Deck 1: The Birth of Civilization

Question 1

The great Persian Empire arose in the region that is now modern ________.

A) Iraq
B) Saudi Arabia
C) Iran
D) Israel

Answer 1

Iran

Question 2

What ancient Near Eastern empire established a strong centralized government with its capital at Hattusas?

A) the Hittites
B) the Assyrians
C) the Akkadians
D) the Egyptians

Answer 2

the Hittites

Question 3

The ________ and the Medes attacked Assyria so thoroughly in 612 b.c.e.that Assyria never recovered.

A) Israelites
B) Mitannians
C) Hittites
D) Babylonians

Answer 3

Babylonians

Question 4

Royal Egyptian women, particularly during the Eighteenth Dynasty, ________.

A) wielded considerable influence
B) were never depicted in Egyptian art
C) were drawn larger than their husbands and sons in art works
D) wielded little to no influence

Question 5

The first civilization arose in ________.

A) China
B) Mesopotamia
C) India
D) Egypt

Question 6

Around 1000 to 600 b.c.e., a Mede named ________ changed the traditional Aryan worship.

A) Ahura Mazda
B) Zarathushtra
C) Ahriman
D) Vedic

Question 7

Archaeologists refer to the period after 1100 b.c.e.as the ________.

A) Bronze Age
B) Steel Age
C) Iron Age
D) Copper Age

Question 8

Amunemhet I was credited with ________.

A) dividing Upper and Lower Egypt
B) moving the old capital near Memphis to Thebes
C) destroying the nome structure of governance
D) establishing a co-regency system

Question 9

The common form of slavery in Mesopotamia was ________.

A) racial slavery
B) chattel slavery
C) indentured servitude
D) debt slavery

Question 10

The Sumerians invented the writing system known as ________.

A) Coptic
B) hieroglyphic
C) script
D) cuneiform

Question 11

The city of Assur had first been a center for trade, but then became a(n) ________ power during the fourteenth century b.c.e.

A) political
B) agricultural
C) mining
D) military

Question 12

About 2125 b.c.e.Sumerian ________ poems were composed, glorifying the deeds of the kings of Ur's ancestors.

A) religious
B) epic
C) lyric
D) elegy

Question 13

The first empire in history was established by the ________.

A) Akkadians
B) Sumerians
C) Assyrians
D) Egyptians

Question 14

Shortly before 1500, the process of smelting ________ was discovered.

A) steel
B) bronze
C) copper
D) iron

Question 15

In 550 b.c.e., which king captured the capital at Ecbatana and united the Medes and Persians under his rule?

A) Herodotus
B) Cyrus I
C) Cambyses
D) Cyrus II

Question 16

The earliest Neolithic societies appeared in ________.

A) the Near East
B) China
C) India
D) Africa

Question 17

What became the chief religion of the Persians by the middle of the sixth century b.c.e.?

A) Hinduism
B) Islam
C) Zoroastrianism
D) Buddhism

Question 18

The Akkadian Empire was the first in history having a heartland, provinces, and a(n) ________.

A) prince
B) aristocratic council
C) absolute ruler
D) monarch

Question 19

The earliest period of human culture, the Paleolithic Age, dates from the ________.

A) earliest use of stone tools
B) earliest use of fire
C) establishment of settled agriculture
D) earliest use of bronze

Question 20

After one century, the kingdom of Ur disintegrated due to ________ and invasion.

A) famine
B) flooding
C) disease
D) earthquakes

Question 21

The Israelites lost to history became known as the ________.

A) twenty lost tribes
B) ten lost tribes
C) scattered groups
D) lost groups

Question 22

Chattel slaves were considered luxuries during most of Mesopotamian history because, unlike debt slaves, chattel slaves had to be ________.

A) inherited
B) purchased
C) freed
D) educated

Question 23

The archaeological findings at Neolithic Jericho and Çatal Höyük suggest that the ________.

