VOCABULARY

1 Slav – славянский, славянин

2 Slavia – Славия

3 Jesus Christ – Иисус Христос

4 Сhristianity – Христианство

The Christians – xристиане

Сhristian – христианский

5 an apostle – апостол

6 backing – поддержка

7 doctrine – учение, доктрина

8 Palestine – Палестина

9 to preach – проповедовать

a preacher – проповедник

10 a pagan – язычник

11 Greece – Греция

the Greeks – Греки

12 to face – сталкиваться с чем-либо

13 the Bosporus Kingdom – Босфорское царство

14 A.D. (Anno Domimi) – времяисчисление нашей эры

15 inscription – надпись

16 to prove – доказывать, подтверждать

17 a pray house – молельный дом

18 a subject of cult – предмет культа

19 an inhabitant – житель

20 a tribe – племя

21 the Nomads-Huns – кочевники-гунны

22 steppe – степь

23 to ruin – разрушать

24 antique – античный, древний

25 sowing death and destruction – сея смерть и разрушение

26 to roll over – прокатиться

27 to invade – вторгаться

28 invasion – вторжение

29 to affect – действовать на кого-либо, воздействовать

30 cavalry – кавалерия

31 to be defeated – быть побежденным

32 ethnic – этнический

33 to influence – влиять

34 Byzantium – Византия

Byzantine – Византийский

35 to patronize – покровительствовать

36 Persia – Персия

37 evidently – очевидно

38 a nick-name – прозвище, кличка

39 disintegration – распад

40 Khazar Caganate – Хазарский каганат (царство)

a Cagan – каган (Хазарский царь)

41 a chronicler – летописец

42 a guard – охранник, стражник

43 a settlement – поселение

44 to flee (fled, fled) – бежать, скрываться

45 to capture – захватить в плен

46 a prisoner – пленник, заключенный

47 an attempt – попытка

48 to adopt Mohammedanism – принять Ислам

49 Judaism – Иудаизм

50 the Jews – евреи

51 aggravation – ухудшение, осложнение

52 a Prince – зд. Князь

Princedom – княжество

53 to take advantage – воспользоваться чем-либо

54 to gain a victory – одержать победу

55 to accelerate the spreading of Christianity – ускорить распространение Христианства

56 Itil – Итиль (Хазарский город)

57 Sarkel – Саркель (Хазарский город)

EXERCISES

Find in the text equivalents to the following words

a support to ruin to make worse

a note to use to win ancient

Find the words of the same root and say to what parts of speech

they belong:

a Prince, Khazar, the Slavs, the Christians, main, a Cagan, an invasion, to preach, Jesus Christ, Greek, mainly, Byzantium, Slavia, destruction, Christian, to invade, Slavonic, Caganate, Khazaria, Christianity, to destroy, Princedom, the Khazars, a preacher.

 

3 Translate and explain the difference between the following words:

a right bank – the human rights

a rich merchant – to reach a beach

4 Answer the questions:

1 What kind of a country was Greece?

2 Why did Christianity spread quickly in Greece?

3 What Greek colonies do you know?

4 When did Christianity come to the Don?

5 What tribe lived near the lake Ilmen?

6 What is the origin of the word «a Cossack»?

7 Why did the Khazars adopt Judaism?

8 What ancient settlements on the Don can you name?

9 Why did Svyatoslav gain a light victory over the Khazars?

TEXT 2

The Don Cossacks

 

Our native land has a long and remarkable history. More than two thousand years ago the Skithians lived on the banks of the river Don. There are a lot of Skithian tombs there. In some of them the archeologists found many beautiful priceless gold pieces of jewelry.

In the 9-th century A.D. on the banks of the Dnieper, the Pripyat and the Volkhov the Slavs formed their state which was called Kiev Russia. In the 10-th century the Russians destroyed the Khazar Caganate which was situated on the territories along the Don and the Volga. But then the Polovtsians came to this land. The immoral poem “The Song of Igor’s Campaign” represents the vivid picture of the Polovtsians’ victory over Igor’s army in 1185.

Five centuries ago the steppes of the Don were called «The Wild Field». Numerous Tatar armed groups wandered there and attacked the Russian and foreign merchants. Only in the 16–17-th centuries the Russians began to settle there. They were the peasants who ran away from their land-owners because of the unbearable yoke and job. These brave and resolute people united into the small detachments and lived a life full of danger. They called themselves «The Cossacks».

The word «a Cossack» is of Turkic origin and means «a white goose», this was a nick-name of the Slavs. But later the word «a Cossack» gained a new meaning – a free man.

At first the main occupation of these small armed detachments was hunting and fishing as well as constant struggle against the Turks and the Tatars who attacked them. Only later they began to settle and work on land. The first notes about the Cossacks’ villages («stanitsa») date back to 1549. The military detachments elected their leaders who were called «atamans».

