Deck 1: The Foundations of Complex Societies

Question 1

The word Mesopotamia means

A)the "pure land."
B)the "land of the strong."
C)"the blood of Gilgamesh."
D)"wedged-shaped."
E)"the land between the rivers."

Answer 1

"the land between the rivers."

Question 2

The creator of the first empire in Mesopotamia was

A)Hammurabi.
B)Moses.
C)Sargon of Akkad.
D)Gilgamesh.
E)Nebuchadnezzar.

Answer 2

Sargon of Akkad.

Question 3

A rapidly increasing population encouraged the development of new forms of

A)social organization.
B)writing.
C)migration.
D)religion.
E)competition amongst different groups.

Answer 3

social organization.

Question 4

Mesopotamian metalworkers discovered that if they alloyed copper and tin they could produce

A)obsidian.
B)steel.
C)iron.
D)silver.
E)bronze.

Question 5

Which of the following is given in the correct chronological order?

A)Homo sapiens,Homo sapiens sapiens,Homo erectus,Australopithecus
B)Australopithecus,Homo sapiens,Homo erectus,Homo sapiens sapiens
C)Homo erectus,Homo sapiens,Australopithecus,Homo sapiens sapiens
D)Australopithecus,Homo erectus,Homo sapiens,Homo sapiens sapiens
E)Australopithecus,Homo sapiens sapiens,Homo erectus,Homo sapiens

Question 6

Evidence suggests that the Mesopotamians

A)traded extensively with peoples as far away as Anatolia,Egypt,and India.
B)lived an isolated existence and did not trade.
C)traded exclusively with the Egyptians.
D)traded extensively until the time of the Assyrians,when trade dropped to nothing.
E)traded exclusively with the Phoenicians.

Question 7

The first people in the world to use wheeled vehicles were the

A)Sumerians.
B)Assyrians.
C)Egyptians.
D)Phoenicians.
E)Hebrews.

Question 8

The first complex society was developed in the southern Mesopotamian land of

A)Akkad.
B)Assyria.
C)Sumer.
D)Babylonia.
E)Palestine.

Question 9

Which of the following is NOT a Semitic language?

A)Hebrew
B)Phoenician
C)Aramaic
D)Sumerian
E)Akkadian

Question 10

Which of the following can be best credited for the expansion of Homo sapiens communities throughout the world?

A)land bridges
B)writing
C)hunting
D)farming
E)the work of the Greek historian Herodotus

Question 11

What individual believed that the gods had chosen him to "promote the welfare of the people ...[and] to cause justice to prevail in the land"?

A)Moses
B)Nebuchadnezzar
C)Hammurabi
D)Sargon of Akkad
E)Gilgamesh

Question 12

A Mesopotamian stepped pyramid is known as a

A)coptic.
B)eridu.
C)lugal.
D)lex talionis.
E)ziggurat.

Question 13

The domestication of plants and animals is a hallmark of

A)the paleolithic era.
B)the neolithic era.
C)the hominids.
D)Homo erectus.
E)the first Homo sapiens.

Question 14

Eridu,Ur,Uruk,Lagash,Nippur,and Kish were all associated with

A)Egypt.
B)Nubia.
C)Phoenicia.
D)Mesopotamia.
E)Jerusalem.

Question 15

In Mesopotamia,prisoners of war,convicted criminals,and heavily indebted individuals were the three main sources for

A)slaves.
B)indentured servants.
C)dependent clients.
D)mercenary soldiers.
E)indentured priests.

Question 16

Çatal Hüyük is significant because it

A)marks the beginning of human civilization.
B)marks the first human use of tools.
C)is the site of the first human use of agriculture.
D)is the site of the first city.
E)marks the first instance of the use of a land bridge.

Question 17

Iron metallurgy came to Mesopotamia from the

A)Hebrews.
B)Hittites.
C)Phoenicians.
D)Egyptians.
E)Assyrians.

Question 18

The later Mesopotamian people who built a large empire based on a powerful army led by professional officers chosen on the basis of merit and skill were the

A)Hittites.
B)Hyksos.
C)Assyrians.
D)Babylonians.
E)Hebrews.

Question 19

Homo sapiens evolved

A)one million years ago.
B)five hundred thousand years ago.
C)one hundred thousand years ago.
D)two hundred thousand years ago.
E)forty thousand years ago.

