Unit 8 Ancient Civilizations

Lesson 1 Vocabulary and Language Use – I

1. Read about some jobs Egyptians had and fill in the blanks.

wrote (write) lists at

b. Scribes __________________
bought (buy) and
a. Merchants ____________________
read (read)
the market. Some __________________
sold
____________________ (sell) things at the
letters to the pharaoh. Scribes
had
market. They usually ____________________
were (be) also in charge of
_________________
owned
(have) big houses and ____________________
writing down the ordinary and
(own) a lot of land.
extraordinary events in ancient Egypt.

grew
c. Farmers ____________________ (grow) crops cleaned (clean) the
d. Slaves ____________________
kept
and ____________________ (keep) cows fed
house, ____________________ (feed) the
gave
and geese. They __________________________ cooked
merchant’s horses and ____________________
(give) the merchant some of their (cook) meals. Only wealthy
animals and food because they had
Egyptians ____________________ (have)
used
____________________ (use) his land. slaves.

2. Answer the questions according to what you learned.

a. Where did merchants buy and sell things?
Merchants bought and sold things at the market.
b. What did farmers keep?
Farmers kept cows and geese.
c. Who was in charge of writing the ordinary and extraordinary events in ancient Egypt?
The scribes.
d. What did only wealthy Egyptians have?
Slaves.

Derechos reservados Educactiva S. A. S. Prohibida

95 su copia, reproducción y/o distribución
Lesson 2
1. Read and unscramble the questions.

Built by: Pharaoh Djoser Built by: Pharaoh Khufu Built by: Pharaoh Snefru
Location: Saqqara Location: Giza Location: Maidum
Date: 2630 BC Date: 2550 BC Date: 2600 BC
Time to build: over 19 years Time to build: 80 years Time to build: unknown
(all the pyramids)

a. the Pyramids of Giza / How long ago / the Egyptians / build / did
How long ago did the Egyptians build the Pyramids of Giza?
________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

b. the / Step Pyramid / built / Who

Who built the Step Pyramid?
________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

c. did / Pharaoh Snefru / the Maidum Pyramid / build / Where

Where did Pharaoh Snefru build the Maidum Pyramid?
________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

d. it take / How long / to build / all the pyramids / did / of Giza

How long did it take to build all the pyramids of Giza?
________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

e. the oldest / pyramid / Which / is

Which is the oldest pyramid?
________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

2. Answer the questions from the previous exercise.

Egyptians built the Pyramids of Giza over 4550 years ago.

a. ________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
Pharaoh Djoser built the Step Pyramid.
b. ________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
Pharaoh Snefru built the Maidum Pyramid in Maidum.
c. ________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
It took Egyptians 80 years to build the Pyramids of Giza.
d. ________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
The oldest pyramid is the Step Pyramid.
e. ________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

3. Replace the expressions in italics using before, after or ago.

a. The Maidum Pyramid was built later than the Step Pyramid.
The Maidum Pyramid was built after the Step Pyramid.
________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

b. All of those pyramids were built many centuries before the present.
All of those pyramids were built many centuries ago.
________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

c. The Step Pyramid was built earlier than the other pyramids mentioned.
The Step Pyramid was built before the other pyramids mentioned.
________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

Derechos reservados Educactiva S. A. S. Prohibida

96 su copia, reproducción y/o distribución
Lesson 3
1. Read and answer.

Going to School in Ancient Egypt

Most children in ancient
Egypt did not go to school.
Boys often worked with their
fathers, and girls never went
to school. Girls stayed at
home and learned to run a
household. Boys from wealthy
families went to school to learn
to be scribes. They were taught
to read and write. They worked
very hard and spent hours
copying words and sentences.

Paper in Egypt was made from

papyrus reeds, tall plants that
grew along the Nile River. But
paper was very expensive, so
students used pieces of stone
to write on at school.

Scribes were among the only

people in ancient Egypt who
could read and write. This
made them very important,
and many scribes worked for
the pharaoh.

No, they didn’t.

a. Did all children go to school in ancient Egypt? ___________________________________________________________________
No, they never went to school.
b. Did girls go to school? __________________________________________________________________________________________________________
No, they used pieces of stone.
c. Did students write on papyrus at school? __________________________________________________________________________
Yes, many scribes worked for the pharaoh.
d. Did scribes work for the pharaoh? ______________________________________________________________________________________

2. Write more questions about the text.

a. Did girls learn to run a household?
________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ Yes, they did.
b. Answers may vary
________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ No, they didn’t.
c. Answers may vary
________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ No, they didn’t.
d. Answers may vary
________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ Yes, they did.

