Deck 2: Religions of Antiquity

Question 1

To the peoples of the ancient world, religion meant ________.

A) honoring the gods by participating in customary practices
B) accepting a set of particular beliefs concerning the gods
C) union with a deity through meditation and asceticism
D) studying sacred texts to discover the divine will

Answer 1

A

Question 2

Daimones was a Greek name for ________.

A) demigods
B) the omnipotent God
C) evil forces
D) minor gods

Answer 2

D

Question 3

Six of the twelve great deities who, according to the ancient Greeks, inhabited Mount Olympus, included _______.

A) Zeus, Aphrodite, Marduk, Apollo, Dionysus, and Isis
B) Hera, Athena, Aphrodite, Hermes, Asclepius, and Dionysus
C) Hera, Athena, Artemis, Hermes, Hephaestus, and Ares
D) Zeus, Hera, Ares, Athena, Poseidon, and Herodotus

Answer 3

C

Question 4

Ancient deities included ________.

A) gods, nymphs, the dead, and divinized emperors
B) gods and demigods (heroes, personified abstractions, etc.)
C) great gods, secondary gods, and minor gods
D) all of the above

Question 5

Gilgamesh was ________.

A) the patron of a Greek city
B) a Sumerian king elevated to god status
C) an Islamic prophet
D) the Egyptian supreme deity

Question 6

In the Epic of Gilgamesh, Enkidu had to die for ________.

A) slaying the Bull of Heaven sent by the gods
B) choosing to associate with Gilgamesh, instead of liberating the citizens of Uruk from the oppressive king
C) rejecting the amorous advances of the goddess Ishtar
D) not offering the bull as a sacrifice

Question 7

In an Egyptian mythology, a primeval androgynous god, personifying the undifferentiated waters, was named ______.

A) Ptah
B) Amun
C) Atum
D) Ra

Question 8

Rivalry among Osiris and Seth, with their sister-consorts Isis and Nephthys, formed the basis of ________.

A) Greek mythology
B) an Egyptian myth
C) a Babylonian epic
D) a Sumerian epic

Question 9

A Mesopotamian epic that elevates Marduk, the patron of Babylon, to the position of supreme god is called ________.

A) Gilgamesh
B) Theogony
C) Enuma Elish
D) the Bible

Question 10

The parts of the cosmos in Egyptian, Greek, and Mesopotamian myths are ________.

A) heaven and earth
B) heaven and hell
C) heaven, earth, and a netherworld
D) There are no distinctive parts in these myths.

Question 11

In Sumerian myths, the Tablet of Destinies ________.

A) included the prophesies of an oracle
B) assigned a specific responsibility to every god in the cosmic state
C) was a manual on ancient magic
D) contained an older version of the Ten Commandments

Question 12

According to Mesopotamian mythology, humans were created ________.

A) to realize their own potential
B) to serve the gods
C) to build a civilization
D) to overthrow the gods

Question 13

Hesiod's concept of a "Golden Race" referred to ________.

A) the historical decline of humankind
B) the Olympian gods
C) an ideal state (paradise)
D) the superiority of Greeks over barbarians

Question 14

In his Odyssey, Homer explains the cause of human suffering to be ________.

A) disobeying the gods
B) the flaws inherent in human nature
C) fate
D) all of the above

Question 15

The reason for the flood in the Mesopotamian myths was ________.

A) rivalry among the gods
B) to punish the immoral behavior of humans
C) to stem the unlimited procreation of humans
D) to provide a fresh start for humankind

Question 16

In the myth related in Virgil's Aeneid, Aeneas was ________.

A) the son of the goddess Venus and a human father
B) the founder of Rome
C) a refugee from Troy, a city destroyed by the Greeks
D) all of the above

Question 17

The goddess whose cult had originated near Troy and who was introduced into Rome from Greece in 204 BCE was called ________.

A) Sibyl
B) Venus
C) Isis
D) Cybele

Question 18

The purpose of ritual in ancient religions was ________.

A) to honor the gods in exchange for practical benefits
B) to elevate one's soul
C) to fulfill the will of the gods
D) as entertainment during the festivals

Question 19

The main elements of a public festival in ancient Greece included ________.

A) procession, meditation, animal sacrifices, competitions, and a communal meal
B) procession, hymns to the deity, animal sacrifices, games, and a banquet
C) displaying the god's statue, praising the deity, human sacrifices, games, and a banquet
D) procession, pledge of allegiance to the god, scripture readings, solemn prayers of thanksgiving

Question 20

In ancient Egypt and Mesopotamia, ritual purity was a requirement for ________.

A) priests and anyone entering a temple
B) gods and priests
C) priests and sacrificial animals
D) everyone

Question 21

In ancient world, women ________.

