Deck 2: Peoples,Gods,and Empires: 1700–500 B.C.E

Question 1

The New Kingdom,particularly the Eighteenth Dynasty,was marked by:

A) a return to traditional values of peaceful rule and indifference to the world.
B) the ultimate triumph of the Hyksos and the fall of the Egyptian empire.
C) the failure of Pharaoh Amuse to control his military forces.
D) the peak of Egyptian cultural achievement, and political and military power.
E) the conversion of the entire Egyptian society to monotheism and their rejection of their traditional gods and goddesses.

Answer 1

the peak of Egyptian cultural achievement, and political and military power.

Question 2

Hattusilis and his successors eventually expanded the Hittite Kingdom by:

A) satisfying the demands of the warrior nobility, who became Mursilis's greatest ally.
B) annexing the neighboring kingdom of Babylon and using it as a base of operation.
C) sacking the fabled city of Babylon and collecting its riches.
D) negotiating with the Egyptians and signing a formal peace treaty with them.
E) defeating the Mitannians by inventing the chariot for use in battle.

Answer 2

sacking the fabled city of Babylon and collecting its riches.

Question 3

During the first millennium B.C.E.:

A) bronze slowly replaced iron as the primary component of tools and weapons.
B) iron slowly replaced bronze as the primary component of tools and weapons.
C) tempered copper slowly replaced bronze as the primary component of tools and weapons.
D) scholars from India to Ireland used the Sanskrit language in academic treatises.
E) Anatolia lost influence and was no longer a major player in Near East politics.

Answer 3

iron slowly replaced bronze as the primary component of tools and weapons.

Question 4

The Eighteenth Dynasty in Egypt produced many strong pharaohs,among them:

A) Ramses II.
B) Ptah-Hotep.
C) Menkaure.
D) Ankhesenamen.
E) Hatshesut.

Question 5

During the Hyksos period in Egypt (seventeenth-sixteenth centuries B.C.E.):

A) foreigners took over government in northern Egypt and acted like pharaohs.
B) the invaders maintained their connections with the Aegean, Syria, and Palestine.
C) the weakened government in the south lost control of Nubian (present-day Sudan).
D) some Hyksos rulers incorporated the name of the god Ra into their own names.
E) all of these

Question 6

Prior to the coming of the Hyksos,the ancient EgyptiAnswer:

A) regarded their country as the secure center of the cosmos.
B) were pessimistic about finding happiness in the afterlife.
C) spent vast sums on armies and fortresses for defense.
D) refused to trade with other peoples of the Near East.
E) ruled an empire stretching from the Indus River to Nubia.

Question 7

"Indo-European," as used in historical or anthropological texts,refers to:

A) someone whose parents belong to different races from India and Europe.
B) linguistic and cultural patterns found in India, the Near East, Europe, and perhaps the Far East.
C) the inhabitants of the strip of land connecting Asia and Europe.
D) the view that Hindus and ancient Goths had much in common.
E) all Western cultures that arose out of western Europe.

Question 8

The people who settled in Anatolia around 2000 B.C.E.and built a powerful,militaristic kingdom there over the next four hundred years are known as the:

A) Philistines.
B) Assyrians.
C) Babylonians.
D) Hittites.
E) Chaldeans.

Question 9

In 1786 Sir William Jones,an expert in oriental studies,suggested that:

A) Mesopotamian civilization died out because of drought.
B) out of respect for the dead, ancient sites should not be excavated.
C) bones found in Anatolia matched those of an Egyptian mummy.
D) ancient Greek and Sanskrit descended from a common, Indo-European linguistic source.
E) the remains of the Trojan civilization could be found in northern Greece.

Question 10

The Mitannians introduced lighter chariots to carry archers,but:

A) they were not strong enough to defeat Assyria.
B) their opponents soon copied them and used protective armor.
C) they could not negotiate effectively with Hittites and Egyptians.
D) the kingdom of Israel defeated them anyway.
E) such chariots could not be used on the rocky terrain of Egypt.

Question 11

The culture of the Hittites was:

A) hindered by their lack of writing.
B) preserved for posterity by the Kassittes.
C) based on ideas borrowed from the Hebrews.
D) strongly militaristic, prone to attacks on other peoples.
E) the source of all Middle Eastern cultures that followed them.