Derechos reservados Educactiva S. A. S. Prohibida

97 su copia, reproducción y/o distribución
Lesson 4
1. Read and write the questions in the correct paragraph.

• How did cuneiform writing begin?

• Why did the Sumerians need to keep records?
• How did people learn to write?
• What was the best thing the Sumerians wrote?

Why did the Sumerians need to keep records?

a. _______________________________________________________________________________________

The ancient Sumerians were farmers in Mesopotamia.

Keeping records of their animals and food was very
important to them. Eventually, they started keeping
records of everything they had: things in their houses,
things that they sold and bought. They also kept lists of
their kings.

b. How did cuneiform writing begin?

______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

At the beginning they used pictures of objects. Later, the Sumerians invented
symbols to represent objects and ideas. This was called cuneiform writing, and it
was the first written language. It was invented in the year 3300 BC.

How did people learn to write?

c. ________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
People used a pointed instrument called a stylus and wrote on clay tablets. It was
a difficult system to learn because there were many symbols. There were special
schools to learn to write where only rich children could go. It took them 12 years to
finish school.

d. What was the best thing the Sumerians wrote?

___________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

According to many experts, the best thing that the Sumerians wrote was a great
story called The Epic of Gilgamesh. It is perhaps the oldest story in the world.

2. Write questions using the cues.

a. (keep / records) Did the Sumerians keep records?
_____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

• Yes, they did. They kept records of everything they had.

b. (use / pictures of objects) Did they use pictures of objects?
______________________________________________________________________________________________________________

• Yes, they did. But later they invented special symbols to represent objects and ideas.
Did they write on paper?
c. (write / paper) _________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
• No, they didn’t. They didn’t have paper to write on.
Did all the children go to school?
d. (all the children / go to school) ) ___________________________________________________________________________________________________
• No, they didn’t. Only rich children went to school.

Derechos reservados Educactiva S. A. S. Prohibida

98 su copia, reproducción y/o distribución
Lesson 5 Vocabulary and Language Use - II

1. Complete the interview in the Present Perfect tense.

Grammar
Splash
• Have they been to
Rome?
- Yes, they have.
- No, they haven’t.

• Has he/she
understood the
question?
- Yes, he/she has.
- No, he/she hasn’t.

• Where have you

Reporter: So, tell us more about your career as a historian. / has she taught
Have studied (study) Egyptian culture for history?
(a) ____________________ you ____________________
– I have taught
a long time?
history in 4
have studied (study) Egyptian culture for
Historian: Yes, I (b) ______________________ schools in my city.
30 years. – She has taught
have
Reporter: So, (c) ________________ written (write) books
you ________________ history in 4
schools in her city.
about it?
have made (make)
Historian: Well, only two, but I (d) ________________________
many presentations around the world about Egyptian culture.
Reporter: And what’s next for you in your career?
Historian: Actually, I (e) haven’t thought (think) about it.
________________________

2. Match the columns.

Yes, I have. But I’m definitely more

d
interested in 2500 BC and earlier.

a. Have you read something about

the Inca Empire? I have worked at several universities in
e
Europe and North America.
b. Have they considered a new
approach in their theory?
Well, I haven’t read too much about it,
c. Has she done any research on a but of course I have read about South
ancient Mesopotamia? American cultures.
d. Have you thought about studying
another period in history?
c No, she hasn’t. That’s not her passion.
e. Where have you worked?

I guess they have. But nobody really

b
knows much about their theories.

Derechos reservados Educactiva S. A. S. Prohibida

99 su copia, reproducción y/o distribución
Lesson 6
1. Read and complete the questionnaire below following the model.

Grammar
Splash
Dan’s aunt has visited many museums. • have not = haven’t
• has not = hasn’t

Katie has learned a lot about the Sumerians.

Dylan’s history teacher has been to Egypt twice.

Glenn has won two prestigious awards.

