Deck 2: The Ancient Near East: Peoples and Empires

Question 1

After the death of Solomon, tensions between the northern and southern tribes led to the establishment of two kingdoms, the kingdom of ____ and the kingdom of ____.

A) Palestine and Judea
B) Canaan and Palestine
C) Palestine and Judea
D) Israel and Palestine
E) Israel and Judah

Answer 1

Israel and Judah

Question 2

The founder of the Kingdom of Israel (1000-970 B.C.) was the military hero

A) Ezra
B) Joshua
C) Solomon
D) David
E) Saul

Answer 2

David

Question 3

The Phoenicians' contributions to the ancient Near East included all but

A) the founding of the colony of Carthage.
B) a simplified alphabet and system of writing.
C) the establishment of trading stations throughout the Mediterranean.
D) their defeat and destruction of the Hebrew's twelve tribes.
E) distribution of Egyptian papyrus throughout the Mediterranean.

Answer 3

their defeat and destruction of the Hebrew's twelve tribes.

Question 4

The greatest international sea traders of the ancient Near East were the

A) Sea Peoples.
B) Phoenicians.
C) Carthaginians.
D) Philistines.
E) Canaanites

Question 5

Moses united the Israelites after the Egyptian bondage by putting them under the protection of a new national god named

A) Moloch
B) Yahweh
C) Baal
D) Jesus
E) Allah

Question 6

Scholars agree that between ____ and ____ B.C., the Israelites emerged as a distinct group of peoples who established a united kingdom known as Israel.

A) 3000 and 2500
B) 2500 and 2000
C) 1800 and 1500
D) 1200 and 1000
E) 600 and 400

Question 7

The words of the Hebrew prophets

A) promoted universalism by stating that all nations would one day worship the God of Israel.
B) proclaimed that Israel would rise again from the ashes of conquest.
C) advocated social justice by condemning the rich for mistreating the poor.
D) encouraged a separation between Jews and non-Jews
E) all of the above

Question 8

Which of the following statements best describes the Assyrian government?

A) a limited monarchy, where the king's power was checked by an assembly
B) a theocracy, where the priests of the temple had the real power
C) an aristocracy, with the landed nobility possessing political power
D) an oligarchy, with the aristocracy having the major say in government
E) the king's power was absolute; they were vicars of the Assyrian god Ashur

Question 9

The destruction of Jerusalem in 586 B.C. and the Babylonian Captivity of the Hebrews occurred at the hands of the

A) Chaldeans.
B) Assyrians.
C) Philistines.
D) Persians.
E) Sea Peoples.

Question 10

All of the following were Assyrian kings except for

A) Sennacherib.
B) Ashur.
C) Ashurbanipal.
D) Tiglath-Pileser.
E) Shalmaneser III.

Question 11

The Hebrew Bible

A) differs fundamentally from the Torah and the Old Testament of the Christian Bible.
B) focuses on the basic theme of the necessity of the Hebrews to obey their God.
C) related only the words of the prophets and tells us little about Hebrew daily life.
D) tells little about the history of the Hebrews before the Babylonian Captivity.
E) was written in Aramaic.

Question 12

Which of the following was not part of the Hebrew religious tradition?

A) the law
B) the revelation
C) the covenant
D) the prophets
E) monotheism

Question 13

Solomon's most revered contribution to the Hebrew society was to

A) centralize royal power along the lines of Mesopotamian despotism.
B) divide the Hebrew tribes into two separate political kingdoms.
C) decentralize royal power and spread it among the 12 Hebrew tribes.
D) construct the Temple, the symbolic center of the Hebrew religion and society.
E) receive the Ten Commandments from God.

Question 14

The Hebrew prophets

A) were considered by the Hebrews to be the voice of Yahweh.
B) often served as judges in the Hebrew courts.
C) attempted to foretell the future for the Hebrew military leaders.
D) were caretakers of the Ark of the Covenant.
E) were members of the elite upper class.

Question 15

The Hebrew religion

A) believed in two gods, both named Yahweh.
B) was an ethical religion centered around the law of God.
C) taught there was covenant between the Hebrews and Ahurmazda.
D) was dualistic under the guise of monotheism.
E) all the above

Question 16

All of the following are correct about Byblos except:

A) It was an Egyptian commercial center.
B) It was a Phoenician port city.
C) It was a distribution center for Egyptian papyrus.
D) The Greek word for book is derived from its name.
E) It was located in ancient Palestine.

Question 17

All of the following are true of the Hebrew conception of God except

A) he was the creator of but not an inherent part of nature.
B) all peoples of the world were subject to him.
C) that he would punish those not following his will.
D) there was no room for personal relationships with him, as his word was law.
E) he was a just and good God.

