s say, two or three weeks. Uhu. What makes Iran so attractive to you?
A:(it’s difficult for you to give a definite answer, because of ancient art).
B:Persepolis, Ctesiphon - that sounds great! But you forget that the Persians were nomads, they wandered around the southern regions. Anyway, we cannot see as much as we have read in the books.
A:(with strong hesitation go on insisting on a visit to Iran).
c) Make up your own dialogue using the expressions given in this exercise.
XI. Use this brief information and make up your own description of the “Gold Stag” or “Audience Hall of Darius”.
Gold Stag
Scythian Gold Stag was created in the 7th-6th centuries BC. It’s chased gold about 12 inches height. It was found in the village of Kostromskaya, Krasnodar Region, southern Russia. It is linked with the animal-style metalwork of the Asiatic steppes.
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The form of the animal’s body is very close to the real one. It consists of several smoothly curved sections joined by sharp ridges. The antlers have been elaborated into an abstract ornament. It’s a typical Scythian work of art. The Scythian masters learned a good deal from the bronze-casters of Luristan.
The Gold Stag is displayed now in the Hermitage Museum, in Saint Petersburg.
A u d i e n c e H a l l o f D a r i u s
The most ambitious palace, at Persepolis, was begun by Darius I in 518 BC. It consists of a vast number of rooms, halls and courts built on a raised platform. A great number of columns are used at Persepolis.
The Audience Hall of Darius itself, for example, is a room of 250 feet square, which has 36 columns 40 feet tall for supporting a wooden ceiling.
The double stairway leading to the Audience Hall is decorated with long rows of figures in low relief. This relief is created in a manner characteristic for the Persian art. Another survived relief is called “Darius and Xerxes Giving Audience”. It shows Darius enthroned listening to the visitors. The layers of overlapping garments and the play of the finely pleated folds in the “Darius and Xerxes” relief produce a great impression. Another surprising effect is the way the arms and shoulders press through the fabric.
X I I . C h e c k y o u r m e m o r y .
1.Where was Persia situated?
2.What is the name of this country nowadays?
3.How can we trace the wanderings of the Persians?
4.What objects represent the distinct kind of portable art?
5.Where were the Persian articles of adornment (bowls, cups, bridles for horses) found?
6.What did all these decorations have in common?
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7.How can you explain the new term “animal style”?
8.What was the source of the “animal style”?
9.What can you say about the Luristan bronzes?
10.By and for whom were the Luristan bronzes produced?
11.Where was the splendid Gold Stag found?
12.Where did the Scythians live?
13.How can we prove that the Scythian masters learned a lot from the Luristan ones?
14.What were characteristically Persian inventions that we can see in the “Audience Hall of Darius”?
15.What monument shows the play of finely pleated folds?
16.Who was the greatest figure of the house of the Sassanians?
17.How did Shapur I commemorate his victory over two Roman Emperors?
18.What kinds of art continued flourishing in Persia?
19.What is called the chief glory of the Sassanians?
20.What do we admire in the Persian woven silks?
21.Where can you find the samples of Persian woven silks nowadays?
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