/ˈmɒn.jʊ.mənt/ (noun)

Monument definition

1. a building, statue, tomb, craving, etc. that is built to honor or commemorate a particular person or event, tombstone, headstone, effigy, gravestone
2. a historical and ancient place or building that is extremely important in the history of a country, tribute, memorial

Monument in context

Are you dreaming of grabbing your rucksack, hitting the road and never looking back? Just imagine what it would be like to visit some of the world’s most historic monuments while you’re on the road travelling from one place to another. Exciting isn’t the word for it. True or not?

You don’t even need to be into history or archaeology to want to stand in front of the temple ruins in Tikal or celebrate the summer solstice at Stonehenge. Doing it doesn’t have to be just a dream either. Everyone deserves an adventure at least once in their lifetime, so what are you waiting for?

While you’re packing and printing your boarding pass, make sure you put at least a few of these wonderful historic monuments on your list of must sees. You’ll regret it if you don’t.

Source of context: https://www.pandotrip.com/

Parts of speech

Adjective: monumental

Pyramids of Egypt

Grand tombs and gateways to the afterlife — the pyramids of Egypt are among the world’s most magnificent monuments. Their massive size and simple shape fascinate people.

Ancient peoples in the Americas and the Middle East also built pyramids. But the largest and best known were constructed in Egypt more than 3,500 years ago. Around 100 pyramids still stand on the west bank of the Nile River.

Royal resting Places

Pyramids were lavish tombs built only for royalty and other high-ranking people. The ancient Egyptians believed that the spirits of dead people could live on only if their bodies survived. So they preserved dead bodies by making them into mummies.

Mummies are dried-out bodies wrapped in linen bandages. The ancient Egyptians buried the mummies securely inside pyramids.

Many treasures were buried with royal mummies. The ancient Egyptians believed that all of the items a person used in life would also be needed after death.

They buried thousands of items with pharaohs and other important people. These items were made of the richest materials, such as gold and jewels. Some mummies even had coffins made from solid gold!

Pyramids were holy places, where spirits passed into the afterlife. Hieroglyphs (picture writing) were carved inside to guide each spirit on its journey. Priests made offerings at nearby temples to help the spirits.

Building a pyramid

Building a pyramid was an enormous project. The largest, the Great Pyramid of King Khufu, measured an astonishing 482 feet (147 meters) high. That’s 50 stories high!

Thousands of laborers worked for years to build it. They cut millions of huge stone blocks. These blocks could weigh as much as 33,000 pounds (15,000 kilograms)! The laborers dragged them up earthen ramps using ropes, wooden rollers, and muscle power.

Pyramid design

The pyramids’ shape developed from boxlike brick tombs, built one on top of the other. The first true pyramid was designed for the Egyptian king Sneferu, who died in 2551 BC.

Workers laid stone blocks on a square foundation, then added layers on top, each smaller than the one below. They covered the resulting stair-step shape with stone slabs to create smooth, sloping sides.

• slab: lump, block, brick
• sloping: oblique

Inside, each pyramid had rooms for the dead person and for the treasures to be used in the afterlife. Entrances were hidden by secret passages and doors. Even so, most pyramids were looted by grave robbers. The robbers found most of the hidden rooms and stole the treasures.

Related tags about pyramids

1. ancient
2. archaeology
3. death
4. history
5. monarch
6. paleontology
7. pyramid
8. worker

Video about pyramids

Source of documentary: National Geographic YouTube Channel

Listening comprehension

Reading comprehension

Machu Picchu, an archeological wonder

The stone city of Machu Picchu is one of the most fascinating archaeological sites on the planet. Located northwest of Cusco, Peru, Machu Picchu is a testament to the power and ingenuity of Inca people. During its prime, the Inca civilization about 2500 miles along South America’s Pacefic coastline, from modern day Ecuador down into Chile. This distance is nearly the horizontal width of the continental United States.

Machu Picchu, located at the center of this once expansive empire, is one of the few well-preserved remnants of the Inca civilization. Built around the mid 15th century, Machu Picchu is a stunning example of the Inca’s engineering feats. The Inca constructed Machu Picchu’s palaces, temples, terraces and infrastructure using stone, and without the help of wheels or tools made of steel or iron.

An engineering marvel

One particularly notable aspect of their construction is forgoing the use of mortar, a material often used to bind stones together. Nonetheless, the stones of Machu Picchu were cut so precisely that they snugly fit together. Located on two fault lines, Machu Picchu often experiences earthquakes, but because of the stones’ exceptional cut and fit, they bounce during tremors and then are able to easily fall back into position. These engineering marvels have preserved Machu Picchu’s remarkable condition for over 500 years.

A big mystery

Machu Picchu’s purpose is still a mystery to many archeologists. Some theorize that it may have served as a ceremonial site, a military stronghold or a retreat for nobility. The site’s geographic layout may be significant in another way. Many of both the manmade and natural structures appear to align with astronomical events. But in the early 16th century, only about 100 years after it was built, Machu Picchu was abandoned, and since the Inca had no written language, no records exists to explain the exact purpose of the site.

