English

You will develop these skills

• Use the past simple and past perfect tenses and the passive voice.

• Use vocabulary related to historical Ancient Egypt, prehistoric Egypt, the pyramids and Ancient Egyptian expertise.

The study of Ancient Egypt is a fascinating one. It is the study of a civilisation that began over five thousand years ago and lasted for over three thousand years. Although the beginnings of Egyptian history are usually given as about 3100 B.C., remains have been found of nomadic people from many thousands of years before this date.

When we study Ancient Egypt, we are studying a civilisation that lived in the past and no longer exists today. Therefore, we need to make use of the past tenses to discuss and write about it. We will also need to learn some new vocabulary to equip us on our journey of discovery.

Did you know?

Historians use the abbreviations B.C. (Before Christ) and A.D. (Anno Domini i.e. ‘Year of our Lord’) to distinguish dates.

Who were the Ancient Egyptians?

Read about prehistoric Egypt

Even before the beginnings of the Egyptian civilisation as we know it, the early Egyptians had been farmers. They had herded cattle. Before they developed agriculture, they fished in the Nile River. They had made stone tools. They made pots. Until the Egyptians built their palaces, the prehistoric Egyptians did not have any large buildings.

Long ago, the region we know as the Sahara Desert was a fertilesavannah. Many different nomadic tribes wandered across it, finding plenty to hunt and eat. This remained unchanged for 4000 years, but around 5000 B.C., the climate changed and the Sahara started to dry out. This forced the wandering tribes down into the fertile Nile Valley. Over time they had learned to settle and farm.

Evidence shows the existence of prehistoric settlements in Egypt for about 2 000 years before the time of the pharaohs. It is important to remember how important the Nile River was to the Ancient Egyptian civilisation, and how much it had influenced the development of their culture.

Activity 1: Hold a debate about climate change

Hold a debate about the statement: Climate change was an important factor in the development of Ancient Egypt. Elect two teams, one to argue for the statement, and one to argue against the statement.

Grammar focus

Use the past simple tense

We use the past simple tense to talk about an action that was completed in a time before now. The length of time of the action is not important. The important thing is that the action is over. The action could have happened in the recent past or in the distant past.

Examples:

• My father died last year.

• Jean-Paul caught the train to South Africa in 2012.

• We lived in Kigali until 2013.You always use the simple past tense when you say when something happened, so it is associated with certain past time expressions. We usually make the positive by adding ‘-ed’ to the infinitive. For example, ‘walk’ becomes ‘walked’. We make the verb negative by adding ‘did not’ (didn’t).

Activity 2: Practise the simple past tense

Put the following sentences into the past simple, using the correct form of the verb in brackets:

1. We ______ (talk) on the phone yesterday.

2. The two boys _______ (do) not eat the cake.

3. They __________ (be) very hungry by lunchtime.

4. He _________ (walk) all the way home alone.5. She _________ (do) her homework on Tuesday.

Read about the beginnings of the Egyptian civilisation

After the tribes had settled in the Nile Valley and begun to live in small communities, they came into conflict with each other. The country polarised into two opposing kingdoms – the North (Lower Egypt) and the South (Upper Egypt). We cannot be sure of the exact date, but around 3100 B.C. the two countries were united under one ruler by Pharaoh Menes. This was the start of the three thousand year civilisation we know as Ancient Egypt.

he history of Ancient Egypt is divided into different periods of time. The most important of these were the Old Kingdom (3100–2180 B.C.), the Middle Kingdom (2055–1650 B.C.) and the New Kingdom (1550–1069 B.C.) Towards the end of each of these periods, the authority of the king broke down and Egypt fragmented into many small kingdoms, only to be reunited when a strong ruler became pharaoh.

With the rise of the Greek and Roman civilisations, Egypt came under foreign rule and was no longer powerful. The Romans introduced Christianity, which led to the decline of the Ancient Egyptian religion and society.

Grammar focus

Past simple tense

We use the past simple tense a lot when we talk or write about historical events. For example: Egypt fragmented into many small kingdoms. Can you pick out other examples of sentences in the past simple tense in the reading above?