A) were responsible for home rituals but never served as female priests (priestesses) in the temples
B) were the only ones who participated in religious activities
C) were responsible for home rituals and often served as female priests (priestesses) in the temples
D) were not allowed to participate in any religious activities

Question 22

The Iliad was believed to be written by ________.

A) Hesiod
B) Homer
C) Xenophanes
D) Ovid

Question 23

The Iliad describes a war between ________.

A) gods
B) the Greeks and the Trojans
C) humans and gods
D) all of the above

Question 24

The oracle at Delphi was believed to be ________.

A) a priestess through whom the god Apollo was said to speak
B) a temple of the goddess Aphrodite
C) a title of the high priest
D) a ritual performed by a priestess

Question 25

In Mesopotamia, shimtu meant ________.

A) a common method of divination
B) a cycle of reincarnation
C) that which has been decreed
D) the sacred texts

Question 26

Examination of a sheep's liver in Mesopotamia and Rome was ________.

A) part of food-based rituals for priests
B) part of the sacrifice ritual
C) a common method of divination
D) a ritual imitating the cosmic order

Question 27

The Egyptian Instruction for Merikare is a guide for ________.

A) lovers
B) kings/queens
C) priests/priestesses
D) warriors

Question 28

According to Egyptians, Ma'at, a member of the divine tribunal awaiting the deceased, was the goddess of ________.

A) truth, justice, and order
B) compassion and forgiveness
C) art and trades
D) love and fertility

Question 29

Who equated the Egyptian gods with their Greek counterparts?

A) Xeno
B) Homer
C) Herodotus

Question 30

The Egyptian goddess Isis was popular in the entire ancient world as a symbol of ________.

A) the moon
B) wisdom
C) justice
D) motherhood

Question 31

A __________ is an inscribed stone sculpture prominent in ancient Egyptian homes.

A) Magnus
B) Vesta
C) Gathas
D) Stela

Question 32

The Egyptian texts (e.g., tomb autobiographies, The Book of the Dead, and The Instruction for Merikare) and Greek writings (e.g., Cleanthes' Hymn to Zeus) emphasize ________.

A) the importance of rituals
B) giving to charity
C) a universal law of justice
D) mystical union with the deity

Question 33

The Greek thinker who rejected the anthropomorphic view of the divine and proposed the idea of a supreme universal god was ________.

A) Cicero
B) Hesiod
C) Euripides
D) Xenophanes

Question 34

In Greece, family "cults of the dead" included ________.

A) making offerings on the anniversaries of family members' deaths
B) building pyramids
C) magic rituals
D) building elaborate underground shrines for deceased relatives

Question 35

In Homer's Odyssey, the underworld is presented as ________.

A) a gloomy and meaningless existence
B) the ideal place to be
C) not different from our world
D) the kingdom of evil

Question 36

The Roman Empire's shift from traditional pagan beliefs to Christianity occurred under Emperor ________.

A) Constantine
B) Adrian
C) Nero
D) Julian

Question 37

Amun-Ra is the name of ________.

A) the supreme god of the Olympic pantheon
B) a Sumerian king elevated to god status
C) the original place of the Sibylline Oracles
D) the principal Egyptian state god

Question 38

Osiris is the name of ________.

A) an Egyptian god
B) the pre-eminent judge of the dead
C) the ruler of the netherworld
D) all of the above

Question 39

Tiamat is the name of ________.

A) the female monster who represented primeval chaos in Enuma Elish
B) a priestess of Apollo in Delphi
C) fate ("a decree of the gods") in Mesopotamian myths
D) the Egyptian goddess of truth who judges the dead at the divine tribunal

Question 40

Theogony is ________.

A) an Egyptian book describing the underworld
B) a Sumerian goddess of fertility
C) an account of the origin of the gods written by the Greek poet Hesiod
D) a divination ritual used in the Eleusinian mysteries

Question 41

The symbol of supernatural power of the Mesopotamian deities was ________.

A) a halo surrounding their heads
B) a bird on the shoulder
C) a crown
D) a sword

Question 42

The god _________ was the patron god of Babylon and later became the supreme ruler of the Mesopotamian pantheon.

A) Seth
B) Marduk
C) Amun-Ra
D) Jupiter

Question 43

The oldest known example of monumental architecture is found ________.

A) in Israel near Jerusalem
B) next to the Euphrates river
C) on a mountain top in northern Greece
D) at Gobekli Tepe

Question 44

Catalhoyuk is ________.

A) a Turkish term meaning burial place
B) an ancient site of prophecy in Sumer
C) an ancient center that produced rituals and food and was both a settlement and a cemetery
D) a Greek term meaning burial ritual

Question 45

The signature artifact at Catalhoyuk is a _______________.

