Deck 8: State-Organized Societies

Question 1

The first state-organized societies appeared in Egypt and Mesopotamia in about …

A) 5000 BC.
B) 3100 BC.
C) 2300 BC.
D) 1500 BC.

Answer 1

3100 BC.

Question 2

Areas of early state formation included …

A) Nile valley, Mesopotamia, and Indus valley.
B) Andean region, Mesoamerica, and North America.
C) Nile valley, West Africa, and regions of China.
D) Andean region, Mesopotamia, and Greece.

Answer 2

Nile valley, Mesopotamia, and Indus valley.

Question 3

For formal record keeping, the Andean Incas used …

A) cuneiform strings.
B) a syllabary.
C) glyphs.
D) knotted strings.

Answer 3

knotted strings.

Question 4

In the ancient world, cities could have populations as small as …

A) 500-1,000 people.
B) 2,000-3,000 people.
C) 6,000-7,000 people.
D) 10,000-15,000 people.

Question 5

Which of the following is a characteristic of early cities?

A) Presence of specialized labor and craftspeople.
B) Location of central marketplace.
C) Religious structures.
D) All of these.

Question 6

An essential element of Childe's Urban Revolution theory was technology and the development of …

A) craft specialization.
B) long-distance trade.
C) religious beliefs.
D) agriculture.

Question 7

Archaeologists who believed irrigation was a catalyst for the organization of state societies cited evidence from China, Egypt, and …

A) North America.
B) Mesoamerica.
C) Mesopotamia.
D) Andean mountains.

Question 8

What are the three elements of great importance in ecological models of early state development?

A) Large population densities, large food surpluses, and diversified farming economies.
B) Diversified farming economies, irrigation agriculture, and control of trade routes.
C) Irrigation agriculture, large population densities, and diversified farming economies.
D) Large food surpluses, diversified farming economies, and irrigation agriculture.

Question 9

Archaeologists often refer to trade as …

A) gift-giving.
B) exchange.
C) a bartering system.
D) a market economy.

Question 10

One aspect of trade accompanying the development of the state was …

A) a change from gift-giving to barter.
B) a change from barter to market economies.
C) a change from redistribution to barter.
D) a change from redistribution to market economy trade.

Question 11

Although his theory was later disputed by other archaeologists, Robert Carneiro in his study of early Peruvian societies argued that state formation was largely brought about by …

A) technology.
B) warfare.
C) trade.
D) … ecology.

Question 12

Robert Adams viewed literacy, a skill that few people acquired, as …

A) a requirement for trade.
B) a necessity for state formation.
C) a source of power.
D) All of these.

Question 13

The most striking difference between states and nonstate societies is in their …

A) subsistence activities.
B) decision-making procedures.
C) ideologies.
D) kinship groups.

Question 14

Which factors did archaeologist William Sanders suggests were decisive in areas where civilization began?

A) Environmental ones.
B) Food-production successes.
C) Population ones.
D) All of these.

Question 15

The social approach to state formation focuses on power in three important domains: economic power, social or ideological power, and …

A) political power.
B) military power.
C) religious power.
D) cultural power.

Question 16

The complexity of the Maya ideology is illustrated by which description of one aspect of everyday life?

A) Every Maya compass direction had colors and characteristics.
B) Each Maya deity had many roles and moods.
C) Each day in the Maya calendar possessed a combination of qualities.
D) All of these.

Question 17

Along with any dominant ideology there are competing views or …

A) factionalism.
B) art.
C) differing religious beliefs.
D) None of these.

Question 18

What are visual reminders of a state's ideology, reinforcing the power of supreme rulers and their special relationships to the gods and the spiritual world?

A) Small finds.
B) Metal artifacts.
C) Settlement patterns.
D) Art styles.

Question 19

Who are the ultimate agents of change for a society?

A) Religious leaders.
B) People.
C) Military leaders.
D) Artists.

Question 20

Joseph Tainter suggests that the collapse of civilizations should be considered …

A) an avoidable catastrophe.
B) an inevitable event.
C) a rational process.
D) a function of cultural equilibrium.

Question 21

What were the main features of preindustrial civilizations?

Question 22

Discuss the three elements generally considered to be of great importance in the development of early civilization.

Question 23

Discuss how environmental factors influenced the growth of civilizations.

Question 24

Identify the scope of trade networks and specify the types of evidence and the methods used to trace them in the archaeological record.

Question 25

Discuss what events might bring about the collapse of a civilization.