READING PASSAGE 1
An early cultural tourist
In the 15th century, the Italian merchant Cyriacus of Ancona journeyed in
search of the Mediterranean’s classical past. In doing so, he laid the
groundwork for today’s cultural holidays.
Today we take it for granted that we travel around the world to admire the
monuments of the past. We prepare for such trips by reading about what we are
going to see, set out on the journey with a good idea of how we will get there
and where we will stay and have a sense of what we will encounter on location.
Cyriacus of Ancona (1391–1452), the first cultural tourist since antiquity,
lacked these advantages when, in the first half of the 15th century, he sailed
around the Mediterranean in search of the remains of Greek and Roman
civilisations.
Cyriacus first became fascinated by ancient monuments while walking in his
home city Ancona and looking at the marble arch, erected in AD 115, to the
Roman Emperor Trajan. He suddenly saw the structure in a new light. He no
longer saw it just as a familiar and generally overlooked landmark, but as a
doorway to the wonders of ancient imperial Rome. Not many people of Cyriacus’s
time were interested in historical travel; they generally ignored old buildings
and structures, or worse, dismantled them for their building materials.
Cyriacus decided to see the world for himself and to record details of
whatever other antiquities remained to be discovered. His training as a
merchant did not prepare him for this vocation; he did not know ancient
languages, history or art. However, he set out to solve these failings, first
by learning Latin at the age of 30 and then adding ancient Greek. Having done
this, he set off on voyages around the Mediterranean in search of ruins and
understanding ancient cultures from their buildings, sculptures and
inscriptions. Thus he became the first archaeologist and cultural tourist,
predating other antiquarians by some 200 years.
Travel in the 15th century, however, was anything but simple or enjoyable.
Overland journeys by foot or mule along bad roads, under constant threat from
bandits, were bad; voyages by sea were even worse. When the weather cooperated
and navigation went smoothly, ships proceeded along coasts from one
recognisable landmark to another. However, there was none who shipped did not
woe. Striving winds rose and often directly, they drenched the ship with
lashing waves and blew it off course. Water swamped the desk, splashed into the
cabins and soaked mattresses, clothes and food. Remarkably, Cyriacus survived
these unpleasant experiences intact. Optimistic by nature, he took such
hardships unafraid and saw problems where other people saw disasters.
Among many of the
important records made by Cyriacus was his crucial documenting, in 1431, of the
remains of Cyzicus, an ancient Roman city that had relied on commerce for its
financial success. He had a local person to take him to the site and then had
to work out for himself the significance of the ruins he was looking at because
there was no guidebook on ancient architecture to help him. Indeed, his
contemporary knowledge about the ruins. Cyzicus had been a splendid city in its
prime. Unfortunately, the area was highly seismic and in AD 123 the city was
devastated by a major earthquake, when the Roman Emperor Hadrian visited in the
following year, he was so saddened that he decided to subsidise a campaign to
reconstruct Cyzicus. He made a substantial donation for a new temple to the
Roman god Jupiter. Cyriacus thought the ruined city was awe-inspiring. He found
the remains of the temple and examined it in great detail, looking for clues in
ancient texts to help him understand what he was seeing. He sketched the great
doorway adorned with carved foliage and mythological characters. Cyriacus’s
account of this temple is the only record of this building as in the following
centuries it was entirely stripped of all its stonework and all that remains is
its base.
Cyriacus also visited mainland Greece, in 1436, when no one went to Greece
in order to see the country’s ancient ruins. One of his destinations was the
sanctuary of Delphi. The ancient Greeks considered Delphi as being situated in
the most beautiful spot in Greece. When Cyriacus arrived at the site of Delphi,
however, he found war, earthquakes and avalanches had all but obliterated its
ruins. Determined to find any ancient traces, Cyriacus spent six days walking
all over the area, peering at old stone blocks sticking out of the ground,
running his hands over inscriptions to trace fragments of words, and trying to
puzzle out the few surviving structural remains. Climbing uphill towards the
rocks that tower over the site, he came upon a theatre built into the slope.
Soon after his visit, the site was buried by a rockslide and was not seen again
until archaeologists began to excavate the area systematically in the late 19th
century.
Cyriacus had hoped to visit Egypt and Ethiopia but he never got there.
