TedTest

From the Ted Talk by Lars Brownworth: The city of walls Constantinople

Unscramble the Blue Letters

The most important walls in western htisory aren't even in the West. They surround the modern city of isabutnl, Constantinople as the Romans cealld it. And for a thousand years, the fate of Europe depended on them. cstinntlnooape was denesigd to be the cetenr of the wlrod. When the frontiers of the Roman Empire began to crumble in the 4th Century, the capital was moved to the cultured, wealthy, and still stable East. There, at the crossroads between Europe and Asia, the hub of the moajr trade routes of the ancient world, the Emperor cointtannse built his city. This was the city of libraries and universities, 20 times the size of London or piars at the time. It contained the priceless knowledge of the classical world which was fnidag in the West. To protect this masterpiece from its many enemies, Constantine's successors built the fsniet defensive fortifications ever made. The first line of piretotcon was a moat 60 feet wide and 22 feet deep, stretching all four miles from coast to csaot. Pipes from inside the city could fill it at the first sight of the emeny, and a short wall protected archers who could fire at the soaked soldiers trying to swim across. Those who were lucky enough to celar the moat had to contend with an unceasing barrage from the 27 foot outer wall above. Arrows, spears, or far worse, Greek fire — an ancient form of napalm that would ignite on contact and couldn't be ehestgunixid by water — would rain down on them. Squads of Roman defenders would carry portable fmlae teorhwrs, spraying anyone trying to climb out of the moat. The tierriefd victims would leap back, only to find that they still buernd underwater. At times, the Romans would also mount sohpins onto the ramparts, and launch clay pots full of Greek fire from catapults at an invading army. The front lines would turn into an inferno, making it appear as if the earth itself was on fire. If, by some miracle, the outer wall was compromised, aktetarcs would be faced with the final defense: the great inner wall. These walls were wide enough to have four men ride side by side, alinwolg troops to be rheusd wherever they were needed. Attilla the Hun, destroyer of civilizations, who named himself the Scourge of God, took one look at them and turned around. The Avars battled the walls uselessly til their catapults ran out of rocks. The tkurs tried to tunnel under them, but found the foundations too solid. The Arabs tried to starve the city into submission, but ran out of food themselves and had to resort to cibinasnalm. It took the guns of the modern world to finally birng them down. In 1453, the Turks bgoruht their super weapon: a monster cannon that could fire a 15 hundred pound stone ball over a mile. Together with more than a hundred smaller guns, they kept up a sdteay bombardment day and night. A soicten of the old wlals collapsed, but even in their death tehros they proved formidable. The rubble absorbed the shock of the cannonballs better than the solid wall. It took a month and a half of continuous blasting to fialnly open a breach. The last Roman Emperor, Constantine the 11th, drew his sword and jumped into the gap to stop the onrushing horde, dsrinppeaiag into legend. The city was taken, and the Roman eipmre finally disappeared. But those bkreon walls had one last gift. As the souivrrvs fled the doomed city, they brought with them their precious books and their ancient traditions. They traveled west to Italy, reintroduced the gerek language and learning to wesretn Europe, and ignited the Renaissance. Thanks to Constantinople's walls, that pile of brick and marble that gedruad them for so long, we still have our classical past.

Open Cloze

The most important walls in western _______ aren't even in the West. They surround the modern city of ________, Constantinople as the Romans ______ it. And for a thousand years, the fate of Europe depended on them. ______________ was ________ to be the ______ of the _____. When the frontiers of the Roman Empire began to crumble in the 4th Century, the capital was moved to the cultured, wealthy, and still stable East. There, at the crossroads between Europe and Asia, the hub of the _____ trade routes of the ancient world, the Emperor ___________ built his city. This was the city of libraries and universities, 20 times the size of London or _____ at the time. It contained the priceless knowledge of the classical world which was ______ in the West. To protect this masterpiece from its many enemies, Constantine's successors built the ______ defensive fortifications ever made. The first line of __________ was a moat 60 feet wide and 22 feet deep, stretching all four miles from coast to _____. Pipes from inside the city could fill it at the first sight of the _____, and a short wall protected archers who could fire at the soaked soldiers trying to swim across. Those who were lucky enough to _____ the moat had to contend with an unceasing barrage from the 27 foot outer wall above. Arrows, spears, or far worse, Greek fire — an ancient form of napalm that would ignite on contact and couldn't be ____________ by water — would rain down on them. Squads of Roman defenders would carry portable _____ ________, spraying anyone trying to climb out of the moat. The _________ victims would leap back, only to find that they still ______ underwater. At times, the Romans would also mount _______ onto the ramparts, and launch clay pots full of Greek fire from catapults at an invading army. The front lines would turn into an inferno, making it appear as if the earth itself was on fire. If, by some miracle, the outer wall was compromised, _________ would be faced with the final defense: the great inner wall. These walls were wide enough to have four men ride side by side, ________ troops to be ______ wherever they were needed. Attilla the Hun, destroyer of civilizations, who named himself the Scourge of God, took one look at them and turned around. The Avars battled the walls uselessly til their catapults ran out of rocks. The _____ tried to tunnel under them, but found the foundations too solid. The Arabs tried to starve the city into submission, but ran out of food themselves and had to resort to ___________. It took the guns of the modern world to finally _____ them down. In 1453, the Turks _______ their super weapon: a monster cannon that could fire a 15 hundred pound stone ball over a mile. Together with more than a hundred smaller guns, they kept up a ______ bombardment day and night. A _______ of the old _____ collapsed, but even in their death ______ they proved formidable. The rubble absorbed the shock of the cannonballs better than the solid wall. It took a month and a half of continuous blasting to _______ open a breach. The last Roman Emperor, Constantine the 11th, drew his sword and jumped into the gap to stop the onrushing horde, ____________ into legend. The city was taken, and the Roman ______ finally disappeared. But those ______ walls had one last gift. As the _________ fled the doomed city, they brought with them their precious books and their ancient traditions. They traveled west to Italy, reintroduced the _____ language and learning to _______ Europe, and ignited the Renaissance. Thanks to Constantinople's walls, that pile of brick and marble that _______ them for so long, we still have our classical past.

