Lesson number 10

Wednesday, 17th October 2007

Summary:

• Reading and comprehension exercises "Hildegard of Bingen".

Hildegard of Bingen

Hildegard of Bingen lived more than nine hundred years ago and was probably the first woman scientist.She was born in1098 in Germany into a noble family and studied in a convent. Convents were the only place where women could have a formal education in those days and Hildegard studied Laqtin, Religion and Music. She was aw brilliant student and teacher and wrote a large number ok books and articles on natural history, medicine and religion.

She was the first person to write about balanced diets and exercise and her scientific writings are exceptional for the tiome.

Hildegard was also an important religious authority and in 1136 she bacame abbess of her abbey. In 1147 she built a new convent where she continued to study , teach and write. She had a long life and died in 1179 at the age of eighty-one.

Exercise:

1. Why is Hildegard famous?

She was probably the first woman scientist.



2. Where did Hildegard study?

She studied in a convent in a Germany.



3. What did she study?

She studied Latin, Religion and Music.



4. What subjects did she write about?

She wrote about natural history, medicine and religion.



5. What did she do in 1147?

She built a new convent.