Use the past perfect tense

We use the past perfect tense most often for the following:

• Actions that happened before a past event.

• For example: When I got home yesterday, my mother had already cooked dinner.

• Reported speech.

• For example: My father told me that he had cooked dinner but he had not.

• ‘If’ (conditional) sentences.

• For example: If I had known that my mother had already cooked dinner, I would have been home earlier.The past perfect tense in English is made up of two parts: the past tense of the verb ‘to have (had)’ + the past participle of the main verb.

Activity 3: Use the past perfect tense

Complete the following sentences:

1. I got home very late last night. Everyone ________ ______ to bed.

2. Before coming to Rwanda, I ________ never _________ gorillas.

3. As soon as he _______ ________ his homework, he went to bed.

4. The film was not very good, but I didn’t want to leave until it _________ __________.

5. She ______ just _______ into the bath when the doorbell rang.

6. Now reread the first paragraph about prehistoric Egypt and see how many past perfect sentences you can find.

Read about the pharaohs

The pharaohs were the god kings of Ancient Egypt, who ruled between 3150 B.C. and 30 B.C. The pharaoh was the political and religious leader of the Egyptian people, holding the titles of Lord of the Two Lands and High Priest of Every Temple. As Lord of the Two Lands, the pharaoh was the ruler of Upper and Lower Egypt. The pharaoh was not only the political ruler, but also seen as a god.

Historians divide up the timeline of Ancient Egyptian history by the dynasties of the pharaohs. A dynastywas the period when one family maintained power and handed down the throne to an heir. There are believed to be 31 dynasties over the 3 000 years of Ancient Egyptian history.

Activity 4: Answer comprehension questions on Ancient Egypt

1. Look at the map of Egypt and name one city in Upper Egypt and one city in Lower Egypt.

2. Name the three main periods of time used to describe the Ancient Egyptian civilisation.

3. What is meant by the word ‘dynasty’?

4. Briefly describe the role of the pharaoh.

5. What effect did the rise of the Greek and Roman civilisations have on Egypt?

Read about the economy of Ancient Egypt

The early Egyptians were farmers. The annual flooding of the Nile River made the soil very fertile and Egypt was able to grow better harvests than her neighbours. The main crops of Egypt were wheat, barley, lettuce, beans, onions, figs, melons and cucumbers. Many farmers also grew flax, which was used to produce linen.

There was no money system. Products were bartered and workers were paid in wheat, barley and craft products such as pottery and clothes. Crafts were produced in small workshops.

Trade was important to Egypt. They traded with countries around the Mediterranean Sea, the Red Sea and the Aegean Sea. The main exportswere gold and other minerals, wheat, barley and papyrus sheets. The main imports were silver, iron, ivory, cattle and spices. Egypt also had deposits of minerals, such as limestone, copper, gold, tin and sandstone.

Read about the religious beliefs of the Ancient Egyptians

Egyptian society was based on the concept of ma’at, which meant balance and order. Life was ruled by the Nile’s annual flood and the daily rising of the sun in the East and setting in the West.

Religion was very important to the Ancient Egyptians. Egyptians did not question the beliefs which had been handed down to them; they did not want to change their society. Their main aim was to try to maintain conditions which they believed had existed at the dawn of creation.

The religion of Ancient Egypt was a polytheistic religion, with one short period of monotheism. Many of the gods and goddesses were depicted with animal forms. Hathor was an important goddess because she was believed to receive the sun, Re, each night and protect him so that he could be reborn in the morning. She is often depicted as a cow.

Osiris was god of the underworld and king of the dead. He was also in charge of the flooding of the Nile and of the growth of vegetation. For this reason, he is often shown with a green face or body. He was believed to have brought civilisation and agriculture to the Egyptians.

Isis was the wife of Osiris and the symbol of the perfect wife and mother. The son of Isis and Osiris was Horus, who was shown as a falcon. It was believed that he was reborn in each new pharaoh. After death, the pharaoh became Osiris and would help the Egyptians in the afterlife. Due to this belief, the pharaoh held an immenseamount of power. In addition, the priests in Ancient Egypt were also very powerful.

