The Reading / Listening - World's First War - Level 4

Archaeologists believe the world's first war was in Sudan. They examined 61 skeletons that are 13,400 years old. They were initially discovered in the 1960s. For decades, scientists believed they were killed in a massacre. New research has revealed they were killed during a years-long war. The skeletons are now regarded as evidence of the earliest organized warfare. Scientists said the war was probably because of climate change.

The researchers looked into injuries on the skeletons. They said they were from arrows and spears. It is likely they happened during a series of long conflicts. Rival tribes competed for food that was in limited supply because of dramatic changes in climate. Ice covered much of the Northern Hemisphere. Flooding caused major changes to the availability of farmland. A researcher said: "People had to survive these changes, which were brutal."

Try the same news story at these levels:

    World's First War - Level 5 or  World's First War - Level 6

Sources
  • https://edition.cnn.com/2021/05/27/africa/violence-war-climate-jebel-sahaba-scn/index.html
  • https://www.newscientist.com/article/2278870-earliest-known-war-was-a-repeated-conflict-in-sudan-13400-years-ago
  • https://www.ancient-origins.net/news-history-archaeology/jebel-sahaba-0015374


Make sure you try all of the online activities for this reading and listening - There are dictations, multiple choice activities, drag and drop activities, sentence jumbles, which word activities, text reconstructions, spelling, gap fills and a whole lot more. Please enjoy :-)

Phrase Matching

Paragraph 1

  1. the world's first war
  2. skeletons that are
  3. They were initially discovered
  4. they were killed in a
  5. killed during a years-
  6. The skeletons are now regarded
  7. the earliest organized
  8. probably because
  1. massacre
  2. warfare
  3. 13,400 years old
  4. of climate change
  5. was in Sudan
  6. in the 1960s
  7. as evidence
  8. long war

Paragraph 2

  1. The researchers looked
  2. Rival tribes competed
  3. in limited
  4. because of dramatic changes
  5. Ice covered much of the
  6. Flooding caused major
  7. the availability
  8. People had to survive
  1. of farmland
  2. supply
  3. these changes
  4. into injuries
  5. for food
  6. Northern Hemisphere
  7. changes
  8. in climate

Listening — Listen and fill in the gaps

Archaeologists (1) ___________________ first war was in Sudan. They examined 61 skeletons that are 13,400 years old. (2) ___________________ discovered in the 1960s. For decades, scientists believed they were killed (3) ___________________. New research has revealed they were (4) ___________________ years-long war. The skeletons are now regarded (5) ___________________ the earliest organized warfare. Scientists said the (6) ___________________ because of climate change.

The researchers looked (7) ___________________ the skeletons. They said they were from (8) ___________________. It is likely they happened during a (9) ___________________ conflicts. Rival tribes competed for food that was (10) ___________________ because of dramatic changes in climate. Ice covered much of the Northern Hemisphere. Flooding (11) ___________________ to the availability of farmland. A researcher said: "People had to survive these changes, (12) ___________________."

Put a slash (/) where the spaces are

Archaeologistsbelievetheworld'sfirstwarwasinSudan.Theyexamine
d61skeletonsthatare13,400yearsold.Theywereinitiallydiscoveredin
the1960s.Fordecades,scientistsbelievedtheywerekilledinamassacr
e.Newresearchhasrevealedtheywerekilledduringayears-longwar.Th
eskeletonsarenowregardedasevidenceoftheearliestorganizedwarfa
re.Scientistssaidthewarwasprobablybecauseofclimatechange.Ther
esearcherslookedintoinjuriesontheskeletons.Theysaidtheywerefro
marrowsandspears.Itislikelytheyhappenedduringaseriesoflongconf
licts.Rivaltribescompetedforfoodthatwasinlimitedsupplybecauseofd
ramaticchangesinclimate.IcecoveredmuchoftheNorthernHemisphe
re.Floodingcausedmajorchangestotheavailabilityoffarmland.Aresea
rchersaid:"Peoplehadtosurvivethesechanges,whichwerebrutal."

Student survey

Write five GOOD questions about this topic in the table. Do this in pairs. Each student must write the questions on his / her own paper. When you have finished, interview other students. Write down their answers.

(Please look at page 12 of the PDF to see a photocopiable example of this activity.)

Discussion — Write your own questions

STUDENT A’s QUESTIONS (Do not show these to student B)

(a) ________________

(b) ________________

(c) ________________

(d) ________________

(e) ________________

(f) ________________

(g) ________________

(h) ________________

STUDENT B’s QUESTIONS (Do not show these to student A)

(i) ________________

(j) ________________

(k) ________________

(l) ________________

(m) ________________

(n) ________________

(o) ________________

(p) ________________

Free writing

Write about this topic for 10 minutes. Comment on your partner’s paper.

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Answers

(Please check your answers against the article above.

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