Go Beyond!
Troy’s uncle has seen an Egyptian mummy in a museum. According to
many historians
and researchers,
Sumerians of
Glenn has.
a. Who has won two prestigious awards? ______________________________________ Babylon were the
first people to make
b. Who has been to Egypt twice? Dylan’s history teacher has.
___________________________________________________ a calendar.
Who has learned a lot about the Sumerians?
c. ________________________________________________________________________________________ Katie has.
d. Who has visited many museums?
_____________________________________________________________________________ Dan’s aunt has.
e. Who has seen an Egyptian mummy in a museum? Troy’s uncle has.
___________________________________________________________________________

2. Read and complete the questionnaire below following the model.

a. report/ancient/you/written/a/Have/civilization/an/ever/about
Have you ever written a report about an ancient civilization?

b. seen/ever/about/you/Egypt/a/book/Have/ancient
Have you ever seen a book about ancient Egypt?

c. historian/ever/a/Have/met/you
Have you ever met a historian?

d. you/history/thought/Have/studying/ever/about
Have you ever thought about studying history?

e. about/pyramids/documentary/the/you/a/Egyptian/Have/watched/ever
Have you ever watched a documentary about the Egyptian pyramids?

f. interested/ever/you/a/in/culture/Have/been/different

Have you ever been interested in a different culture?

Derechos reservados Educactiva S. A. S. Prohibida

100 su copia, reproducción y/o distribución
Lesson 7
1. Look and match.

a. b. c.

d. e. f.

e My uncle has participated in drama plays.

f Bret has read poetry in front of an audience.

d Josh has taken selfies in front of monuments.

c Tina has visited many museums.

a My best friend has ridden a horse.

b Arthur has dived in a pool.

2. Read and answer.

a. Have you ever failed a history test? ___________________________________________

If so, when did it happen?____________________________________________________________ Yes, I have. /
No, I haven’t.
Answers may vary
______________________________________________________________________________________________________

b. Have you ever read a book about Mayan culture? _____________________

If so, when did you do it? Answers may vary
_____________________________________________________________

c. Have you ever visited the oldest part of your town/city? __________
If so, when did you do it? Answers may vary
____________________________________________________________

d. Have you ever seen an Egyptian object? ___________________________________

Answers may vary
If so, what did you see and when? ______________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________________________________________

e. Have you ever dreamed about a different century? ________________

If so, what did you dream? Answers may vary
__________________________________________________________

______________________________________________________________________________________________________

Derechos reservados Educactiva S. A. S. Prohibida

101 su copia, reproducción y/o distribución
Lesson 8
1. Read and complete the poem using the Present Perfect tense.

POEM FOR
OK
A HISTORY BO
ta__ug
ve__
ha__ ___________
__ht
You (a) __________ the past,
(teach) me about ad
________________
I (b) ______ha
ve re
class,
(read) you in my n
have sh__
____ ow_____________
You (c) __________
was life,
(show) me there
om my own,
vastly different fr
__ct
__pi
ha__ve ___________
__ed
__ur
I (d) ________ ind,
(picture) in my m
, qu ee ns and lands
kings and cultures
ne__d_________
ar__
have le__
I (e) ______________
ite surprised
(learn) and I’m qu
e! So many facts!
So much knowledg

2. Complete the story using there was or there were correctly.

ANCIENT POMPEII Go Beyond!

Use there was to say

2,000 years ago, (a) there was a Roman city
that somebody or
called Pompeii. (b) There was a volcano nearby called something was in a
Vesuvius, which everyone thought was a mountain. particular place, but
use there were if you
On August 24, AD 79, Vesuvius erupted. (c) There was refer to more than
a large black cloud above the volcano, and (d) there were one person or thing.
orange flames in the sky. (e) There were many people
in the streets. They were very frightened.

After three days, (f) there was a layer of mud and

rocks covering the whole city. You could see only the
roofs of some buildings above it.

Derechos reservados Educactiva S. A. S. Prohibida

102 su copia, reproducción y/o distribución
Lesson 9 Reading and Writing

1. Read the journal entry and fill in the blanks. Use the verbs in parentheses in the Present
Perfect tense.

__November, 1922
_________
____________
_ _________
______
_____
______
______
__
All my life __I (a)
____________________________have
_____ loved (love) Egypt.
_________________________________
_ ___ Being__here
_______________ for
__________
_ ___the
______ last
______ seven
_______________ years
______
____
______
______
______
_______
______
_____
(b) has been (be) an amazing experience.______
___________________________________________________________________________ (c) have learned
I________________________ (learn)_ so
___________________ much______
___________ _ ___
____
and I (d) have seen (see) so many things. But today, something really exciting
______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
_ _
happened.
_________
_ __________ The
_ ______ __men
________ ___
___ found
_ ___
__ a step!
________________ We
_________ (e) _haven’t
_ ____________ dug (dig)________
___________________________ enough
_ ___ to see where_ it _
__ _____________________________
leads, but I’m sure this is the place
___________________________________________________ we’ve
__ ____________ looked
_ ______
_________ for
______ all this____
_____________ _ time.
___
_ ___
_ _________________________
______
_ __________