Activity 5: Write sentences in the past perfect tense

Use the information on the religious beliefs of the Ancient Egyptians to write five sentences about their beliefs, using the past perfect tense.

Grammar focus

Use the passive voice

The passive voice is used when the focus is on the action. It is not important, or it is not known, who or what is performing the action. For example: My book was stolen. In this example, the focus is on the fact that my book was stolen; I do not know who did it. The same sentence in the active voice would be: Someone stole my book.

Sometimes we use the passive voice because it is more polite than the active voice. For example: A mistake was made. This is gentler or more polite than saying: He made a mistake.

If we want to say who or what performs the action while using the passive voice, we use the preposition ‘by’. When we know who performed the action and are interested in him, it is always better to switch to the active voice instead. For example: This house was built by my father. The same sentence in the active voice would be: My father built this house.

When rewriting active sentences in passive voice, it is important to note the following:

• The passive sentence starts with the object.

• The finite form of the verb is changed (‘to be’ + past participle).

• The subject of the sentence follows the verb (or is dropped).

• If a subject is used, it is preceded by the preposition ‘by’.

Activity 6: Change the active voice to the passive voice

Rewrite the following sentences in the passive voice:

1. Jean-Marc is writing a letter.

2. My mother is baking a cake.

3. My friend is mending his bicycle tyre.

4. My friend is having a birthday party on Saturday.

5. Our cat caught a large rat.

Read about building the pyramids

The Egyptians believed that preserving the body guaranteed the soul’s survival in the afterlife. Usually, a pharaoh would start on the construction of his burial pyramid early on in his reign because they took many years to complete. Large pyramidswere constructed as tombs for the pharaohs in the Old Kingdom.

The tombs contained decorations of the pharaoh’s journey in the afterlife and texts from the Book of the Dead. The pharaohs were buried with treasures made of gold and jewels. Later, to avoid grave robbers, the pharaohs were buried in secret tombs cut into rock. Many of these can still be visited in the famous Valley of the Kings. Scholars are still not completely sure how the pyramids were constructed. Even using today's modern machinery, they would be difficult to construct. We know that the pyramids were built using labourers who worked very hard. They were not slaves, but may have been farmers who worked on the pyramids while the Nile was in flood, when they could not work in their fields.

First, the area where the pyramid was to be built was levelled. Huge blocks of stone were cut in quarries, often some distance from the location of the pyramid, and then dragged into place using rampsand levers. The pyramids were built one layer at a time. In the middle, a burial chamber with a secret entrance was constructed.

When the pyramid was finished, it was covered in an outer layer of white stones. These stones were cut very precisely, to give a smooth slope to the pyramid. The stones were made of highly polished limestone that reflected the sun’s rays.

Grammar focus

Past simple passive

The past simple passive is used to talk or write about something that was done by someone at sometime in the past. For example: The walls were made of highly polished limestone. (Here, it is not known who performed the action. The stones for the pyramids were dragged by the labourers. (Here, the subject – the labourers – is preceded by the preposition ‘by’.)

Activity 7: Write a report about the building of the pyramids

Research and write a short report of under 200 words about the pyramids. Your report should explain when the pyramids were built, whom they were built for, and how they were built. Include diagrams wherever possible. Make sure you use the past simple passive wherever possible.

Read about the achievements of the Ancient Egyptians

As well as building great pyramids and temples, the Ancient Egyptians were also responsible for many other achievements.

One of the most important achievements of the Ancient Egyptians was writing. They wrote in hieroglyphics, a form of picture writing. Writing allowed the Egyptians to keep accurate records and maintain control of their large empire. The ordinary people were not literate. Hieroglyphics were inscribed on temple walls, telling about the achievements of the pharaohs.

The Egyptians could make sheets of parchment paper from the papyrus plant. This was used for important documents and religious texts.

The Egyptians kept the process of making the parchment a secret so that they could sell it to other civilisations, such as Ancient Greece. The Ancient Egyptians were very knowledgeable about medicine. They had a wide variety of medicines and cures. Some of their medicines were strange. For example, they used honey and human brains to cure eye infections. Many of their medicines were accompanied by spells to ward off the evil spirits making the person sick. Because the Nile River was so important in the lives of the Egyptians, they were very good shipbuilders. They originally built small boats from papyrus reeds, but later began to build large ships from cedar wood imported from Lebanon.