Question 12

The "self-conscious cosmopolitanism" of the Late Bronze Age:

A) refers to women's liberation from traditional family values.
B) included the adoption of hieroglyphics across the known world.
C) developed as ancient cultures actively exchanged goods and ideas.
D) was resisted by the coastal towns of Sidon and Byblos.
E) refers to the insularity of the various cultures of the Near and Middle East.

Question 13

During the Late Bronze Age (1500-1200 B.C.E.)in the ancient Near East,the two great imperial powers were:

A) New Kingdom Egypt and the Hittite empire.
B) New Kingdom Egypt and classical Greece.
C) the Sumerians and the Egyptians.
D) the Hebrews and the Canaanites.
E) the Canaanites and the Hittite empire.

Question 14

The priests at the greatest Egyptian temple complexes at Thebes:

A) were discredited by their association with the hated Hyksos.
B) required believers to approach on their knees and beg forgiveness.
C) received special favor from the Eighteenth Dynasty, which worshiped Amon-Ra.
D) supported Amenhotep IV's religious reform program.
E) led the change in Egyptian religion polytheism to monotheism.

Question 15

Akhenaten represents one of the earliest moves,in Western history,toward:

A) a centralized government with all authority resting with the ruler.
B) centralized planning of all aspects of the country's economy.
C) a regulated system of delivering messages throughout the country.
D) monotheism in religious practices.
E) all of these

Question 16

As part of his religious reform,Amenhotep IV changed his name to Akhenaten and:

A) emphasized his father's manner of devotion.
B) founded a new capital called Akhetaten (near the modern city of el-Amarna).
C) sponsored artwork that depicted the new pharaoh as a masculine god in the shape of a falcon-headed man.
D) constructed the Great Pyramid at Gaza as a memorial to his family.
E) returned the capital of Egypt to Memphis from Thebes.

Question 17

Thutmosis III was remarkable for:

A) his attempt to obliterate the memory of his Horus-Ra predecessors.
B) changing the Egyptian religion from polytheism to monotheism.
C) military campaigns in Palestine, including the capture of Jerusalem.
D) ruling over Egypt, Palestine, and the lands from Nubia in the south to the Euphrates River in the north.
E) his defeat at the hands of the Hyksos at the battle of Kadesh.

Question 18

When Akhenaten died and was succeeded by Tutankhamen:

A) Tutankhamen continued the religious reforms of his predecessor.
B) the priests of Amon knew their cause was hopeless.
C) Egypt had a leader who could preserve its imperial power.
D) the Hebrews took advantage of the opportunity to flee Egypt.
E) the new pharaoh rejected his predecessor's beliefs and changed his name.

Question 19

By the fourteenth century B.C.E.,international relations were marked by:

A) suspicions and hostility: states wanted as little contact as possible.
B) strictly limited trade in essential goods only: grain, oil, wine, and salt.
C) feelings of brotherhood between the Hittites and the Assyrians.
D) diplomatic standards, polite forms of address, gifts, and alliances.
E) continual warfare between the regional powers.

Question 20

The division of property and wealth in New Kingdom Egypt:

A) favored the pharaoh, the officer class, and the temples of the gods.
B) guaranteed employment for all, from soldiers to peasants and artisans.
C) led to discontent among the masses and calls for reform.
D) was among the most generous of all ancient civilizations.
E) was equitable for all and represents the earliest communitarian society.

Question 21

The MinoAnswer:

A) engaged in trade, not piracy, to obtain needed goods.
B) were civil servants in a redistributive economy, not warriors.
C) wrote tablets in Linear A to record their economic transactions.
D) can be identified as non-Greek allies of the Hittites and Egyptians.
E) were a warrior peoples who conquered most of the eastern Mediterranean.

Question 22

The earlier Assyrian empire had been devastated by the _________,but in the ninth century B.C.E.,the foundations for a neo-Assyrian empire were laid by Assurnasirpal II.