Question 18

The Assyrians are important in history for their innovations in

A) empire building.
B) urban architecture.
C) trade and commerce.
D) fine art and literature.
E) religion.

Question 19

Many scholars today

A) believe the Hebrew Bible is a completely accurate historical record.
B) contend that the Hebrew Bible was originally written down in the fifth century A.D.
C) doubt that the early books of the Hebrew Bible reflects the true history of the Israelites.
D) argue that the Hebrew Bible was first written in Greek.
E) claim that none of the Hebrew Bible was written before the era of the Roman Empire.

Question 20

The tradition of the Hebrews states that they were descendants of the patriarch ____ who had migrated from Mesopotamia to the land of Palestine.

A) Adam
B) Noah.
C) Abraham.
D) Moses.
E) David.

Question 21

Nebuchadnezzar II accomplished all of the following except:

A) the revision of the Persian law code.
B) rebuilding Babylon.
C) defeating the Assyrians.
D) building the Hanging Gardens of Babylon.
E) destroyed Judah and carried the population into exile.

Question 22

The relationship between the Assyrian king and his officials was based on

A) fear.
B) loyalty.
C) money.
D) cult of personality.
E) coercion.

Question 23

The founder of the Persian Empire, who defeated Babylon and freed the Jews from captivity in 539 B.C., was

A) Cyrus the Great.
B) Artaxerxes.
C) Cambyses.
D) Nebuchadnezzar II.
E) Solomon.

Question 24

The Persian King Cyrus the Great was succeeded by his son

A) Nebuchadnezzar II.
B) Darius.
C) Xerxes.
D) Cambyses II.
E) Zoroaster.

Question 25

Darius accomplished all of the following except

A) building a canal that linked the Red Sea with the Mediterranean Sea.
B) conquering Egypt.
C) creating a Persian province in western India.
D) conquering Thrace.
E) built a new Persian capital at Persepolis.

Question 26

The Persian Royal Road stretched from Sardis to the capital at

A) Persepolis.
B) Byblos.
C) Athens.
D) Susa.
E) Ephess.

Question 27

Which of the following statements concerning the Persian kings is false?

A) As he was considered a god, the king held the power of life and death over all subjects.
B) The Great Kings tended to become greedy and hoard their treasuries.
C) Events like the "king's dinner" were meant to demonstrate the luxurious power of the king.
D) The king's palace demonstrated the international flavor and wealth of the empire.
E) The Persian kings were relatively tolerant in matters of religion.

Question 28

The elite infantry of the Persian army were known as the?

A) Immortals
B) Marines
C) Praetorian Guard
D) Assassins
E) Invisibles

Question 29

The Persian Empire's system of satrapies allowed for

A) subject peoples to play a dominant role in civil administration.
B) a sensible system of collecting tribute based on an area's productive capacity.
C) noble offices to be filled by election rather than hereditary means.
D) widespread corruption by the satraps, who acted without the king's knowledge.
E) the enforcement of religious uniformity throughout the empire.

Question 30

The principal economic basis of Assyrian society was

A) heavily irrigation-based farming.
B) agriculture based on farming villages.
C) international trade.
D) sea-based commerce.
E) manufacturing of luxury items.

Question 31

Which of the following statements is not true of the Chaldean Empire?

A) Babylon was its great central city.
B) It was the longest-lasting of the great Near Eastern empires.
C) The Hanging Gardens was created in its time.
D) The people of the empire welcomed its fall to the Persians.
E) Nebuchadnezzar II was its most successful ruler.

Question 32

All of the following helped make Assyria an efficient military machine except for

A) iron weapons.
B) terrorist actions.
C) humane treatment of prisoners.
D) superior, diversified tactics.
E) ruthless leaders.

Question 33

Assyrian art was primarily concerned with

A) outshining the remnants of Sumerian and Babylonian culture.
B) illustrating the gods, especially Marduk.
C) glorifying the king, hunting, and war.
D) displaying the virtues of women and female priests.
E) showing the lives of ordinary Assyrian subjects.

Question 34

The Persian king who undertook an invasion of the Greek mainland in the early fifth century was

A) Cyrus.
B) Cambyses.
C) Zoroaster.
D) Darius.
E) Nebuchadnezzar.

Question 35

The Assyrians' use of terror tactics and atrocities

A) were used universally on all captured prisoners.
B) especially targeted inhabitants of the empire who rebelled against Assyrian rule.
C) were used to make up for an absence of an intelligence network.
D) prevented foreign cultures from mixing with the Assyrian population.
E) was quickly abandoned as unworkable.

