Hydraulics
An elaborate water distribution system was incorporated into the
construction of the pool. In addition to its role as a retaining wall
for the pool, the East-West Wall functioned as an aqueduct, transporting
water in channels and pipes to a central holding tank and redistribution
point. The aqueduct was apparently fed from the east by a V-shaped water
tank perched on top of the eastern escarpment.
The interior walls and floor of the tank are lined with the same concrete
as that lining the pool's interior. Narrow channels and ceramic pipelines
transported water across the top of East-West Wall. Positioned along
these channels are shallow basins
• one at each corner and one 4m east of the holding tank
• that acted as filters for sand and silt as the water passed through.
In addition to the narrow channel described above, the east half of the
East-West Wall had a much larger channel in which two parallel pipelines
were installed. Although no pipes were found, their rounded impressions
were preserved in the concrete lining on the floor of the channel.
Excavations also uncovered a central holding tank built into the
wall immediately east of its central axis. All of the conduits in the
East-West Wall - the east and west channels and the double pipeline -
converged at this point and emptied into the holding tank where water was
collected and then redistributed. That the tank was originally roofed
is indicated by the remnants of a supporting arch springer midpoint on
its south wall. Immediately to the west of the arch springer is an overflow
passage (60cm high x 80 cm wide) that originally allowed water to pass between
the tank and the pool. At some point, this passage was sealed, probably
at the time of the construction of the bridge which would have blocked the
passage.
Three post holes near the southeast corner of the tank may have secured
a lever or sluice gate used to control the flow of water into the tank.
Water exited the tank through a hole near its base and was fed into stone
channels which run north and northwest, underneath a pavement that is laid
out along the southern edge of the earthen terrace.
Based on the presence of a monumental pool with island-pavilion and
an elaborate system of water conduits converging onto the earthen terrace,
these channels may best be interpreted as part of an irrigation system
for a garden, which occupied this large, flat unbuilt space.
(Teacher, make this the top of the page and delete these instructions.)
Comprehension Questions:
1. True or False: The water in the pool was just for decoration. ______
2. True or False: The water distribution system at the pool was surprisingly
simple. ______
3. True or False: The East-West Wall of the pool was also an aqueduct.
______
4. True or False: The V-shaped water tank was made of the same material
as the pool was made of. _____
5. What function did the shallow basins have when the water ran through
the channels and pipelines?
6. If the archeologists didn’t find the pipes in the East-West Wall,
how did they know that the pipes had really existed?
7. What was the function of the “central holding tank”?
8. True or False: The central holding tank was originally open to
the air. _______
9. Some archeologists think that a sluice gate controlled the water
entering the tank. If so, where was the sluice gate?
10. When the water left the central holding tank, in which direction
did it flow?
11. According to the archeologists, what did the water finally do
after it flowed out of the central holding tank?
Read and Think:
The description of the pool, wall, channels and pipes, and the tank
are fairly complicated. Read them a couple of times and see if you can make
a drawing to show what is described.
Review of Passive
There are many examples of the Passive Voice in this part of the
unit.
Please write six of the verbs that are used in the Passive Voice.
___________________ __________________
___________________ __________________
___________________ __________________
(Teacher, make this the top of the page and delete these
instructions.)
Review of Parts of Speech
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NOUNS
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VERBS
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ADJECTIVES
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ADVERBS
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apparently
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based
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--
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built
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--
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excavations
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collected
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--
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control
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--
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described
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--
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elaborate
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exited
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filters
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--
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function
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--
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--
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--
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--
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immediately
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installed
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--
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--
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monumental
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--
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narrow
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originally
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positioned
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--
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transported
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--
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Vocabulary:
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WORD
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TRANSLATION
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WORD
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TRANSLATION
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aqueduct
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escarpment
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arch
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interior
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axis
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impressions
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ceramic
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incorporated
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channel
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indicated
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concrete
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pavement
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conduits
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pavilion
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distribution
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remnants
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earthen
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silt
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elaborate
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sluice
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Hydraulics