Sra: Imagine It!, Themes, Taking a Stand, Ancient Civilizations Ecology, Great Expectations, Earth in Action, Art and Impact, Level 6

Roy A. Gallant

Gallant is a well-known science writer who has written nearly eighty books and more than two hundred reviews and articles. Some of the subjects he enjoys writing about are astronomy, fossils, extraterrestrial life, dinosaurs, and astrology. Much of his writing is aimed at young adults and is written in a down-to-earth, easy-to-understand style. Gallant's interests include photography, oil painting, skiing, hiking, and kayaking.
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Ancient Civilizations: Theme Connections

Within the Selection

Beyond the Selection

Imagine you are an archaeologist discovering a previously unknown ancient building. Describe your feelings as you realize what you have uncovered.

Remember to look for pictures of ancient ruins and modern Crete for the Concept/Question Board.

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Genre

Feature

In large part, geography shaped the civilizations of ancient Greek peoples. On most of mainland Greece, the many mountains made travel difficult. They separated towns like huge walls. Perhaps this explains why so many Greeks lived in city-states that governed themselves.

The mountains also made farming difficult. Plots of farmland were small, not sprawling. The climate, however, allowed Greeks to work their small farms year-round. They grew grain, grapes, and olives during different seasons. Grapes for wine and olives for olive oil were the crops that brought in the most money.

The mountains did not provide much good grazing land. Greeks could not easily raise large animals such as cattle. They raised small animals such as goats, sheep, and chickens.

Greece did enjoy many miles of coastline. Even on the mainland, few towns in Greece were more than forty miles from the sea. The Mediterranean, Aegean, and Ionic seas connected Greek cities with one another. They also connected Greeks with other countries and continents.

Many Greeks became fishers, sailors, and traders. Living on islands and near harbors, they sailed trade routes from city to city around the Mediterranean Sea.

Ships sailed from Greek ports with products such as grain, oil, and wine. They sailed back with iron, clay, and timber. Silver was also imported for making coins. By 500 B.C., Greeks were using coins to make trade easier.

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Ocean trade inspired Greek culture as well as influencing its economy. The Greeks gained an alphabet, religious ideas, and elaborate architecture from distant lands.

Most ancient Greek towns were small, having only a few hundred people, though a few cities grew large. Athens, Corinth, and Syracuse had more than 100,000 residents. These cities had more farmland or natural resources than most communities. They also had excellent ports for trading. A city's wealth depended heavily on its location and geographic features.

Greek settlements

Phoenician settlements

Production note: captions with the class attribute value "legend" correspond to content that appears in the legend contained in this image.

How does the map explain why the Greeks built their economies so much on trade?

How did geography influence the economic development of ancient Greek cities?

How did geography influence the civilizations and cultures of ancient Greek cities?

Try It!

As you work on your investigation, think about how you can use a map to show your facts.

* tremors

* anxious

* gasping

* quivered

* horrified

* muffled

* barren

* remains

* frantically

* strutting

Vocabulary Strategy

We felt the tremors right as we sat down to eat breakfast. My father and I exchanged an anxious glance. Neither of us had to say a word--this was not our first earthquake on the farm.

We rushed from the kitchen table to the interior wall of the living room where our family had decided to go during a quake. It was strong, and there was nothing connected to the wall that could fall off and injure us. As we pressed against the wall, I was gasping for breath after the sprint.

The floor of the house quivered as we stood there, then ... nothing. We stayed still and waited for aftershocks. When Dad was sure we were safe, he motioned for me to step away from the wall. I was glad we had done regular earthquake drills because instead of being horrified , I was calm.

Dad went to check the basement for the odor of gas. I checked the phone for a signal, but I heard only a muffled hum. Dad returned upstairs with good news--there was no gas leak. We received less than good news on our return to the kitchen. The cupboard doors were open revealing barren shelves, and the remains of Mom's good plates and glasses cluttered the floor. She would not be happy with this sight when she returned from visiting Grandmother up north.