However, in his life he did record for posterity countless ancient monuments
around the Mediterranean, paving the way for future archaeologists and cultural
tourists.
Questions 1–6
Do the following statements agree with the information given in Reading
Passage 1?
In boxes 1–6 on your answer sheet, write
·
TRUE if the statement agrees
with the information
·
FALSE if the statement
contradicts the information
·
NOT GIVEN if there is no
information on this
1. Cyriacus
was unable to research his journeys before he left.
2. The
Roman Emperor Trajan built the city of Ancona.
3. Respect
for ancient architecture was widespread in the 15th century.
4. Cyriacus’s
experience as a merchant gave him skills he needed to investigate the ancient
world.
5. Before
leaving on his journey, Cyriacus studied ancient languages.
6. Travelling
by sea in the 15th century was easier than travelling on land.
7. Cyriacus
tried to make his fellow sea travellers more comfortable.
Questions 7–13
Complete the notes below.
Choose ONE WORD ONLY from the passage for each answer.
Write your answers in boxes 7–13 on your answer sheet.
Ancient Roman and Greek sites visited by
Cyriacus
The city of Cyzicus
8. the wealth of the city had come from __________
9. __________ to the ancient city ruins not available when
visited by Cyriacus
10. the city was destroyed by a powerful __________ in AD 123
11. a year later Emperor Hadrian supported a __________ to
rebuild the city
12. Cyriacus found part of the temple, which was built in the time of Emperor
Hadrian, and made drawings of the __________ to the temple and
its decorative carvings
The sanctuary of Delphi
13. by the 15th century Delphi had almost disappeared due to natural disasters
and __________
IELTS Reading Passage 1 – An Early Cultural Tourist (Answers with Locations)
Below are the answers to Reading Passage 1
('An Early Cultural Tourist') along with their locations and explanations.
Questions 1–6 (TRUE / FALSE / NOT GIVEN)
|
No. |
Statement |
Answer |
Location / Explanation |
|
1 |
Cyriacus was unable to research his
journeys before he left. |
TRUE |
Paragraph 1: He lacked the
advantages of preparation or prior research. |
|
2 |
The Roman Emperor Trajan built the city of Ancona. |
FALSE |
Paragraph 2: Trajan built an arch in Ancona, not the
city itself. |
|
3 |
Respect for ancient architecture
was widespread in the 15th century. |
FALSE |
Paragraph 2: People generally
ignored old buildings or dismantled them. |
|
4 |
Cyriacus’s experience as a merchant gave him skills
he needed to investigate the ancient world. |
FALSE |
Paragraph 3: His training as a merchant did not
prepare him for this vocation. |
|
5 |
Before leaving on his journey,
Cyriacus studied ancient languages. |
TRUE |
Paragraph 3: He learned Latin and
Greek before travelling. |
|
6 |
Travelling by sea in the 15th century was easier
than travelling on land. |
FALSE |
Paragraph 4: Sea voyages were even worse than land
journeys. |
|
7 |
Cyriacus tried to make his fellow
sea travellers more comfortable. |
NOT GIVEN |
No mention in the text about helping
others; only his own optimism described. |
Questions 7–13 (ONE WORD ONLY)
|
No. |
Question |
Answer |
Location / Explanation |
|
8 |
The wealth of the city had come from
________ |
commerce |
Paragraph 5: Cyzicus relied on commerce
for financial success. |
|
9 |
________ to the ancient city ruins not
available when visited by Cyriacus |
guidebook |
Paragraph 5: There was no guidebook on
ancient architecture. |
|
10 |
The city was destroyed by a powerful
________ in AD 123 |
earthquake |
Paragraph 5: City was devastated by a
major earthquake. |
|
11 |
A year later Emperor Hadrian supported a
________ to rebuild the city |
campaign |
Paragraph 5: Emperor Hadrian subsidised a
campaign to reconstruct Cyzicus. |
|
12 |
Cyriacus made drawings of the ________ to
the temple and its carvings |
doorway |
Paragraph 5: He sketched the great
doorway adorned with carvings. |
|
13 |
By the 15th century Delphi had almost
disappeared due to natural disasters and ________ |
wars |
Paragraph 6: Delphi’s ruins were
obliterated by war, earthquakes, and avalanches. |
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