___________________
_ _______________
______
_ _________
_ __________
_ _________
_ ______
_ ____________
_ ________________________________
_ _________________________
I (f) have already sent (send) a telegram to Lord Carnarvon to tell him the
____________
_ ______
______
_ ___
______________
_ _____________
_ _______
_________
_ ____________
__ ___
_ ___
_ ___
______
__ ___
_ _________
_ _______________
_ _______
_ _________________
_ _
news. He (g) has answered
_____________________________________________ (answer)
_ _________
__ __ to
_______________ say
_ ___ _he’ll
_ ______ get here as soon
___________________________
__ ___as___possible.
______
__ ____________________
_ __

________________
_ ________________________
_ _______
_ ___
__ ________________________
______
_ _________
__ _____________________
______
_____
______
_ ______
_____
_ __________
_ __ _
Tomorrow, we are going to continue digging. I’m sure our search will soon come to an
________________________________________________________________________
__ ______
_ ___
_ ______
___________
_ ____________
_____
______
__ _____________
_ ___
__ _______

_ end.
___________________

2. Read and answer.

Tutankhamun’s Sarcophagus

Howard Carter found the hidden tomb carefully opened the sarcophagus and
of the boy king, Tutankhamun. The found another one inside.
tomb was full of treasures, and there
was also a beautiful golden sarcophagus! They removed the second sarcophagus
It was very heavy, and the team nearly and opened it. Again, they found
dropped it when they were carrying it to another sarcophagus. Finally, the last
the truck! sarcophagus was opened. They found a
beautiful gold death mask covering the
When the team arrived at the museum, mummy’s face. It was truly magnificent
they started work right away. They and made Howard Carter a famous man.

a. What was in the tomb that Howard Carter discovered?

There were treasures and there was also a beautiful golden sarcophagus.
b. What nearly happened when the team was carrying the sarcophagus?
The team nearly dropped it.
c. What did they find inside the first sarcophagus?
They found another sarcophagus.
d. What was covering the mummy’s face?
A beautiful gold death mask.

Derechos reservados Educactiva S. A. S. Prohibida

103 su copia, reproducción y/o distribución
3. Read and match the parts of the questions.

ROMAN BATHS
After a hard morning’s work at the
office or the shop, the Romans enjoyed
taking a bath. Most Romans went to
the public baths because they didn’t
have baths in their homes. At the
public baths, people first went into the
warm room, or tepidarium.

Here they lay around and talked to

friends. Then, they went into the steam
room, where they sat and sweated a lot.
They used a scraper to clean their skin
because there was no soap! Next, they
went into a hot bath, and after that,
they quickly dipped into a cold bath. All
the hot water came from water tanks
under the baths. Slaves burned wood
under the tanks to heat the water.
There were lots of underground pipes,
which carried the water to the baths.
All the dirty water went into a huge
drain, which emptied into the river.

a. Who d did the dirty water go?

b. What f did people go to the cold bath?

c. Why e did the hot water move from the tanks to the baths?
d. Where a heated the water for the baths?

e. How c did most Romans go to the public baths?

f. When b did people do in the tepidarium?

4. Answer the questions you matched in the previous exercise.

Go Beyond!
Slaves heated the water for the baths.
a. ______________________________________________________________________________________________________________
The phrasal verb fall
b. They lay around and talked to friends.
______________________________________________________________________________________________________________
down is very similar
Because they didn’t have baths in their homes.
c. ______________________________________________________________________________________________________________ in meaning to fall
over. Fall down is
It went into a huge drain.
d. ______________________________________________________________________________________________________________ more common in
the US, whereas
Underground pipes carried the water from the tanks to the baths.
e. ______________________________________________________________________________________________________________ fall over is more
common in the UK.
They went to the cold bath after the hot bath.
f. ______________________________________________________________________________________________________________

Derechos reservados Educactiva S. A. S. Prohibida

104 su copia, reproducción y/o distribución
 5. Read and circle the correct option.
a. Howard and his team searched for over seven years to make a discovery like that, and they
never thought about falling down / waking up / giving up.
b. Howard was so excited that he fell over / gave up / woke up when he was running to see the
step!
c. He was putting away / falling over / giving up his tools when he heard somebody shout from
across the valley.
d. Don’t waking up / put away / giving up your stuff just yet, please. I need your help with
something else.
e. If you’re passionate about ancient civilizations and don’t put away / give up / fall over easily,
you should start a career as an archaeologist.