Since the 14-th century the vast steppe of the Don region was populated by those people who were not satisfied with the existing social order, by those who did not recognize the power of the land-owners, by the runaway serves, by those who longed for freedom and the vast Don steppe. In the course of time they turned into a united community and were called «the Cossacks».

Their life was full of adventures. They made war with the neighbouring nations. They did not even build houses because when the enemies came to the settlements, they burnt everything. Some cossacks became rich as they brought various treasures from abroad. They married their Turkish and Polish captives as these women were the most beautiful. The Cossacks had an extraordinary rich culture representing a harmonious combination of Russian and other (Asian, Turkish, Ukrainian) cultures. The Cossacks were known for their pride, honour and courage. They were patriots and always defended Russian borders.

In the first half of the 17-th century a special political and military organization of the Cossacks – the Don Cossack Army – was formed. Its ruling body was the Army Circle. It solved all the problems of the everyday life, held trials, received ambassadors, announced war and peace. If a cossack wanted to get married he took a woman and brought her to the Army Circle. He said: «Be my wife!» And a woman pronounced: «Be my husband!» That was enough for getting married. The process of divorce was similarly easy. In a word, if somebody wanted something he always went to the Circle.

The Cossacks were engaged into trade, fishing and hunting, breeding of horses and cattle. But for a long time they did not know agriculture. To take strong drinks to the war-campaign was prohibited on penalty of death. Sea-campaigns played a great role in the life of the Cossacks. They built special boats which helped them to win a war. It is interesting that during the campaigns they were dressed in shabby, old clothes not to be robbed. But they managed to bring a lot of goods after the campaigns – and everything: clothes, armour, precious stones, money, prisoners and beautiful women were distributed between all the inhabitants of the stanitsa in a just way.

Certain relations existed between the Don Army and the Russian government. The Cossacks had become a great force and played an important role in defending the southern borders by the 16-th century and the Russian government started supporting the Cossacks but at first unofficially. Since 1570 the Russian government officially sent money, wheat and gun-powder to the Don. The Russian tsar Ivan IV in his decree suggested the Cossacks to joint his army. By that time all the Cossacks were divided into two groups: those who lived in the upper territories of the Don and those who lived in the lower parts. The life of the second group was more difficult and dangerous due to close enemies. All the male population was organized into military groups of 10 people for solving the minor problems and of 100 people – for some important cases.

The uprising led by Stepan Rasin in 1670 began in the Don region. Since then the Cossacks were already a well-trained army with their own rules and traditions. The names of the glorious sons of the free-loving Cossack people: Stepan Rasin, Kondratiy Bulavin, Emelyan Pugatchov, who fought for the better life of all poor people, will stay forever in numerous folk-songs and stories.

During the war of 1812 the Cossack cavalry under the command of ataman Platov played an important role in the battle near Borodino. Because of Platov’s cavalry Napoleon could not use his Guards which were in reserve and due to this fact he did not win the battle.

Today good traditions of the Cossacks, their folk culture, economic and political status are being revived and it is important for every person who lives in the Don region to know the history and traditions of our native land.

For example, the Cossack traditions of education of a young generation seem to be of great interest. The Cossacks were initially the soldiers. That is why they tried to develop courage, deftness and quick wits in their children. When a son was born in a Cossack family his relatives presented him with a gun, an arrow and a bow and hung all these things on the wall over his bed. Since early childhood a boy was used to consider himself a soldier. His mother sang songs about battles; his father and grand-father told him about the glorious past.

The favourite occupation of the Cossacks in their free time was horse races and they have always become a great holiday. Military games developed deftness and courage and prepared young people for their future difficult service.

The population of the Don region was historically multi-national and culture of the Cossacks is an inseparable part of our culture.

VOCABULARY

1 the Skithians – cкифы

2 a tomb – могила, захоронение

3 gold pieces of jewelry – золотые изделия

4 immortal – бессмертный

5 to wander – бродить, кочевать

6 a land-owner – землевладелец, помещик

7 unbearable yoke – невыносимое угнетение, гнет

8 resolute – решительный

9 a detachment – отряд

10 to live the life full of danger – вести жизнь полную опасностей

11 a nick-name – прозвище, кличка

12 to date back – относиться (o дате)

13 a ruling body – руководящий орган

14 the Army Circle – Армейский Круг

15 to be engaged into smth – заниматься чем-либо

16 breeding – разведение, выращивание (скота)

17 cattle – домашний скот

18 to be prohibited on penalty of death – запрещать под страхом смертной казни

19 armour – оружие

20 gunpowder – порох

21 the male population – мужское население

22 the minor problems – небольшие, незначительные проблемы

23 uprising – восстание

24 his Guards – его Гвардия

25 courage, deftness and quick wits – мужество, ловкость и смекалка

26 an arrow and a bow – стрела и лук

27 inseparable – неразделимый, неотъемлемый

28 a precious stone – драгоценный камень