EnglishClub

Pre-listening vocabulary

• independent: having no help or influence from anyone else
• civilization: an advanced group of people living together
• scribe: someone who writes or copies important information
• pictograph: a drawing that looks like the thing it represents
• trade: the exchange of items between people or places
• abstract: representing an idea without looking like a real item

Listening activity

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Gapfill exercise

Throughout history, at least three have independently invented written . Ancient writing systems can be traced to the Mesopotamian, Chinese, and Maya civilizations. The first known writing system originated in Sumer, a Mesopotamian civilization in modern-day Iraq. The Sumerians used clay tokens to track their supply. They carved small pictures into the tokens to represent an amount of or grain. Around 3500 BCE, scribes began to arrange these pictographs into more detailed . Written were useful for sending trade information over long distances. Over time, the symbols used by Sumerian scribes became more abstract. They evolved into a complex writing system, called “cuneiform,” which many languages used for thousands of years.

Comprehension questions

See answers below

1. Throughout history, writing was independently invented
   a. once
   b. twice
   c. three times
   
2. The first known writing system came from
   a. the Chinese
   b. the Maya
   c. the Sumerians
   
3. The Sumerian writing system began as
   a. flat pictographs
   b. clay tokens
   c. abstract symbols

Discussion/essay questions

1. Chinese characters are the oldest writing system still in use. Why do you think they have survived so long?
2. English uses the Latin alphabet. What writing system does your first language use? Where did it evolve from?

Transcript

Throughout history, at least three cultures have independently invented written language. Ancient writing systems can be traced to the Mesopotamian, Chinese, and Maya civilizations. The first known writing system originated in Sumer, a Mesopotamian civilization in modern-day Iraq. The Sumerians used clay tokens to track their food supply. They carved small pictures into the tokens to represent an amount of animals or grain. Around 3500 BCE, scribes began to arrange these pictographs into more detailed messages. Written messages were useful for sending trade information over long distances. Over time, the symbols used by Sumerian scribes became more abstract. They evolved into a complex writing system, called “cuneiform,” which many languages used for thousands of years.

Answers to comprehension questions

1c 2c 3b

Pre-listening vocabulary

• narrative poem: a long story written in verse
• compose: to create something
• tablet: a piece of clay or stone that is used to write on
• contribute: to help accomplish something
• eternal: lasting forever
• mortality: the idea that all living things will eventually die

Listening activity

Podcast: Play in new window | Download (Duration: 1:17 — 1.2MB)

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Gapfill exercise

The Epic of Gilgamesh is an narrative poem. It is the oldest written narrative that has ever been found. Some of the individual that make up the poem were composed as early as 2100 B.C.E. The complete poem was later written on clay tablets in Akkadian, a language of ancient Mesopotamia. There is no known author. Many people likely contributed to the story over many years. The poem follows the long journey of a who searches for the secret to eternal life. The Epic of Gilgamesh has influenced literary works in many different . In fact, stories from The Epic of Gilgamesh can also be found in literature from later in , such as Homer’s epics and the Bible.

Comprehension questions

See answers below

1. The complete poem was first written in
   a. Akkadian
   b. Sumerian
   c. Greek
   
2. The poem was written by
   a. Homer
   b. Gilgamesh himself
   c. an unknown author, possibly multiple
   
3. In the story, Gilgamesh is primarily searching for
   a. true love
   b. wealth
   c. eternal life

Discussion/essay questions

1. The Epic of Gilgamesh deals with the theme of mortality. This has continued to be a common theme in literature throughout history. Why do you think death is such an important focus of stories?

Transcript

The Epic of Gilgamesh is an ancient narrative poem. It is the oldest written narrative that has ever been found. Some of the individual stories that make up the poem were composed as early as 2100 B.C.E. The complete poem was later written on clay tablets in Akkadian, a language of ancient Mesopotamia. There is no known author. Many people likely contributed to the story over many years. The poem follows the long journey of a king who searches for the secret to eternal life. The Epic of Gilgamesh has influenced literary works in many different cultures. In fact, stories from The Epic of Gilgamesh can also be found in literature from later in history, such as Homer’s epics and the Bible.

Answers to comprehension questions

1a 2c 3c