The Egyptians had a good understanding of engineering, mathematics and geometry. This enabled them to build the pyramids and other large buildings. Mathematics and numbers allowed them to keep track of business transactions.

One of the amazing achievements of the Egyptians was inventing the calendar. This enabled them to know at what time of the year the Nile River would flood. Another scientific achievement was inventing the Nileometer. Nileometers were very important to the Egyptians. With a Nileometer, the Egyptians could measure the rising water levels of the Nile River so that they could predict a possible flood and take action before lives or crops were endangered.

The Ancient Egyptians were good astronomers. They were very knowledgeable about the movements of the stars and planets. They needed this knowledge for several reasons. The movement of the Sun from East to West was important to their belief in life, death and rebirth. Knowledge of the seasons allowed them to know the flood cycles of the Nile River so as to plant crops at the right time. Astronomy enabled them to construct their temples and pyramids in relation to the stars, zodiac and constellations.

Grammar focus

The third conditional

The third conditional is used to talk about something in the past that did not happen. We make the third conditional by using the past perfect tense after ‘if’. ‘Would have’ and the past participle are used in the other half of the sentence.

Examples:

• If they had not had a problem with grave robbers, the Egyptians would have kept on building pyramids.

• The Egyptians would not have had paper if they had not learned how to make it from papyrus.

Activity 8: Discuss the achievements of the Ancient Egyptians

1. Discuss the achievements of the Ancient Egyptians.

2. How important was the relationship between knowledge and achievement?

3. Try to use the third conditional in your discussions with each other.

Activity 9: Write about the achievements of the Ancient Egyptians

Write a paragraph about the achievements of the Ancient Egyptians, making use of abstract nouns with ‘allowed to’ and ‘enabled to’, as well as ‘could’.

Vocabulary, pronunciation and spelling

Activity 10: Use your dictionary

Writing and understanding

Activity 11: Write about life in Ancient Egypt

Write a short essay of about 200 words entitled, ‘If I had lived in Ancient Egypt ...’.

Religious tolerance: What can we learn from the Ancient Egyptians?

We have learned that the Ancient Egyptians were polytheistic and worshipped many different gods. One home might have had a shrine to a particular god or goddess, such as Isis, and the neighbouring home might have had a shrine to another deity, such as Horus. There was no conflict over differences of worship.

Activity 12: Discuss religious tolerance

1. In your groups, brainstorm and list all the different forms and places of worship in your district.

2. Why do you think we should respect each other’s religious beliefs?

Assessment

1. Choose the correct words or phrase from the following to complete each sentence: could, be able to, lead to, allow to, enabled to

a) I need to get good grades in Science so that I will ____ ____ ____ study medicine.

b) My friend asked if she _______ come to the cinema with us.

c) The annual flooding of the Nile _______ the Egyptians _______ grow crops.

d) Smoking cigarettes can ____ ____ lung cancer.

e) I do not know if my parents will _______ me _______ go out tonight. (5 marks)

2. Match each word in the left-hand column to its meaning in the right-hand column:

3. Use the correct past simple form of the verb in brackets to complete the following sentences:

a) They _______ (walk) to the shops yesterday.

b) He told me that he _______ (do not) use your bicycle without asking.

c) The sunset _______ (be) beautiful last night. (3 marks)

4. Use the correct past perfect form of the verb in brackets to complete the following sentences:

a) I did not have any money because I ____ ____ (leave) my wallet at home.

b) Eugenie ____ ____ (wanted) a guitar, but she received a book.

c) My father ____ ____ (own) this house for ten years before he sold it. (3 marks)

5. Change the following sentences from the active voice to the passive voice:

a) Harry ate six mangoes at dinner.

b) Magnificent gorillas roam the mountainous highlands of Rwanda.

c) My mom read the novel in one day.

d) Who taught you to ride a bike? (4 marks)

Total (20)