Unit 01 

:Exploring the past Sequence 04 : Reading and writing.

Before reading

❶What do the pictures represent ?

3-................................................
1- ............................................ 2........................................................

Ancient Egyptian civilization was one of the earliest and greatest civilizations, which began in about 3100
BC, flourished for over 2000 years up until 1070 BC, and ended in about 30 BC. Ancient Egyptian
civilization was remarkable for its richness and sophistication, seen not only in the great monuments that
to this day bear witness to the power of pharaohs and the skill of engineers, but also in its evolved system
of government, the invention of irrigation and picture writing; the beginning of astronomy, mathematics,
and medicine, and its concepts of life after death and great artistic skill.

Modern knowledge about life in Ancient Egypt is derived from the great monuments and tombs that still
exist today and from the findings of archaeology preserved in the arid climate. A significant facet of
Egyptology is the information provided by writings in hieroglyphics script, covering the walls of tombs
and temples , obelisks ,and columns , and found on clay tablets and in contemporary manuscripts , these
writings describe various aspects of life in Ancient Egypt.

Ancient Egyptian civilization began around 3100 BC , when the kingdoms of Lower Egypt ( on the Nile
delta) and Upper Egypt ( south of the delta) were unified by the legendary king, Menes, who ruled from
the capital , Memphis. The period known as the old Kingdom was established in 2686 BC: it was during
the old King that hieroglyphics writing developed and the pyramids were built. The Middle Kingdom
(1991-1789 BC) was a period of prosperity, when Nubia , taken by conquest , became part of the kingdom
of Egypt and trade links in Asia were established. During the new kingdom ( 1554-1196) , when the capital
was moved to Thebes, the Egyptian empire was at its greatest and Egyptian civilization reached its zenith.

As you read

1. Skim through the text and circle the right answer.

The text is about :
a) Ancient Egypt Pharaohs b) The Nile river c) Ancient Egyptian civilization
2. Are these statements true or false?
a. Ancient Egyptian civilization was the only great civilization ________
b. Pharaohs were powerful rulers. ________
c. Writings on walls and temples gives a lot of information about Ancient Egypt.__________
d. Pyramids were built during the New kingdom._________
3. Scan the text and answer the following questions
a. What makes the ancient Egyptian civilization noticeable?
…………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………..

b. In which kingdom was hieroglyphics writing developed?

……………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………

c. Who unified Lower Egypt and Upper Egypt?

……………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………

4. What or who do the underlined words refer to in the text.

 Its refers to ..................................................................................
 That refers to .............................................................................
 Who refers to ........................................................................

After reading

❶-Read the coping and identify the type of the text above.

The text is :_______________________________________________

Coping

There are five major types of discourse in prose text:

1. Descriptive : they describe people, places, things, etc
2. Expository: they explain how things work, and why things are what
they are.
3. Narrative : they tell the story of something or someone.
4. Argumentative: texts which defend a point of view.
5. Prescriptive: they give instructions.

❷ Fill in the gaps with words from the box.

Tombs pharaohs crown Great House

The ancient Egyptians were ruled by the __________________, a title that means __________________. The
pharaohs wore double ________________, which represented their rule over Upper and Lower Egypt. When the
pharaohs died they were buried in elaborate ____________________.