A) Phoenicians
B) Mycenaeans
C) Minoans
D) Sea Peoples
E) Egyptians

Question 23

Many small kingdoms arose in the Levant during the early Iron Age as a result of:

A) the collapse of the Mycenaean civilization.
B) the importation of grapes to the area.
C) the collapse of the Egyptian Nineteenth Dynasty.
D) the defeat of the Philistines by the Hebrews.
E) the bronze mines of the Hittites being depleted.

Question 24

The Hebrew Bible is an unparalleled historical source that describes the cultural practices and theological development of the Hebrew people.However,most historians believe that:

A) the biblical stories are essentially unique to the Hebrews, with no parallels in other Near Eastern societies.
B) few historical events actually happened as they are described in the text.
C) it represents a factual account of the events it relates-the most accurate record of the period we have today.
D) the Hebrew people never really struggled with the Canaanites.
E) the Bible's composite nature means that each biblical book should be analyzed within its particular context.

Question 25

Members of the group known in the Hebrew Bible (Old Testament)as the Philistines:

A) were descended from the Egyptians.
B) had friendly relations with the Hebrews.
C) brought grapevines and olive trees to the Levant.
D) had no contact with the Mycenaeans or the Greeks.
E) left a legacy of literature and law to the West.

Question 26

Influenced by their long struggle to survive,the AssyriAnswer:

A) tried to appease their neighbors' demands for food and land.
B) refused to share their advanced culture and political system.
C) created a multicultural union of civilized states.
D) acted very aggressively toward other peoples.
E) developed a diverse cultural empire that outlasted its political influence.

Question 27

The Phoenicians are also known as the:

A) Assyrians.
B) Babylonians.
C) Canaanites.
D) Hebrews.
E) Levants.

Question 28

The system of writing developed by the citizens of Ugarit:

A) combined Egyptian hieroglyphics and Mesopotamian cuneiform.
B) used an alphabet of about thirty symbols for the consonants.
C) was hopelessly inefficient for the needs of trade.
D) constituted a secret language used by diplomats and spies.
E) was adopted throughout the region as an easier alternative to Phoenician.

Question 29

Heinrich Schliemann and Sir Arthur EvAnswer:

A) were archaeologists who dug up Troy, Mycenae, and Knossos.
B) refused to accept the historical character of Homer's Iliad and Odyssey.
C) argued that the Greeks had taken all their ideas from African cultures.
D) discovered the source of the annual flooding of the Nile.
E) were archaeologists who discovered Pharos, the lighthouse of Alexandria.

Question 30

"Aegean civilization" was long thought to have been:

A) lost to barbarian conquests in northern Africa.
B) the legendary or prehistoric component of Greek civilization.
C) invented by Virgil, Lucretius, and other ancient poets.
D) an aspect of Egyptian foreign policy and colonization.
E) lost with the sinking of Atlantis.

Question 31

The Hebrew people,according to archaeological and linguistic evidence,were essentially:

A) Egyptian.
B) Philistine.
C) Chaldean.
D) Canaanite.
E) Hyksos.

Question 32

King David's rule was significant in establishing:

A) the principle of monarchy: in God's eyes, whatever a king does is right.
B) the idea of Israel as a unified nation, fulfilling God's promises.
C) Israeli claims to rule over the East Bank of the Jordan.
D) an empire that dominated its neighbors for centuries.
E) a ruling family that has lasted to the present day.

Question 33

During the eleventh century B.C.E.,the Hebrews united:

A) in a desire to abandon the rule by judges and begin the rule by kings.
B) with the Phoenicians to drive out the Philistines.
C) to form a great empire that ranged from Egypt to Persia.
D) their forces to overthrow kings Saul, David, and Solomon.
E) under the prophetess Deborah to defeat the Persians.

Question 34

Relations after 1500 B.C.E.are more appropriately referred to as "transnational" because:

A) of the transcendence of Egypt during the Eighteenth Dynasty.
B) the superpowers of the Near East created the first multinational governing body.
C) the political and economic networks transcended national boundaries and identities.
D) of the emergence of the Persian Empire as the sole political entity in the region.
E) all of these

Question 35

Mycenaean Greece played a central role in Bronze Age networks as evidenced by:

A) the artifacts of Chinese origin found in the ruins of Mycenaean Troy.
B) the written language of the Mycenaean Greeks, Linear B, that was used in all transnational trade.
C) correspondence sent by the Hittite king Hattusilis III to the "King of Ahhiyawa."
D) Mycenaean cylinder seals discovered in Babylon.
E) Mycenaean pottery discovered in the Indus River valley of India.