A) settlement patterns of this period were characterized by upheaval
B) settlement patterns of this period were markedly similar
C) use of fortifications was widespread
D) settlement patterns of this period may be more complicated than previously inferred

Question 24

The largest group of laws in the Code of Hammurabi, showing Hammurabi's main focus, was on ________.

A) family
B) land tenure
C) commerce
D) religious practice

Question 25

The Sumerians developed the first known system for writing, made up of thousands of characters that represented both words and ________.

A) numbers
B) sounds
C) units of measure
D) animals

Question 26

Which three religions trace their origins to the people who arrived in Palestine a little before 1200 b.c.e.?

A) Judaism, Buddhism, and Islam
B) Christianity, Islam, and Buddhism
C) Judaism, Christianity, and Islam
D) Islam, Buddhism, and Sikhism

Question 27

The Hebrews, Babylonians, and Egyptians differed in certain specifics, but all held the general idea that cosmic order, human survival, and ________ all depended on divine will.

A) advancement
B) profitability
C) liberty
D) justice

Question 28

According to Hammurabi's laws, polygamy was based on ___________.

A) wealth
B) slave owning
C) race
D) necessity

Question 29

Although slaves were considered property and had few legal rights, they could ________.

A) marry free men or women, and their children would usually be free
B) disobey their owners' orders if they were deemed too dangerous
C) take paid vacations after working for their masters for one full year
D) choose a job in their favorite field

Question 30

What was one of the key reasons that tens of thousands of people were forced from their homes and made to resettle close to the Assyrian Empire?

A) to create a large Assyrian capital city around the empire
B) to ensure a large number of laborers near the empire
C) to punish people for not having made tributes to the kings
D) to increase population density in certain areas of the empire

Question 31

What was revealed in the Code of Hammurabi?

A) the King's plans to conquer the Hurrians
B) a code of honorable military actions
C) a listing of King Hammurabi's secrets
D) a society divided by class

Question 32

The Nile River was considered to be a major highway, primarily because it connected ________.

A) fishers to the Mediterranean Sea
B) herdsmen and hunters to the desert
C) swamps to inlets
D) Upper and Lower Egypt

Question 33

Which of the following sums up the Mesopotamian perception of the afterworld?

A) The Mesopotamian afterworld was a vague and gloomy place.
B) The Mesopotamians believed in an afterworld that was divided by class.
C) Entrance into the Mesopotamian afterworld meant rebirth into a more pleasant setting.
D) The Mesopotamians did not believe in the existence of an afterworld.

Question 34

What factor contributed most to the success of the Second Assyrian Empire?

A) the establishment of a non-centralized government
B) the policy of accepting and adopting conquered cultures
C) the creation of a large, well-disciplined army
D) the creation of a formidable navy

Question 35

The _________ gets its name from advances in stone tool technology.

A) Paleolithic Age
B) Neolithic Age
C) Chalcolithic Age
D) Bronze Age

Question 36

When the Nile floodwaters receded each year, they left ________.

A) devastated communities in their wake
B) miles of ruined farm lands
C) a rich layer of organically fertile silt
D) an abundance of dead fish on the shore

Question 37

The last few years before Assyria was destroyed are obscure, but the country was, apparently, divided by ________.

A) poverty
B) civil war
C) religious strife
D) racial disharmony

Question 38

The Greek school of medicine, led by ________, attempted to understand, diagnose, and cure disease without any attention to supernatural forces.

A) Hippocrates
B) Socrates
C) Thucydides
D) Demosthenes

Question 39

What is one reason why many Babylonians may have welcomed the Persians who arrived to conquer them in 539 b.c.e.?

A) The people were experiencing a severe shortage of food.
B) The military refused to allow people to leave the city.
C) The king of Babylon had been forcing people to move from their homes.
D) The king of Babylon had been forcing them to honor the Moon-god above all other gods.

Question 40

The standard form of government in the Mideast was a(n) ________.

