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

Question 1

Thutmose I 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.

Answer 1

ruling over Egypt,Palestine,and the lands from Nubia in the south to the Euphrates River in the north.

Question 2

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 from polytheism to monotheism.

Answer 2

received special favor from the Eighteenth Dynasty,which worshiped Amon-Ra.

Question 3

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.

Answer 3

strongly militaristic,prone to attacks on other peoples.

Question 4

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

A) foreigners took over government in Lower 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 Nubia (present-day Sudan).
D) some Hyksos rulers incorporated the name of the god Ra into their own names.
E) all of these

Question 5

"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 6

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 7

"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 8

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 9

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.

Question 10

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 11

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 12

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.

Question 13

The Mitannians introduced lighter chariots to carry archers,but:

A) they were not strong enough to defeat Assyria.
B) their opponents soon copied their tactics.
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 14

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 15

When Akhenaten died and was succeeded by Tutankhamun:

A) Tutankhamun 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 16

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

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

Question 17

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 18

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 19

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 20

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 21

The Minoans:

A) engaged in 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 Hebrew people,according to archaeological and linguistic evidence,were essentially:

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

Question 23

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 24

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 25

Around 1176 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 26

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 27

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 28

The Phoenicians are also known as the:

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

Question 29

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 30

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 31

Influenced by their long struggle to survive,the Assyrians:

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 32

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 33

During the eleventh century B.C.E.,an influential tribal judge,Samuel,began the process by which the Hebrews unite:

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

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

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

Question 35

Heinrich Schliemann and Sir Arthur Evans:

A) were archaeologists who dug up Troy 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 36

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 37

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 38

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 among the Canaanites,Philistines,and Phoenicians.

Question 39

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 40

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 41

Although the Minoans created a sizeable sea empire,they found it unnecessary to fortify their capital city,Knossos.

Question 42

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

Question 43

The term thalassocracy means "sea empire."

Question 44

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 45

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.

Question 46

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 47

What was the effect of the Hyksos invasion on Egypt?

Question 48

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 49

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

Question 50

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 51

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

Question 52

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

Question 53

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

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

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 Last Day or 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 56

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

Question 57

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 58

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 59

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 60

The Greek term Phoenician means "purple people."

Question 61

In what ways can it be said that the Late Bronze Age was a "transnational system"?

Question 62

What factors contributed to the success of the Persian empire?

Question 63

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

Question 64

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

Question 65

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

Question 66

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

Question 67

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

Question 68

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

Question 69

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