Deck 9: Early Dynastic Mesopotamia

Question 1

Chapter 9 examines the _______________ and ________________ foundations of Mesopotamia.

A) Neolithic; Chalcolithic
B) Late Archaic; Mesolithic
C) Paleolithic; Cretaceous
D) Chalcolithic; Mammalian

Answer 1

A

Question 2

___________ were domesticated around 7500 cal BC along the Euphrates in northern Syria.

A) Honey bees
B) Sunflowers
C) Dogs
D) Cattle

Answer 2

D

Question 3

Mesolithic, Mesoamerica, Mesopotamia . . . The prefix "Meso" must mean ________________.

A) first
B) last
C) middle
D) super

Answer 3

C

Question 4

Painted pottery of the _____________ style is found across much of Mesopotamia and as far north as Turkey.

A) 'Ubaid
B) Mimbres
C) Eanna
D) Cuneiform

Question 5

An oikoi economy is based on _________________.

A) "yogurt"
B) "megavillages"
C) "superhouseholds"
D) "protolanguage"

Question 6

Değirmentepe is interpreted as a(n) ___________________.

A) ziggurat
B) 'Ubaid colony
C) sacred precinct
D) maize storage facility

Question 7

______________ was the first city-state of southern Mesopotamia.

A) Tell Oueili
B) Uruk
C) Ur
D) Ninkasi

Question 8

The Akkadian Empire was established by _______________ in 2334 BC.

A) Gilgamesh
B) Palpatine
C) Sargon I
D) Alexander the Great

Question 9

The Third Dynasty of Ur is also known as ________________.

A) PPNB
B) ED III
C) BM III
D) Ur III

Question 10

Most of the Mesopotamian region is located in the modern nation-state of ____________.

A) Iraq
B) Syria
C) Tunisia
D) Uruk

Question 11

Tell as-Sawwan dates from 6400 to 5700 cal BC during the _______________ period.

A) Adena
B) Samarran
C) Gravettian
D) Upper Paleolithic

Question 12

Sumerian civilization is also referred to as the ED or _________________ period.

A) Early Dynastic
B) Eridu Dynasty
C) Elite Deference
D) Enkidu Duel

Question 13

Each ED Mesopotamian city had a temple dedicated to ___________________.

A) a god or goddess
B) animistic spirits
C) moai
D) the feathered serpent

Question 14

An individual named Puabi, often referred to as a ___________ was buried at Ur.

A) pharaoh
B) lord
C) queen
D) magistrate

Question 15

4000-3100 BC is referred to as _________________ in Mesopotamia.

A) the Third Dynasty of Ur
B) the Uruk period
C) Basketmaker II
D) PPNA

Question 16

What role did slavery play in ED Mesopotamia?

A) Slavery was unknown at that time.
B) War captives could become slaves.
C) Every firstborn male was a slave.
D) Slavery was abolished by Hammurabi.

Question 17

"Protocuneiform" began as a(n) _______________ system.

A) ideographic
B) alphabetic
C) phonographic
D) syllabic

Question 18

It is estimated that Uruk had about _________________ residents within its walls.

A) 27
B) 15,000
C) 50,000
D) 110,000

Question 19

Chapter 9 focuses on __________________ city-states.

A) Namibian
B) Sumerian
C) Gungan
D) Persian

Question 20

Which of these was not a Middle Eastern domesticated species?

A) Cattle
B) Guinea pig
C) Goat
D) Sheep

Question 21

Clay figurines from Uruk and later periods often depict _____________________.

A) a bearded male
B) a winged pig
C) mountains of grain
D) a bearded female

Question 22

___________________ were at the bottom of the ED Mesopotamian hierarchy.

A) Bureaucrats
B) Craft specialists
C) Scribes
D) Slaves

Question 23

___________________ was a brief period that followed the Uruk period.

A) Larsa
B) Abrahamic
C) Jemdet Nasr
D) Epi-Dynastic

Question 24

Which of these was not a city-state of the Uruk period?

A) Ur
B) Göbekli Tepe
C) Nippur
D) Eridu

Question 25

The 'Ubaid period is marked by a _____________ style found across much of Mesopotamia.

A) basketry
B) pottery
C) burial
D) ziggurat

Question 26

Which technique would be best applied to dating a ceramic fragment from the PN?

A) Dendrochronology
B) Paleomagnetism
C) Potassium-argon dating
D) Thermoluminescence

Question 27

The _____________ and ______________ were sacred precincts of Uruk.

A) Jango; Boba
B) Eanna; Anu
C) Mohenjo; Daro
D) Qermez; Kosh

Question 28

Eventually cuneiform developed into a _________________ language.

A) Mayan
B) syllabic
C) protocuneiform
D) Neandertal

Question 29

_____________ is a PPN site in Iraq dating to 9000 cal BC.

A) Machu Picchu
B) Mezhirich
C) Mogollon
D) M'lefaat

Question 30

A written text of Mesopotamia was the ____________________________.

A) long count calendar
B) Popol Vuh
C) Bhagavad Gita
D) standard professions list

Question 31

The Tigris and Euphrates are defining rivers of the Mesopotamian region.

Question 32

Ur and Uruk are both located in Mesopotamia.

Question 33

Naboo is an alternate name for the Mesopotamian city of Uruk.

Question 34

Stepped pyramids at the end of the ED are called ziggurats.

Question 35

Most cuneiform texts were recorded on copper sheets.

Question 36

During the Uruk period, 85% of all written texts related to receipts and debts.

Question 37

Sumerians used barley to make beer.

Question 38

A legion is a mass of heavily armed infantry organized into a rectangle.

Question 39

Kings were often the only people in Mesopotamian city-states that were literate.

Question 40

Many archaeologists believe that the most important factor to the development of complex city-states was the presence of agricultural surpluses.

Question 41

What do the period designations PPN and PN stand for? Why was this technological transition significant?

Question 42

Why is the Değirmentepe site in Turkey interpreted as an 'Ubaid colony?

Question 43

At the Ali Kosh site in Iran, people were buried under the floors of dwellings. How has this been interpreted by archaeologists?

Question 44

Good tool stone was rare in southern Mesopotamia where Tell Oueili was located. What kinds of materials did people use as substitutes?

Question 45

Battles occurred between Early Dynastic Mesopotamian city-states. What did they fight over?

Question 46

Early Dynastic city-states had patron deities. Name one Sumerian god or goddess and his/her domain (i.e., the goddess of ________________).

Question 47

Human skulls that appear to have been exposed for long periods of time were discovered at the PPN site Qermez Dere. Why is this noteworthy? What might it indicate?

Question 48

What are the approximate dates of the Early Dynastic, "Sumerian Civilization," period in Mesopotamia?

Question 49

How does the Early Dynastic period relate chronologically to the Uruk period?

Question 50

The Tigris and Euphrates rivers define Mesopotamia ("land between the rivers"). Into which larger body of water do these major rivers flow?

Question 51

Describe an oikoi economy of Early Dynastic Mesopotamia and its social consequences.

Question 52

Why is the Royal Cemetery at Ur described as royal? What does Puabi's tomb reveal about social classes at Ur? Provide details about this burial.

Question 53

Uruk is often described as the world's first city. How many parallels can you draw between this early Mesopotamian city and the metropolises of today?

Question 54

In the archaeological study of Early Dynastic Mesopotamia, we have, for the first time, the luxury of written records to supplement the material record. What are some specific details this writing makes "knowable"?

Question 55

Outline the evolution of the written word in Mesopotamia. What were the major "steps" toward written language as we know it?