6. Read and answer using the Word Kit. Change the verbs into the appropriate form.

a. Don’t give up ! Your teacher will really appreciate it if you Word Kit
don’t.
• wake up
b. Thanks for putting away my stuff. I was in a hurry when I left. • fall over
c. I don’t like this sport. I have fallen over several times! • give up
• put away
d. Hey Mark! It’s time to wake up . You know it’s Monday, right?
e. David McCullough searched for answers to all his questions,
without thinking about giving
! up !

Pronunciation Corner
Listen and circle.

bat
a. ____________________ watt
____________________ ship
b. ____________________ sheep
____________________ flight
c. ____________________ fright
____________________

this
d. ____________________ these
____________________ vase
e. ____________________ base
____________________ hat
f. ____________________ hut
____________________

Derechos reservados Educactiva S. A. S. Prohibida

105 su copia, reproducción y/o distribución
 Quiz Time
1. Complete the biography using the words from the Word Kit.

Word Kit
• return • restart • spend • be (x2) • give
• work • enter • find • feel
• hire • end • become • have

Howard Carter was born in 1874 in England. Most people remember him as an archaeologist but the truth
was
is that he (a) _________________________ also an artist. At a young age, he was hired by different archaeologists to draw
was
their findings. He (b) _________________________ talented at drawing wall reliefs, too.

hired
Then, an English aristocrat (Lord Carnarvon), who was fascinated by Egyptology, (c) _________________________ Carter
had
to dig at a site where potential treasures could be found. They (d) _________________________ to interrupt their work
ended
because of World War I, but once the war (e) _________________________ restarted . Around
, the excavations (f) _________________________
felt
7 years later, Lord Carnarvon (g) _________________________ disappointed and was about to stop giving money for the
entered
project. However, in November 1922, Carter and Lord Carnarvon (h) _________________________ a tomb with a lot of
found
gold. And a couple of months later, they (i) _________________________ the secret chamber where the sarcophagus of
King Tutankhamun was.

became
Thanks to this discovery, Egyptology (j) _________________________ spent
famous around the world. Carter (k) _______________________
returned to London. He (m) _______________________
10 more years in Egypt and then he (l) _________________________ worked for many museums
gave
and (n) ________________________ many lectures about Egypt and King Tutankhamun.

2. Answer the questions based on the previous text.

a. Who hired Carter to dig at a site where potential treasures could be found?

Lord Carnarvon.
____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

b. Why did Howard Carter and Lord Carnarvon have to interrupt their work?

Because of World War I.

____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

c. When did Carter and Carnarvon enter a tomb with gold?

In November 1922.
____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

d. Where did Carter give lectures after their discovery?

In London.
____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

e. How did Lord Carnarvon feel after years of excavations with no discoveries?

Disappointed.
____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

f. What did they find in 1923?

They found the secret chamber where the sarcophagus of King Tutankhamun was.
____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

Derechos reservados Educactiva S. A. S. Prohibida

106 su copia, reproducción y/o distribución
 3. Rewrite the following sentences in the Present Perfect tense.

a. Do you work as a history teacher?

Have you worked as a history teacher?
b. I learned about ancient civilizations.
I have learned about ancient civilizations.
c. Did you visit the Metropolitan Museum?
Have you visited the Metropolitan Museum?
d. She took a selfie in front of a pyramid.
She has taken a selfie in front of a pyramid.
e. They didn’t fail the exam.
They haven’t failed the exam.
f. Where did you see that?
Where have you seen that?
g. I didn’t have the time to do it.
I haven’t had the time to do it.
h. The Roman army invaded Britain.
The Roman army has invaded Britain.

4. Use the Word Kit to complete the sentences. Words can be used more than once.
ago .
a. The Aztec empire emerged almost one thousand years _________________
b. The Epic of Gilgamesh is perhaps the oldest story in the world. Word Kit
before the first known papyrus used by
It was written ______________________
• before
Egyptians.
• after
c. The Mayan pyramids are not the oldest. They were built several • ago
after
centuries _______________________ the Pyramids of Egypt.
ago
d. 2,000 years _______________________, there was a Roman city called Pompeii.
ago
e. The Inca empire flourished less than one millennium _______________________.
after
They were powerful several centuries _______________________ the Egyptian
civilization.

5. Read and check the oldest event from each pair.

a. Ramses was born in 1303 BC.
Genghis Khan was born in AD 1162.
b. Queen Hatshepsut died in 1458 BC.
Lord Carnarvon died in AD 1923.
c. Ramses became king of Egypt in 1279 BC.
Tutankhamun became king of Egypt in 1332 BC.
Derechos reservados Educactiva S. A. S. Prohibida
107 su copia, reproducción y/o distribución