Question 20

While Hammurabi's code was based on the principle that offenders should suffer punishment resembling their violation,it was also shaped by

A)social standing.
B)the will of the Mesopotamian gods as expressed by the priestly class.
C)the language spoken by the accused perpetrator.
D)the age of the accused perpetrator.
E)the religion of the victim.

Question 21

The term for "new stone age" is neolithic.

Question 22

The most influential ancient Indo-European migrants into southwest Asia were the

A)Assyrians.
B)Aryans.
C)Hebrews.
D)Babylonians.
E)Hittites.

Question 23

Çatal Hüyük was a village in south central Anatolia with a population of around five thousand.

Question 24

Enkidu was

A)the Sumerian god of wisdom.
B)a leading Sumerian city-state.
C)the most powerful Babylonian king.
D)Gilgamesh's friend.
E)the Hebrew word for "holy."

Question 25

Examine the profound changes brought about by the discovery of agriculture.How did this seemingly simple discovery change the course of human history?

Question 26

The Israelites' belief that there was only one god had its origins with

A)Abraham.
B)Moses.
C)Joseph.
D)David.
E)Solomon.

Question 27

The definition of Homo sapiens is "consciously thinking human."

Question 28

Examine the changing world of the neolithic era.What were the foundations of this era? In what fundamental ways was it different from the preceding paleolithic era? In what ways were the accomplishments of this period setting the stage for the rise of complex societies?

Question 29

The first alphabet was created by the Phoenicians.

Question 30

Which of the following languages is NOT of Indo-European origin?

A)Egyptian
B)Sanskrit
C)Old Persian
D)Greek
E)Latin

Question 31

The powerful Babylonian king who formulated a sophisticated law code was Hammurabi.

Question 32

Gilgamesh is the hero of the oldest known epic.

Question 33

Are there drawbacks to the rise of complex societies? In other words,is every aspect of civilization good? Are there still problems today that stretch back to the rise of civilization?

Question 34

The original homeland of the Indo-Europeans was probably

A)Mesopotamia.
B)northern Germany.
C)southern Russia.
D)India.
E)Egypt.

Question 35

Sumerian writing is known as

A)demotic.
B)cuneiform.
C)hieroglyphic.
D)coptic.
E)alphabetic.

Question 36

Mesopotamia developed into a

A)strict patriarchal society.
B)society where the sexes enjoyed relative equality.
C)predominantly matriarchal society.
D)society with few social distinctions.
E)society dominated by a growing mercantile middle class.

Question 37

Monotheism was the distinct tradition of the

A)Mesopotamians.
B)Egyptians.
C)Assyrians.
D)Hebrews.
E)Phoenicians.

Question 38

The Phoenicians were responsible for the construction of light,horse-drawn war chariots.

Question 39

The first simplified alphabet,containing only twenty-two letters,was created by the

A)Mesopotamians.
B)Assyrians.
C)Hebrews.
D)Phoenicians.
E)Babylonians.

Question 40

The construction of light,horse-drawn war chariots and the refinement of iron metallurgy were technological innovations of the

A)Egyptians.
B)Assyrians.
C)Hittites.
D)Babylonians.
E)Hyksos.

Question 41

Compare and contrast the religious beliefs of the Mesopotamians,Egyptians,Hebrews,and Assyrians.What do the differences tell us about these societies?

Question 42

Examine the history of the Hebrews.Why did they have so much trouble uniting into a powerful political force? How did their wanderings and misfortune affect the development of Judaism?

Question 43

Explore the rise of the city.In what ways was the city different from the large villages of the earlier neolithic era?

Question 44

What were the major achievements of the Mesopotamians? How did these achievements influence later societies?

Question 45

What role did the Indo-Europeans play in history? What were their main contributions?

Question 46

Examine the rise of the Mesopotamians.What were the political and cultural foundations of their society? Who were the most important leaders?

Question 47

Examine the question of monotheism.Why was it such an unusual religious view in the ancient world?

Question 48

Examine the social structure of the Mesopotamians.Were there great divisions between the different social classes? How have the social distinctions changed since the period of prehistory?

Question 49

What does the Epic of Gilgamesh tell us about the worldview of the Mesopotamians? Why might there not be an Egyptian equivalent?

Question 50

What role did technological innovations and trade play in the rise of the Mesopotamians? What innovations led to turning points in the histories of these societies? How widely did they trade?

Question 51

Examine the reign of Hammurabi.In what ways was his reign the high point of Mesopotamian history? Explain the significance of his code.

Question 52

Examine the creation of early methods of writing.How did this innovation influence the lives of the peoples of the ancient world?