We walked through the remainder of the house to check for damage. Besides a few broken picture frames and some shattered figurines, there was not much. Dad stepped outside to see what the earthquake had done to the house. The chimney needed a closer look, but nothing else looked worse for the wear.

I thought our animals would be frantically running around after the quake. That was not the case. The cats moved about the driveway, the rooster was strutting down the lane, and the cows and calves munched on grass in the big field. Maybe they have their own type of drill to avoid panicking.

Game

Guess Play a guessing game using the vocabulary words with a partner. Ask your partner, "What word means 'nervous'?" After your partner correctly guesses anxious, it is his or her turn to choose a word for you to guess. Continue until all the vocabulary words have been reviewed.

The concept word for this lesson is investigate . Investigate means "to observe, examine, or look into, or try to find out about." What would you like to investigate about ancient civilizations?

Genre

Comprehension Skill: Main Idea and Details

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written and illustrated by

Focus Questions

How was Pompeii destroyed?

How was the splendor and beauty of Pompeii recovered?

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From his window, young Tranio listened to the noise humming from bars, taverns, and shops around him, and to the busy tradesmen haggling in the streets below. Beyond the massive city walls he could see Pompeii's greatest protector looming in the distance. They called it Vesuvius, the Gentle Mountain.

Could anyplace feel safer than here, Tranio wondered? Was anything more beautiful?

Tranio was the son of Dion the actor and lived with his parents near the Theater District of Pompeii. He'd often sneak to the harbor at the mouth of the River Sarnus and hide behind sacks of grain. There he'd watch pots of wine, oil, and spices being carried to and from the ships, or fishermen unloading their rich catches.

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His favorite song was:

Rumble down, tumble down, great city walls,

Feel the ground grumble, the citizens stumble

When the earth shakes, and rumble down, tumble down.

Everyone would join in, laughing as they remembered the earthquake tremors. A few years before Tranio was born, there had been a big earthquake in Pompeii, and parts of the town had still not been fully repaired. But nobody took tremors seriously anymore.

On other days, Tranio would shout up to Livia, the baker's daughter, who lived across the street, "Liv! Stop curling your hair and come and play jacks! I've got a bag of bones from my mother's kitchen! They're just the right size!"

Livia spent most of her time learning to weave and cook, but during the hot afternoons she and Tranio would sit by the fountain and play knucklebones, or chase dogs down the street.

One hot August day, Dion took Tranio through a shady passage into one of Pompeii's two theaters on the edge of the city, where a pantomime was being rehearsed.

"Sit on the steps, son, and learn!" said Dion. "We'll be using you in small parts soon."

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Then something happened... . The stone steps creaked, the boards began to rattle, and the building quivered. Props fell to the stage and scenery split. Tranio's father froze to the spot. Everyone was silent.

But one by one the actors began to relax. "Rumble down, tumble down, here we go again!" they chanted.

"Nothing to fear, everybody!" called Tranio's father. "Back to rehearsal, please." The actors fastened their masks and carried on as if nothing had happened.

But Tranio wriggled through the curtain and ran down the street.

He ran as fast as he could to Livia's house. Everyone was shouting, arguing, carrying belongings outside to safety.

"Livia!" he called. "Liv, where are you?" The bakery was empty. Loaves lay scattered on the floor, the oven blazed, and the small donkey turning the grain mill brayed and jumped nervously against its chain.
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Flushed and excited, the two children ran hand in hand into the dusty streets.

But as they ran, the sky began to darken and a thick cloud drifted slowly overhead.

Livia turned to Tranio. "Why are the seagulls flying toward the woods? They're going the wrong way."

A small bird in a hanging cage chirped frantically, trapped behind its bars as the air began to fill with ash.

Livia coughed. "Tranio ... perhaps we should go back."

Tranio grabbed her hand. "We can't go back. The dust is too thick. Quick--the harbor! Run! Just run!"

Boats were bobbing on the choppy water as men began to untie lines from their moorings. No one noticed two small children climb up the narrow plank of a small Greek cargo ship and hide beneath a pile of colored rugs. Dusty and tired in their hiding place, they soon fell asleep.