A) republic
B) parliament
C) monarchy
D) oligarchy

Question 41

The discovery of combining tin and copper to make a stronger and more useful material signified the beginning of the ________ Age.

Question 42

Modern scholars view the Hebrew Bible as ________.

A) the definitive source of the history of the Israelites
B) a piece of literature to be totally ignored with regard to history
C) only one book in a seemingly infinitesimal number of accounts of the Israelites
D) a source to be taken seriously, while considering its historical claims with caution

Question 43

________ Egypt referred to the broad triangular area that was formed by the Nile as it branched out to empty into the Mediterranean.

Question 44

What was one major way in which the Hebrew god differed from Babylonian deities?

A) The Hebrew god was not open to persuasion.
B) The Hebrew god was not powerful and wrathful.
C) The Hebrew god was represented by the king.
D) The Hebrew god was more predictable.

Question 45

For people of the Mideast, humanity as a group was viewed as ________.

A) able to control nature
B) needing to serve themselves
C) having been the cause of most disasters
D) inseparable from and unable to understand nature

Question 46

The Babylonian King ________ is best known for the collection of laws he created that bears his name.

Question 47

What significant change occurred in the status of the Medes and the Persians when Cyrus II united them under his own rule in 550 b.c.e.?

A) Both groups, formerly rich and successful, became poor.
B) Both groups, formerly poor and needy, became rich.
C) The Medes became rich and successful while the Persians became needy.
D) The Persians, formerly subordinate to the Medes, became the dominant group.

Question 48

The Persians learned and borrowed from those they encountered and conquered, especially from ________.

A) Greece and Rome
B) Mesopotamia and Egypt
C) Syria
D) Mesopotamia and the Israelites

Question 49

The Jews conceived of their god as ________.

A) human
B) supernatural
C) human in shape but not nature
D) a force of nature

Question 50

________ may be defined as the ways of living built by a group and passed on from one generation to the next.

Question 51

By the fifth century b.c.e., most Greeks believed that laws should be obeyed because they are ________.

A) divinely established and obedience would appease the gods
B) made by humans and represented the consent of the citizens
C) made by humans and represented the will of the gods
D) established by humans to appease supernatural forces

Question 52

Civilizations of the Mideast tend to have which of the following features in common?

A) Reason is not employed independent of religion.
B) The standard form of government is a republic.
C) Religion and politics are separate.
D) Individual freedom is important.

Question 53

What does the ancient Persian system of writing reveal about their art and culture?

A) The Persians learned much from the people they conquered and adapted it for their own use.
B) The Persians were unwilling to adopt cultural practices that were not specifically Persian.
C) The Persians adopted the Greek alphabet because they admired Greek culture.
D) The Persians imposed their culture on the people they conquered.

Question 54

Which of these describes the cultural relationship between the Medes and Persians?

A) The two groups prayed to different gods, yet had the same religious philosophy.
B) The two groups were allies under the Babylonians and continued to be so.
C) The two groups were so similar in language and customs that the Greeks used both names interchangeably.
D) The two groups were of the same size and were formed at exactly the same time.

Question 55

Which of the following best describes the role of the Persian Shahanshah?

A) He was appointed by the people and ruled on their behalf.
B) His rule was divinely sanctioned, and required tribute and service.
C) He was a modest individual who not only ruled his people but was also one of them.
D) He was a general who led his people to victory on the battlefield.

Question 56

Assyrian rulers relied on a system that used governors and military governors because of their empire's ________.

A) use of slavery
B) instability
C) oppressive tax system
D) vast size

Question 57

What decision associated with the smelting of iron was made in northern Anatolia around 1100 b.c.e.?

A) to use iron rather than copper or bronze to manufacture weapons and tools
B) to use iron for framing windows
C) to use iron in building ships
D) to invent a special machine for smelting iron

Question 58

What two factors led to the downfall of the kingdom of Ur?

A) invasion and inflation
B) inflation and famine
C) famine and invasion
D) invasion and civil war

Question 59

With reference to the Mideast worldview, how would the people of the region most likely have viewed the destruction of a capital city by an army?