Question 36

The Persian Empire reached its largest territorial boundaries under

A) Cyrus.
B) Darius.
C) Xerxes.
D) Cambyses.
E) Darius III.

Question 37

Assyrian kings organized their empire more effectively by

A) increasing the power of local noble governors.
B) reducing the numbers of royal officials.
C) were middlemen in the international trade of the era.
D) concentrating their resources on internal economic development rather than on military spending.
E) encouraging religious toleration in order to prevent religious uprisings by non-Assyrians.

Question 38

The Ishtar Gate sat outside the city of

A) Byblos.
B) Jerusalem.
C) Babylon.
D) Tyre.
E) Sidon.

Question 39

Assyrian society was well known for its

A) assimilation of other cultures and development of a polyglot society.
B) manumission of slaves.
C) monumental cities.
D) monotheism.
E) monumental religious and burial structures.

Question 40

The Assyrian army was able to conquer and maintain an empire due to its

A) ability to use diversified military tactics.
B) avoidance of siege warfare.
C) lenient treatment of rebellious subjects.
D) Assyria's naturally protected boundaries.
E) reliance exclusively upon massive armies of infantry soldiers.

Question 41

The first five books of the Hebrew Bible are known as the Zend Avesta.

Question 42

In Zoroastrianism, the evil spirit was known as

A) Avesta.
B) Ahriman.
C) Ahuramazda.
D) Mithra.
E) Vishnu.

Question 43

Which of the following statements about the Persian army is true?

A) By the time of Darius, the army had disintegrated.
B) By the times of Darius, the army had seized control of the empire.
C) By the time of Darius, the army had become professionalized.
D) The army was less important than the navy.
E) The army was made up entirely of foreign mercenaries.

Question 44

The decline of the Hittites and Egyptians around 1200 B.C.

A) brought an end to Near Eastern civilization.
B) created a power vacuum which allowed several small states to emerge and temporarily flourish.
C) allowed the Persians under Cyrus the Great to immediately establish an empire.
D) was caused by Assyrian conquest.
E) was caused by the conquests of David and Solomon.

Question 45

The Greeks and the Romans, Indo-European speakers, derived their alphabet from the Semitic-speaking Phoenicians.

Question 46

Most biblical scholars claim that most of the early books of the Hebrew Bible accurately reflect the historical events of the Israelites.

Question 47

Zoroastrianism was

A) monotheist (one god).
B) dualist (two gods).
C) polytheist (many gods).
D) atheist (no god).
E) agnostic (undecided)

Question 48

The Persian god was Ahuramazda.

Question 49

The weakening of the Persian Empire was largely attributed to

A) a corrupt system of satraps that was never closely monitored by the king.
B) the constant erosion and diminishment of its standing army.
C) the kings' hoarding of wealth and over taxation of their subjects.
D) a lack of communication due to its vast size.
E) earthquakes and volcanic eruptions.

Question 50

Which one of the following is not considered part of the Judeo-Christian heritage in West Civilization?

A) monotheism.
B) law.
C) morality.
D) social justice.
E) revenge.

Question 51

The central, sacred text of Zoroastrianism is the

A) Talmud.
B) Vedas.
C) Zend Avesta.
D) prayers of Ashur.
E) Bhagavad Gita.

Question 52

The sun god, who became a helper of Ahuramazda and later, in Roman times, the source of another religion, was

A) Avesta.
B) Osiris.
C) Buddha.
D) Vishnu.
E) Mithra.

Question 53

Most Hebrews believed that monogamy was the preferred form of marriage.

Question 54

Which of the following statements concerning Zoroastrianism is false?

A) It was dualistic and monotheistic in nature.
B) It had few followers outside the Persian Empire.
C) It did not include a final judgment or a last judgment among its beliefs.
D) Its supreme deity was Ahuramazda.
E) Eventually, it regressed into a type of polytheism.

Question 55

The Medes and the Persians were both Semitic speakers.

Question 56

Like most other empires in the ancient world, the Assyrians refused to mix their conquered peoples with native Assyrians and instead kept those who were conquered isolated and separated from each other and from the Assyrian rulers.

Question 57

Nebuchadnezzar rebuilt the city of Nineveh, making it the Persian capital, and there he erected the Ishtar Gate, which opened on to the Triumphal Way.

Question 58

Cyrus the Great, the founder of the Persian Empire, was a member of the Achaemenid dynasty.

Question 59

The historian of The Persian Wars was Thucydides.

Question 60

The most tolerant and efficient of the Near Eastern empires was the

A) Egyptian.
B) Assyrian.
C) Chaldean.
D) Persian.
E) Babylonian.