The History of Clay

The first evidence of the production of bricks dates back to the days of the Babylonians, more than 5000 years ago. At first they were used in their unbaked form, simply left to dry in the sun and it was only in 2500 BC that they began to be baked.

Stone wasn’t always available and when it was, the crafting process was difficult and time consuming. Clay on the other hand, was perfectly easy to mix and mould and, once dry, was a valid support for early constructions.

Right from the start, the brick has always been a parallelepiped with a precise golden relationship between its three dimensions. The length is normally twice the width and the width is twice the thickness. Thanks to the fact that is so easy to mould, clay has always enabled the construction of bricks with different profiles, enabling the builder artistically to enhance the construction, setting different trends in different periods and places.

From the Sumerians to the Babylonians, from the Assyrians to the Egyptians, from the Greeks to the Romans, terracotta bricks represent a material which has been used beyond every national boundary throughout history. There is considerable evidence of the rich medieval architecture in Europe.

The terracotta brick continues to be one of very few products made exclusively of natural materials: clay, sand, water and fire being the elements used in the creation process.

The support provided by the latest technology in controlling the baking process creates a product that represents a choice aimed at guaranteeing durable constructions which are both attractive and economically remunerative in time.

Clay is very fine particles of dirt which float in a stream or river and then sink to the bottom, where they press on each other and stick together. Clay is generally found along the banks of a river or stream, wherever the river is pulling dirt down off the mountains or hills and dropping it in a quiet part of the river lower down. So people who live in river valleys can get a lot of clay.

What is so cool about clay (besides that it is easy and cheap to get) is that it is squishy when it is wet, so you can make it any shape you like, and then it dries hard in the sun, pretty fast, as the water evaporates out. If you dry clay in the sun you can make it soft again just by throwing it in a bucket of water and waiting a week or two.

But if clay pot or sculpture is put in a fire, or in an oven (an oven for clay is called a kiln) and baked it for a while very hot, the clay becomes even harder and it will not get soft again even if you put it in water for a long time. This is called firing. People first began to fire clay about 6000 BC.

The most important thing that people in the ancient world did with clay was to build houses out of it by making bricks and drying them in the sun. They mixed straw with the clay to help it stick together better. This is called mud-brick, or adobe (ah-DOUGH-bee), or pise (pea-SAY). Sometimes builders fired the bricks to make them harder and more waterproof.

But potters also used fired clay to make dishes and plates and cups and cookpots. Builders generally fired their roof tiles, which had to be more waterproof than the walls. And they used it for statues too. The Etruscans in particular are known for their clay statues.

Task 9. Express your agreement or disagreement with the following statements.

1. Clay is easy to make soft after it undergoes firing.

2. Clay is used to produce bricks only.

3. The medieval architecture in Europe was rather poor.

4. Bricks are a hand-made product.

5. Clay is found along the banks of a river or a stream.

Task 10. Find English equivalents for the Russian phrases from the test above.

Обжигать, оседать на дно, придавать любую форму, делать посуду, бросать в огонь, быть известным (знаменитым) чем-либо, давать возможность, датироваться (восходить к), сушить на солнце, прочные конструкции, водостойкий, трудоёмкий, экономически выгодный, укреплять конструкцию, за пределами государственной границы.

Task 11. Render the text into English and comment on any new information contained in the text.

В современном строительстве зданий и сооружений часто используются натуральные камни. Раньше практически все крепости, замки, муниципальные постройки и другие здания были построены из камня или облицованы камнем. Ярким представителем натуральных камней, используемых в современном строительстве и облицовке зданий, является Песчаник. Песчаник относится к категории прочных и твердых камней. Хотя по прочности Песчаник уступает мрамору и граниту, он использовался в строительстве многих известных зданий и чудес света. Например, из Песчаника построены такие здания как Нотр Дамм де Пари, Белый Дом, Эмпайр Стэйт Билдинг и т.д. Песчаник является настолько красивым камнем, что имеет многообразную цветовую гамму, которая начинается с белого, перетекает в желтый, красный коричневый и даже синий или зеленый. Как и 500 лет назад, Песчаник до сих пор имеет большую популярность в строительной среде. Сегодня из песчаника не строят целые здания, а делают облицовочную плитку. Такая плитка имеет различную цветовую гамму и очень красивый внешний вид. При этом Песчаник может быть использован не только для облицовки зданий, но и заборов. Иногда из песчаника выкладывают дорожки.

Task 12. Read the script from a BBC programme and learn to say good-bye. Use “good-bye” expressions to make up your own dialogues.