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Listen to an Academic Talk Test #022
Listen to an Academic Talk
1. What is the main subject of the talk?
A) The rule of King Ptolemy V
B) The career of a famous linguist
C) An important archaeological artifact
D) The history of the ancient Greek language
2. According to the professor, what made the Rosetta Stone so valuable for decipherment?
A) It was discovered in nearly perfect condition.
B) It included a language that was understood.
C) It described the rules of hieroglyphic writing.
D) It was the oldest Egyptian artifact ever found.
3. What was likely true before the Rosetta Stone was deciphered?
A) Ancient Egyptian history was poorly understood.
B) Scholars believed hieroglyphs were not a real language.
C) Ancient Greek was a forgotten language.
D) Archaeological work in Egypt had stopped.
4. Why does the professor mention French soldiers?
A) To explain a theory about the stone's text
B) To give context for how the stone was found
C) To compare different archaeological methods
D) To highlight the stone's military importance
Professor: Let's turn our attention to one of the most important archaeological discoveries ever: the Rosetta Stone. Found by French soldiers in Egypt in 1799, this stone slab isn't impressive for its size, but for its text.
The stone contains the same decree from a king, Ptolemy V, written in three different scripts. At the top is Ancient Egyptian hieroglyphs, the script of the priests. In the middle is Demotic, the common script of the time. And at the bottom is Ancient Greek, the language of the rulers.
The key was that scholars in the 1800s could still read Ancient Greek. By comparing the Greek text to the hieroglyphs, Jean-François Champollion was finally able to decipher the ancient symbols. This single discovery unlocked our ability to read thousands of Egyptian documents, revolutionizing our understanding of their entire civilization. It was truly the key to ancient Egypt.
The stone contains the same decree from a king, Ptolemy V, written in three different scripts. At the top is Ancient Egyptian hieroglyphs, the script of the priests. In the middle is Demotic, the common script of the time. And at the bottom is Ancient Greek, the language of the rulers.
The key was that scholars in the 1800s could still read Ancient Greek. By comparing the Greek text to the hieroglyphs, Jean-François Champollion was finally able to decipher the ancient symbols. This single discovery unlocked our ability to read thousands of Egyptian documents, revolutionizing our understanding of their entire civilization. It was truly the key to ancient Egypt.
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