A) as well deserved
B) as the personification of the inherent evil in all of mankind
C) as a random misfortune
D) as the product of divine will

Question 60

Egyptian history is traditionally divided into thirty-one royal dynasties, starting with that of Menes and ending with the one established by ________.

Question 61

Discuss the administration of the Persian Empire.What factors do you believe contributed to the establishment of this form of administration?

Question 62

Around 2125 b.c.e.the Sumerian city of Ur rose to dominance.It remained that way for approximately a century.In what ways did the Sumerian culture and literature flourish during this time? What finally ended this period of dominance?

Question 63

Through his prophet ________, the Hebrew god provided humans with regulations that would enable them to live in peace and justice.

Question 64

The Assyrians spoke a ________ language closely related to Babylonian.

Question 65

The greatest achievement of Cambyses was the conquest of Egypt, establishing it as a ________, or province.

Question 66

During the Old Kingdom from 2700 to 2200 b.c.e., a pharaoh was king and was also considered a ________.

Question 67

In the approximately 400-year period of prosperity known as the Old Kingdom, pyramids were erected as tombs for the pharaohs.Describe details about these pyramids.What did they represent? What technical skill did they demonstrate? How were the items left inside the pyramids meaningful for the afterlife?

Question 68

The Persians adopted ________ as their official language, the most common language of Middle Eastern commerce.

Question 69

The greatest contribution of the Jews is the development of monotheism-the belief in one universal God, the creator and ruler of the universe.Juxtapose monotheism with the more common practice of polytheism-the worship of many gods.What are the perceived "advantages" of monotheism? What are the "disadvantages"? Explain.

Question 70

Ancient historians tended to focus on particular aspects of civilization when compiling their histories.If you were to write the history of one of the ancient Near Eastern Empires, what would be your primary focus? Would it be architecture, religion, or political structures? Explain the reasoning behind your answer.

Question 71

By the early seventh century b.c.e., under the leadership of ________, the Medes and Babylonians successfully destroyed the Assyrian Empire.

Question 72

________ is the belief in one universal God, the creator and ruler of the universe.

Question 73

The most famous colony founded by the Phoenicians was that of ________, near modern Tunis in North Africa.

Question 74

The Greek historian ________ analyzed and explained human behavior completely in terms of human nature and chance, leaving no place for the gods or supernatural forces.

Question 75

The collapse of the Old Kingdom in about 2200 b.c.e.resulted in the First Intermediate Period.This was followed by the Second Intermediate Period in approximately 1630 b.c.e.-a time of imperial glory.Compare and contrast these two periods.

Question 76

Egyptian religious views were varied and often included contradictions.Solar cults developed in a mostly rain-free area.The afterlife was considered to be full of danger, which could be overcome with spells listed in the Book of the Dead.Explain how these factors caused contradictory religious beliefs during this time period.

Question 77

Before the Israelites arrived in Palestine, the land was inhabited by groups of people speaking a Semitic language called ________.

Question 78

Throughout the Paleolithic Age, the human population had been small and relatively stable.With the shift from food gathering to food production, however, populations grew exponentially over a period of time.As modern humanity continues to exploit the environment with more efficient methods of agriculture and other means of food production, are we in danger of overpopulating the earth? Will we once again be subject to the same ecological and natural constraints that balanced the Paleolithic population? Apply the chief characteristics of the Neolithic Revolution to modern-day society and decide whether or not the aforementioned scenarios are plausible.

Question 79

The civilizations of the ancient Near East were almost exclusively located next to rivers such as the Tigris, the Euphrates, and the Nile.In what way was this geographical factor important? How was it important to the environment and meaningful to the governmental development of societies?

Question 80

The civilizations of the Mideast differed greatly from those of the Greeks in religion, philosophy, science, law, politics, and government.Discuss these views and what effect these views had on the lives of the people in the Mideast.