But as they slept, the anxious captain untied his boat. He sensed that the winds had changed direction and that the air was uncomfortably hot. The sea began to churn and pull back from the shore.
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"Tranio, I can't breathe ... in the back of my throat... ." As she spoke,

Livia started to choke. The children could hear dogs barking and people's muffled screams as they ran gasping for air with rags covering their mouths or pillows over their heads. Some people fell to the grumbling, trembling ground.

And then, in one terrible endless moment, they heard mighty Mount Vesuvius roar. Its top exploded in a scream, and flames ripped upward to the sky. A massive cloud of silver ash rose to the heavens, twisting and bubbling in all directions, until everything was in total darkness.

Lightning flashed and thunder roared. Streams of molten liquid flowed in fast rivers down the mountain slopes and covered a nearby town. The walls, streets, and gardens of their beloved Pompeii disappeared beneath a blanket of ash and stones. Before their very eyes, everything and everyone they had ever loved were destroyed.

Tranio and Livia held each other desperately when the steaming lava reached the sea itself. The water began to swell against the sides of the boat as it moved slowly out to safety.

They had left just in time. Soon the sea sank back from the shore and even the fish were stranded there.

Many years passed ... and the mountain grew cool and still. At first its slopes were burnt and barren, but in time plants began to grow as the volcanic soil brought forth its riches once more. Most people had forgotten the buried city.

An old man and woman stood in the shade of an orange tree and laid flowers there. Long ago, they had been rescued by the kind captain of a Greek cargo ship, and he had raised them as his own. They were Tranio and Livia, saying farewell to those buried under the ash beneath their feet.

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Would anyone ever find their beloved Pompeii? they wondered. Would anyone ever see its splendid streets? Perhaps. Perhaps not.

Tranio and Livia walked back to their small house beside the orange grove. For the rest of their days they would carry a deep sorrow within their hearts.
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Before the eruption of Mount Vesuvius, Pompeii was a busy, beautiful Roman city where about 15,000 people lived. In those days, during the ancient Roman Empire, Vesuvius appeared green and peaceful, but on August 24 in a.d. 79, a great mushroom-shaped cloud rose from its top and, to everyone's surprise, the volcano began to erupt. In nearby Pompeii, day became as dark as night. Showers of ash and stone fell, covering streets and houses. Within a few hours rooftops started to collapse, and many people fled. The next morning, clouds of poisonous gases and ash poured down from the volcano, suffocating those who had stayed behind.

When the dust had settled, Pompeii and its lovely surroundings, including the neighboring city of Herculaneum, had disappeared beneath a blanket of ash, pumice, and lava. The city had become like Sleeping Beauty's castle. Trees and plants grew over it. As time passed, people remembered the city of Pompeii, but they forgot exactly where it had been. Pompeii slept for nearly 1,700 years, until, in 1748, excavators began to find its remains. Temples, theaters, baths, shops, and beautifully painted houses were uncovered, along with skeletons of the victims, sometimes in family groups. Soon Pompeii became famous, and people came from far and wide to see it. They were amazed at what they saw.

In 1863 the archeologist Giuseppe Fiorelli decided to try an experiment. He noticed that where a body had lain in the ash, it had left hollows in the shape of the body that had once been there. He poured plaster into one body space and waited for it to set. When the ashes around it were removed, he found that he was left with a plaster cast in the exact shape of the victim's body. Since then, many casts have been made and can be seen in Pompeii--sad reminders of the city's fate.

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Vesuvius has not erupted since March 1944, but the volcano is not dead--only sleeping. Like all volcanoes, it has given the land around it rich soil that is easy to farm. As in Roman times, the people of modern-day Italy have built their homes there, and towns and villages crowd the shores of the Bay of Naples. One day Vesuvius will erupt again, but now, with modern scientific instruments checking the volcano each day, it is hoped that no more lives will be lost.