Although local communities knew about Machu Picchu, the site remained largely unknown to the outside world for hundreds of years. Spanish conquistadors who invaded the Inca civilization in the 16th century never came across the site. It wasn’t until the early 20th century when, Melchor Arteaga, a local farmer, debuted Machu Picchu to outsiders when he led Yale University professor, Hiram Bingham, to the site.

Unique archeological features

Bingham and successive explorers devoted much of their academic careers to studying the archeological wonder. Despite its enigmatic nature, Machu Picchu still stands as one of the world’s most important archeological sites. It is a testament to the power and ingenuity of one of the largest empires in the Americas.

In 1983, UNESCO designated Mach Picchu as a world heritage site, and today, visitors from around the world come to pay homage to this piece of history.

/ˌpālēənˈtäləjē/ (noun)

Definition

the scientific study of ancient life in prehistoric times by analyzing fossil evidence

Example

Paleontology is scientific study of life of the geologic past that involves the analysis of plant and animal fossils, including those of microscopic size, preserved in rocks. It is concerned with all aspects of the biology of ancient life forms: their shape and structure, evolutionary patterns, taxonomic relationships with each other and with modern living species, geographic distribution, and interrelationships with the environment. Paleontology is mutually interdependent with stratigraphy and historical geology because fossils constitute a major means by which sedimentary strata are identified and correlated with one another.

Source of example: https://www.britannica.com/

Similar Words

archaeology

Parts of speech

Noun: paleontologist

Adjective: paleontological

/ˌɑːkɪˈɒlədʒi/ (noun)

Definition

the scientific study of ancient cultures and human history through analyzing physical remains, fossils and excavation

Example

Archaeology is the study of the ancient and recent human past through material remains. Archaeologists might study the million-year-old fossils of our earliest human ancestors in Africa. … Archaeology analyzes the physical remains of the past in pursuit of a broad and comprehensive understanding of human culture.

Source of example: https://www.saa.org

Parts of speech

Noun: archaeologist

Adjective: archaeological

Adverb: archaeologically

Similar Words

anthropology

paleontology

Artifact 1100 Words You Need

/ˈɑː.tɪ.fækt/ (noun)

an object or thing that is made artificially rather than naturally, an object made by humans, objet d’art, manufactured object, work of art, item, manufactured article, product, hand-made object

An artifact is something made or given shape by humans, such as a tool or a work of art, especially an object of archaeological interest. In archaeology the word has become a term of particular nuance and is defined as, an object recovered by archaeological endeavor, which may be a cultural artifact having cultural interest.

In ethnography and archaeology, a category of “ancestral artifact” has been proposed, defined as “any object of natural raw material (chert, obsidian, wood, bone, native copper, and so on) made by a people following a lifestyle based on foraging (e.g. hunting, gathering) and/or basic agriculture.

Source: https://en.wikipedia.org/

Adjective: artificial

Adverb: artificially

Farsi: محصول مصنوعی، مصنوع

Anthropologist 1100 Words You Need

/ˌænt.θrəˈpɒl.ə.dʒist/ (noun)

a scientist in the field of human beings and their beliefs, customs and relationships, an expert in the study of the beliefs, races and customs of mankind

Anthropology is the study of what makes us human. Anthropologists take a broad approach to understanding the many different aspects of the human experience, which we call holism. They consider the past, through archaeology, to see how human groups lived hundreds or thousands of years ago and what was important to them. They consider what makes up our biological bodies and genetics, as well as our bones, diet, and health. Anthropologists also compare humans with other animals (most often, other primates like monkeys and chimpanzees) to see what we have in common with them and what makes us unique. Even though nearly all humans need the same things to survive, like food, water, and companionship, the ways people meet these needs can be very different. For example, everyone needs to eat, but people eat different foods and get food in different ways. So anthropologists look at how different groups of people get food, prepare it, and share it. World hunger is not a problem of production but social barriers to distribution, and that Amartya Sen won a Nobel Prize for showing this was the case for all of the 20th century’s famines. Anthropologists also try to understand how people interact in social relationships (for example with families and friends). They look at the different ways people dress and communicate in different societies. Anthropologists sometimes use these comparisons to understand their own society. Many anthropologists work in their own societies looking at economics, health, education, law, and policy (to name just a few topics). When trying to understand these complex issues, they keep in mind what they know about biology, culture, types of communication, and how humans lived in the past.

Source: https://www.americananthro.org/

Adjective: anthropological

Adverb: anthropologically

Noun: anthropology

Farsi: انسان شناس

Unearth (verb) /ʌnˈɜːθ/ US /-ˈɝːθ/

to dig something up from the ground, bring something out, disinter, disclose, retrieve, uncover, dig up, extract, excavate:

The archaeologists unearthed some rare fossils in their last excavation project.

Antonyms

inter, cover up, bury