Solution

istanbul
empire
disappearing
finally
allowing
brought
finest
called
enemy
guarded
bring
clear
section
center
greek
fading
history
rushed
throwers
cannibalism
survivors
paris
world
protection
attackers
constantine
steady
western
flame
turks
coast
terrified
constantinople
designed
major
extinguished
walls
throes
broken
siphons
burned

Original Text

The most important walls in western history aren't even in the West. They surround the modern city of Istanbul, Constantinople as the Romans called it. And for a thousand years, the fate of Europe depended on them. Constantinople was designed to be the center of the world. When the frontiers of the Roman Empire began to crumble in the 4th Century, the capital was moved to the cultured, wealthy, and still stable East. There, at the crossroads between Europe and Asia, the hub of the major trade routes of the ancient world, the Emperor Constantine built his city. This was the city of libraries and universities, 20 times the size of London or Paris at the time. It contained the priceless knowledge of the classical world which was fading in the West. To protect this masterpiece from its many enemies, Constantine's successors built the finest defensive fortifications ever made. The first line of protection was a moat 60 feet wide and 22 feet deep, stretching all four miles from coast to coast. Pipes from inside the city could fill it at the first sight of the enemy, and a short wall protected archers who could fire at the soaked soldiers trying to swim across. Those who were lucky enough to clear the moat had to contend with an unceasing barrage from the 27 foot outer wall above. Arrows, spears, or far worse, Greek fire — an ancient form of napalm that would ignite on contact and couldn't be extinguished by water — would rain down on them. Squads of Roman defenders would carry portable flame throwers, spraying anyone trying to climb out of the moat. The terrified victims would leap back, only to find that they still burned underwater. At times, the Romans would also mount siphons onto the ramparts, and launch clay pots full of Greek fire from catapults at an invading army. The front lines would turn into an inferno, making it appear as if the earth itself was on fire. If, by some miracle, the outer wall was compromised, attackers would be faced with the final defense: the great inner wall. These walls were wide enough to have four men ride side by side, allowing troops to be rushed wherever they were needed. Attilla the Hun, destroyer of civilizations, who named himself the Scourge of God, took one look at them and turned around. The Avars battled the walls uselessly til their catapults ran out of rocks. The Turks tried to tunnel under them, but found the foundations too solid. The Arabs tried to starve the city into submission, but ran out of food themselves and had to resort to cannibalism. It took the guns of the modern world to finally bring them down. In 1453, the Turks brought their super weapon: a monster cannon that could fire a 15 hundred pound stone ball over a mile. Together with more than a hundred smaller guns, they kept up a steady bombardment day and night. A section of the old walls collapsed, but even in their death throes they proved formidable. The rubble absorbed the shock of the cannonballs better than the solid wall. It took a month and a half of continuous blasting to finally open a breach. The last Roman Emperor, Constantine the 11th, drew his sword and jumped into the gap to stop the onrushing horde, disappearing into legend. The city was taken, and the Roman Empire finally disappeared. But those broken walls had one last gift. As the survivors fled the doomed city, they brought with them their precious books and their ancient traditions. They traveled west to Italy, reintroduced the Greek language and learning to western Europe, and ignited the Renaissance. Thanks to Constantinople's walls, that pile of brick and marble that guarded them for so long, we still have our classical past.

Frequently Occurring Word Combinations

ngrams of length 2

collocation	frequency
roman empire	2
outer wall	2
greek fire	2

Important Words

absorbed
allowing
ancient
arabs
archers
army
arrows
asia
attackers
attilla
avars
ball
barrage
battled
began
blasting
bombardment
books
breach
brick
bring
broken
brought
built
burned
called
cannibalism
cannon
cannonballs
capital
carry
catapults
center
century
city
civilizations
classical
clay
clear
climb
coast
collapsed
compromised
constantine
constantinople
contact
contained
contend
continuous
crossroads
crumble
cultured
day
death
deep
defenders
defensive
depended
designed
destroyer
disappeared
disappearing
doomed
drew
earth
east
emperor
empire
enemies
enemy
europe
extinguished
faced
fading
fate
feet
fill
final
finally
find
finest
fire
flame
fled
food
foot
form
formidable
fortifications
foundations
front
frontiers
full
gap
gift
god
great
greek
guarded
guns
history
horde
hub
hun
ignite
ignited
important
inferno
invading
istanbul
italy
jumped
knowledge
language
launch
leap
learning
legend
libraries
line
lines
london
long
lucky
major
making
marble
masterpiece
men
mile
miles
miracle
moat
modern
monster
month
mount
moved
named
napalm
needed
night
onrushing
open
outer
paris
pile
pipes
portable
pots
pound
precious
priceless
protect
protected
protection
proved
rain
ramparts
ran
reintroduced
renaissance
resort
ride
rocks
roman
romans
routes
rubble
rushed
scourge
section
shock
short
side
sight
siphons
size
smaller
soaked
soldiers
solid
spears
spraying
squads
stable
starve
steady
stone
stop
stretching
submission
successors
super
surround
survivors
swim
sword
terrified
thousand
throes
throwers
til
time
times
trade
traditions
traveled
troops
tunnel
turks
turn
turned
unceasing
underwater
universities
uselessly
victims
wall
walls
water
wealthy
west
western
wide
world
worse
years