A) large breasted female about to give birth
B) a ancient statue of Isis surrounded by the sun and moon
C) a temple devoted to Marduk
D) one of the world's first Christian crosses

Question 46

Nabta Playawas an ancient site which is ________.

A) important for our understanding of where monuments were situated
B) considered foundational for much of what would become central to Egyptian civilization, including religion, for the next several millennia
C) crucial for our understanding of astral religion
D) thought to be the only place to have revered cows

Question 47

Even among the many gods found in ancient civilizations, there was found one god who ________.

A) dealt only with human concerns
B) was supreme
C) was never represented by a statue
D) interacted with humans more than any other god

Question 48

The earliest gods corresponded to ________.

A) natural phenomena
B) human characteristics
C) astral bodies
D) creatures in the sea

Question 49

One major characteristic of the gods in the ancient world was their ________.

A) omniscience
B) refusal to descend to earth
C) ability to deal with earthly problems
D) ability to foretell

Question 50

The trend of appropriating different gods of similar character from different cultures is understood as ________.

A) a lack of imagination
B) syncretism
C) always indicating the decline of a religious tradition
D) rarely successful

Question 51

The intellectual's mode of understanding the world was generally written in the form of ________.

A) poetry
B) song
C) myth
D) philosophy

Question 52

The foremost ritual act for people of the ancient world was ________.

A) bathing
B) prayer
C) sacrifice
D) worshipping with a statue of a god

Question 53

In the ancient world, anyone entering a sacred space needed first ________.

A) to consult with a priest
B) to seek the advice of an oracle
C) enter a trance-like state
D) to be pure both physically and morally

Question 54

Extispicy is the ________.

A) scribal act of writing down prophecy
B) priestly act of purification
C) prophetic act of renunciation
D) examination of the inner organs (exta), primarily livers, of sacrificed animals

Question 55

One important function of Egyptian tombs was ________.

A) to serve as everlasting homes for the dead
B) to promote the practice of worshipping the dead
C) to provide a place for prayers
D) to show the prosperity of the deceased

Question 56

Regarding death, peoples of the ancient world believed that ________.

A) only the spirit of the righteous lived on
B) a person's importance in this world determined his life in the next.
C) the body of the deceased contained the spirit
D) the spirit of the deceased lived on

Question 57

For the Stoic philosopher Seneca, death ________.

A) resulted in a number of different stages
B) was a place of shades
C) was not something to be feared as it was either an end or a transition
D) did not entail a series of tests that had to be passed

Question 58

Eleusis was home to the ________.

A) mystery cult of Demeter and her daughter Persephone
B) goddesses of the home
C) gods of the north
D) fertility cult of Astarte

Question 59

The roots of the worship of Magna Mater can be traced back at least to ________.

A) Persia
B) Mesopotamia
C) Turkey
D) Rome

Question 60

The Greek term hubris means ________.

A) folly
B) loving kindness
C) arrogant pride
D) holiness

Question 61

While encountering other religions, ancients would identify foreign gods with their own.

Question 62

Creation out of nothing is a concept fundamental to the Egyptian creation myths.

Question 63

Classical Mesopotamian myth regarded humanity as flawed from the beginning.

Question 64

. Ancient Egyptian priests were circumcised, observed food taboos, and washed themselves several times each day.

Question 65

. Some Sumerian women held high priestly offices.

Question 66

. Ancient pantheons had as many goddesses as gods.

Question 67

. In the ancient world, diagnostic omens were based on physical or behavioral characteristics

Question 68

. The creation of humans was not a major theme in ancient Egypt.

Question 69

. Gobekli Tepe's builders were pre-agricultural foragers.

Question 70

. Catalhoyuk, located in modern-day Turkey, was an early agricultural town, inhabited from 7400 to 6000 BCE.

Question 71

. One part of the complex at Nabta Playa, labelled the Valley of Sacrifices, held several burials, including the remains of entire cattle.

Question 72

. The Egyptian goddess Hathor was depicted as a fox.

Question 73

. Ptah was a Mesopotamian creator god.

Question 74

A hagiography is a biographical account of a saintly figure.

Question 75

Ahura Mazda translates into "Wise Lord" and is the omnipotent god in Zoroastrianism,

Question 76

The central scriptural text in Zoroastrianism is the Avesta.

Question 77

One of the major teachings of Zoroastrianism is cosmic dualism between good and evil.

Question 78

The Zoroastrians who left Iran for Western India are called Manicheans

Question 79

Mani and his Elect were tasked with liberating darkness from the light

Question 80

One of the most famous former Manicheans was St. Augustine