Christina Balit

Balit has lived in many parts of the world. These experiences have deeply affected her writing and illustrations. As a child she grew up in parts of the Middle East. Balit has also lived in Greece and in England, which is her current home. She studied at Questers Theatre School, the Chelsea Art College, and the Royal College of Art before becoming an illustrator. Now, through her books, she brings to life legends and history from the areas of the world she has called home.
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Within the Selection

Across Selections

Beyond the Selection

Write about It!

Write a dialogue in which you discuss with a family member the positives and negatives of starting a farm community near Mount Vesuvius.

Remember to look for pictures of Roman ruins or ancient cities for the Concept/Question Board.

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Genre

Feature

By observing volcanic eruptions, scientists also observe the interaction of matter.

All things are made of matter. Matter is tiny particles moving in space. It takes on different forms depending on temperature. It is solid at lower temperatures, liquid at higher temperatures, and gas at still-higher temperatures.

Solids, such as rocks, have a definite shape and volume. Their particles are very close together. The particles move a little but do not change positions.

A liquid has a definite volume but not a definite shape. It takes the shape of its container. The particles of a liquid are close together, but they can slip past one another. That is why you can put your hand into a liquid such as water but not into a solid such as ice.

A gas does not have a definite shape or volume. Its particles are widely spaced. They can move in any direction. The gas fills whatever space it occupies. To tell how quickly particles of gas move, spill a little bit of perfume. Soon you will be able to smell it all over the room. Gases are mostly empty space. They can be squeezed into smaller volumes.

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Three types of matter may burst out of a volcano such as Mount Vesuvius--solid (in the form of rock), liquid (in the form of lava or magma), and gas (in the form of water vapor, carbon dioxide, or sulfur dioxide). While slow-moving lava and hurtling rocks are the features of volcanoes people focus on, the gases released by volcanoes are a real danger. A volcanic eruption releases compressed gas. It explodes like air from a balloon with an open neck. It is a violent show of Earth in action but a show whose final act may have horrified people frantically leaving the theater.

What sections of the text would you place under the heading "Types of Matter"?

Why do you think water vapor erupts from a volcano instead of liquid water?

Would you expect water to evaporate faster at higher or lower temperatures? Explain.

Try It!

As you work on your investigation, think about how you can use headings to organize your information.

Read the story to find the meanings of these words, which are also in "The Riddle of the Rosetta Stone":

* bulk

* decipher

* complex

* corresponding

* confirmed

* equivalents

* enabled

* interpretations

Vocabulary Strategy

Context Clues are hints in the text that help you find the meanings of words. If you did not know the meaning of the word decipher in the third paragraph, you could find clues in the next sentence.

Pablo entered the editor's office. "I have circulated the bulk of today's newspapers," he said. "I am happy to say we are still selling more papers than our rivals."

The editor did not look up. He was studying the inscriptions on an old, worn piece of marble. The piece was round, with a hole in its center. Probably it was meant to be worn on a chain around someone's neck.

"I have had this for years. My grandfather found it at an old ruin," he said. "I have never been able to decipher these inscriptions. My language expert cannot identify the language either. He can tell me only that it has a complex writing system. He said that if he could see more characters, he might be able to uncover more clues."

The editor picked up a sheet of paper and stared at it. Next to his elbow was a torn envelope. He held out the sheet of paper and said, "A reader sent me a passage she found between the pages of an old book. She thought we might want to investigate and see if there is a story behind it. She does not know where the passage is from, and she does not recognize the language."

Pablo took the paper and looked at the passage. Something looked familiar. Then he began looking from the paper to the inscriptions. He pointed to one of the characters and said, "I think there is a corresponding character in one of the inscriptions."

They both examined the passage and the inscriptions and confirmed that the characters matched. They found several other equivalents in the document and inscriptions.

The editor hired a new language expert. She could not identify the language, but seeing a whole passage enabled her to identify the language group. "I will send this to someone who studies that group of languages. After I have read his interpretations , I should be able to decipher the inscription."

The editor smiled. At last he would learn what was written on his grandfather's relic.

Game