Question 36

In the Book of Judges,the Hebrew people:

A) begin to settle and organize themselves into twelve tribes.
B) build a magnificent temple to their God in Jerusalem.
C) receive detailed laws on marriage, divorce, property, etc.
D) are ruled by kings who pay tribute to the Assyrians.
E) establish a court in Jerusalem to hear cases concerning property rights.

Question 37

Around 1200 B.C.E.,an inscription by Pharaoh Ramses III records:

A) the end of the Late Bronze Age and the first use of iron.
B) an Egyptian victory over the "Sea Peoples," invaders from the North.
C) drastic measures because of overpopulation, food shortages, and war.
D) the terror felt by the kings of Ugarit and Alashiya.
E) his release of the Hebrew people from Egypt.

Question 38

The Phoenicians' greatest contribution to civilization was:

A) their alphabet.
B) a green dye made from seaweed.
C) printing blocks with movable type.
D) a faster sailing ship with triangular sails.
E) the founding of a colony at Carthage.

Question 39

The division of the ancient kingdom of Israel was:

A) the result of its being conquered by the Chaldeans.
B) a result of Solomon's decision to cut the "baby" in half.
C) in response to popular demands to revive Ba'al-worship.
D) God's way of protecting the faithful from foreign aggression.
E) provoked by Solomon's oppressive regime.

Question 40

Assurbanipal II,king of Assyria,has the distinction of:

A) acquiring a deserved reputation for cruelty and savagery.
B) being a heretic who turned away from traditional Assyrian religion.
C) losing the decisive battle that ended Assyrian dominance.
D) establishing a great library to collect Mesopotamian culture.
E) being a benevolent ruler who handed the throne over to his son and became a priest.

Question 41

The effect of the arrival of the Sea Peoples on the Near East was to force fledgling kingdoms to unite,through conquest or consent,in order to stand up to this new threat.

Question 42

The followers of Zoroastrianism believed in:

A) polytheism, animal sacrifice, and magical rituals.
B) Ahura-Mazda (truth/light) struggling with Ahriman (evil/darkness).
C) individual guardian angels who protect believers and punish wrongdoers.
D) public cult worship sponsored by the Persian government.
E) reincarnation through multiple lives to achieve perfection.

Question 43

Savage violence and terror were characteristic of Assyrian warfare and foreign policy from their rise as a power in 1900 B.C.E.

Question 44

Thutmosis III was the pharaoh who expelled the Hyksos and restored Egyptian confidence and reunification.

Question 45

The term thalassocracy means "sea empire."

Question 46

Anatolia grew in wealth and became urbanized in part due to the Assyrians who changed from a nomadic lifestyle to become caravan merchants.

Question 47

The center of Mycenaean society was the village,which gave a sense of family and responsibility to the people and encouraged loyalty to the king,who was depicted as a father to his people.

Question 48

Unlike other rulers,Cyrus of Persia (559-529 B.C.E.):

A) introduced metallic coinage in Asia Minor.
B) took the Hebrew people into captivity in his capital city.
C) lost a great empire to the barbarian tribes of Central Asia.
D) allowed self-rule and religious freedom to conquered peoples.
E) allowed self-rule to conquered peoples who accepted the Persian religion.

Question 49

Before the Persian empire could be formed,the Persian people had first to defeat their rulers,the:

A) Babylonians.
B) Egyptians.
C) Lydians.
D) Assyrians.
E) Chaldeans.

Question 50

One belief that other Western religions took from Zoroastrianism is the idea:

A) of an ultimate battle between the forces of good and those of evil.
B) of a Day of Judgment.
C) that one ought to live a life of helping others.
D) of a rewarding afterlife for believers.
E) all of these

Question 51

The accomplishments of King Darius of Persia included:

A) recruiting foreign mercenaries for his armies.
B) building roads for transport and postal service.
C) extending Persian rule over Greece and the Aegean.
D) capturing the bandits that had terrorized Persepolis.
E) conquering the civilization of the Indus River Valley.

Question 52

The Assyrian king:

A) also served as chief priest of the Assyrian religion.
B) was in constant conflict with the chief priests of the Assyrian religion who used their power over the people to challenge the powers of the ruling class.
C) did not act as a military leader but as a god embodied on earth.
D) was chosen from a band of select warriors rather than being a hereditary position.
E) was purely a military leader who ruled with a co-king who was the political leader.

Question 53

Trade in the Late Bronze Age was increasingly seaborne,rather than riverborne,and allowed smaller,seaside centers to become powerful city-states.

Question 54

Zarathustra attempted to redefine religion:

A) as a set of ritual practices centered on animal sacrifice.
B) so that it would be concerned more with dietary rules and ritual.
C) as the mystical insights achieved through fasting.
D) as ethical practices common to all people.
E) as practices centered on temple worship conducted by priests.

Question 55

The Greek term Phoenician means "purple people."

Question 56

Although not original with them,the monotheism as developed by the Hebrew people differed from other religions by the:

A) continued recognition of other gods and goddesses.
B) development of particular ritual practices that differed from other religions.
C) rejection of a priestly class to direct their religious practices.
D) designation of a woman as high priest for the Temple at Shiloh.
E) acceptance of Asherah as the sole divinity.

Question 57

The Minoans' reputation as a peaceful,matriarchal society is unlikely.

Question 58

The defeat of the Assyrians and destruction of Nineveh was:

A) the work of Medes from Iran and the Chaldeans (neo-Babylonians).
B) fortunate for subject peoples, who were finally freed from oppression.
C) attributed to a loss of popular confidence in Assur.
D) commemorated by sculptures and plaques in the palace wall.
E) the work of an alliance between the Canaanites, Philistines, and Phoenicians.

Question 59

The Second Intermediate Period in Egyptian history was brought about by the conquest of Lower Egypt by a Semitic-speaking people who employed horse-drawn battle chariots in their warfare.

Question 60

The Hebrew cult of Yahweh emphasized:

A) miracles, healing, and worship at local tabernacles.
B) obedience to all earthly rulers as agents of God.
C) self-sacrifice and living in isolation in the desert.
D) the protective covenant between God and his people, helping transcend the old divisions between Israel and Judah.
E) the personal nature of the relationship between God and each individual adult Hebrew male.

Question 61

We know very little about the Philistines because they left no written records.

Question 62

What are the advantages of monotheism as illustrated through the experiment of Akhenaten and the Hebrew nation?

Question 63

Although the Phoenicians were great colonizers of the Mediterranean,they remained strict separatists,having little cultural interaction with the non-Semitic peoples they encountered.

Question 64

Analyze the role of warfare and terror in the formation,rulership,and fall of the Assyrian empire.

Question 65

Compare and contrast the strengths and weaknesses of the Davidic dynasty in the Hebrew kingdom.

Question 66

The Phoenicians were descendants of the Peleset,one of the Sea Peoples.They introduced the olive and the grapevine to the Near East and based much of their power in the area from large citadels and control over local trade routes and a monopoly over metalsmithing that made it virtually impossible for their enemies to forge their own weapons.

Question 67

How did the cultures of the Minoans and Mycenaeans contribute to the development of Greece?

Question 68

Describe the effect of the Sea Peoples on the kingdoms and economies of the Late Bronze Age.

Question 69

The "Babylonian Captivity" of the Hebrew people was begun in the rule of Cyrus the Great.

Question 70

What differences separated the empires of the Bronze Age from those of the Early Iron Age?

Question 71

What was the effect of the Hyksos invasion on Egypt?

Question 72

What factors contributed to the success of the Persian empire?

Question 73

In what ways can it be said the Late Bronze Age was an "international system"?

Question 74

In what ways was Zoroastrianism a radical departure from other Near Eastern religions?

Question 75

By the end of Solomon's rule,the cult of Yahweh had expelled all worship of foreign deities and acted as a glue to hold the Hebrew kingdom together after the Davidic dynasty ended.