Deck 3: The Mediterranean and Middle East

Question 1

German businessman and archaeologist Heinrich Schliemann found shaft graves at which excavation site?

A) Troy.
B) Mycenae.
C) Crete.
D) Pylos.
E) Corinth.

Answer 1

Mycenae.

Question 2

Transportation in western Asia was revolutionized in the Later Bronze Age by the introduction of

A) zebra.
B) ox.
C) horses.
D) elephants.
E) wheel.

Answer 2

horses.

Question 3

The language of diplomacy and government correspondence in the Mesopotamian regions was

A) Aramaic
B) Egyptian
C) Kassite
D) Akkadian
E) Babylonian.

Answer 3

Akkadian

Question 4

The Late Bronze Age in the Middle East was a "cosmopolitan era" because

A) elements of culture were widely shared.
B) it was primarily an urban-based society.
C) lifestyles were radically different from all that had gone before.
D) different groups of people remained isolated.
E) most civilizations adopted identical religions, laws, and social structures.

Question 5

The era of the New Kingdom in Egypt is characterized by restoration of Egyptian rule and

A) a return to isolationism.
B) a military alliance with the Hittites.
C) expansion north into Syria and south into Nubia.
D) a return to democracy.
E) Nubian rebellion.

Question 6

Writing in Mycenaean Greece is done in what form?

A) Linear B
B) Ogam
C) Runes
D) Cuneiform
E) Oracle bones

Question 7

The pharaoh Akhenaten is credited by many historians with

A) the invention of monotheism.
B) implementing political reforms that harmed the majority of Egyptians.
C) linking his wealth to the traditional system.
D) damaging the economy beyond repair.
E) permanently reforming corrupt temple priests in Egypt.

Question 8

Which of the following were common to Assyrian artwork?

A) deportations
B) military conquest.
C) lion hunting
D) torture
E) all of the above

Question 9

The prosperous civilization on the Aegean island of Crete in the second millennium B.C.E. was

A) Greek.
B) Macedonia.
C) Minoan.
D) Mycanae.
E) Anatolian.

Question 10

Which civilization collapsed first?

A) Minoan
B) Mycenaean
C) Hittite
D) Assyrian
E) Neo-Babylonian

Question 11

The epic poem of Homer, The Iliad, related the story of a war between the Greeks and the Hittites, based on the ten year siege and eventual destruction of the city of:

A) Athens
B) Lydia
C) Hattusha
D) Çatal Hüyük
E) Troy

Question 12

Before making any decisions, the Assyrian king would do what?

A) consult the gods with ritual divination
B) perform a ritual human sacrifice.
C) poll his military leaders.
D) take hallucinogens to commune with the divine forces
E) take a democratic vote of all male citizens.

Question 13

The two divisions within the population of Mesopotamia were

A) Assyrians and Sumerians
B) Sumerians and Babylonians.
C) Assyrians and Babylonians.
D) Sargonians and Ninevans.
E) Phoenicians and Kassites

Question 14

The Hittites were the foremost power from 1700 to 1200 B.C.E. in

A) Mesopotamia.
B) Anatolia.
C) Egypt.
D) Israel.
E) Persia.

Question 15

The Assyrian ruler was

A) a king.
B) a god.
C) the strongest warrior of the tribe.
D) both A and B.
E) we don't know how he was chosen.

Question 16

Which woman held the throne of the New Kingdom of Egypt?

A) Nefertiti
B) Cleopatra
C) Amon
D) Hatshepsut

Question 17

What resources did southern Greece and the Aegean have most?

A) Grapes, olives, and some grains
B) Flax, dates, and fish
C) Gold, copper, and reeds
D) Corn, squash, and potatoes
E) Fish, meat, and grain

Question 18

The collapse of the Mycenaean civilization is indicated by which of the following:

A) The disappearance of Linear B writing.
B) Destruction of palaces.
C) Competition for resources.
D) Disruption of trade routes.
E) All of the above.

Question 19

Which of the following is true of the rule of Akhenaten?

A) He built a new capital named Amarna.
B) He fostered a new style of naturalistic art.
C) He created a religious monotheistic revolution.
D) His wife was Nefertiti.
E) All of the above.

Question 20

The Hyksos were able to conquer Egypt because they had

A) horse-drawn chariots carrying archers with composite bows.
B) iron weapons.
C) control of the Nile Delta region, so they could restrict irrigation to Egyptian agriculture.
D) massive armed forces from a consolidated army of the Near East.
E) superior administrative organization.

Question 21

The "recollections" of the journey of Abraham _____.

A) is a proven accurate historical account of past event
B) indicate the polytheistic nature of Israelite religion
C) may compress the experiences of generations of pastoralists
D) accurately describes

Question 22

Israel is important partly because

A) it is the site of religious shrines to Medianites.
B) it is a crossroads to the Near East, Egypt, and Arabia.
C) it is the only access to the Mediterranean.
D) it is the site of perfect center under the North Star.
E) it had access to the murex snail, which produced purple dye.

Question 23

The Israelites became devoted to their stern and warlike god, Yahweh, during

A) the wars that drove them from Israel.
B) forty years of wandering in the desert.
C) their enslavement in Egypt.
D) their migration from Mesopotamia to Israel.
E) the Roman occupation.

Question 24

A monumental sanctuary built in Jerusalem by King Solomon in the tenth century B.C.E. to be the religious center for the Israelite god Yahweh was the

A) First Temple
B) Temple Mount.
C) Knights Templar
D) Holy Temple
E) Second Temple

Question 25

One important and peaceful legacy of Assyrian rule was _________.

A) mass deportations
B) the Library of Ashurbanipal
C) the Hebrew Bible
D) the egalitarian rule of their military
E) none of the above

Question 26

The chief tactic that the Assyrians used to maintain tranquility in their empire was

A) force and terror.
B) cultural toleration of a heterogeneous population.
C) monotheism.
D) requiring every man to serve in the military.
E) requiring no taxes of newly conquered areas.

Question 27

Belief in the existence of a single divine entity is referred to as

A) polytheism.
B) monotheism.
C) single worship.
D) cultural bias.
E) Judaism.

Question 28

A collection of sacred books containing diverse materials concerning the origins, experiences, beliefs, and practices of the Israelites is the

A) New Testament.
B) Hebrew Bible.
C) Book of Prophecies.
D) Tablet of Gilgemesh.
E) Iliad.

Question 29

The basic Israelite political structure before King Saul was

A) rule by chieftains of the twelve tribes (descendants of Joseph and Jacob).
B) patriarchal rule by the leader at Shiloh.
C) rule by whoever ruled in Jerusalem.
D) an oligarchy of judges.
E) the interpretation of prophets.

Question 30

After Solomon's death, the kingdom of Israel was split into

A) Judah and Israel.
B) Syria and Jerusalem.
C) the Jordan River Valley and Lebanon.
D) Lebanon and Assyria.
E) Assyria and Egypt.

Question 31

The Hebrew language of the Bible reflects the speech of the Israelites until about 500 B.C.E., when it was supplanted by ________.

A) Linear B
B) Phoenician
C) Hebrew
D) Aramaic
E) Assyrian

Question 32

What was the Ark of the Covenant?

A) the ship on which Noah saved all animals and his family during the Great Flood.
B) the graphic symbol of a broken circle on the Torah, symbolizing the Jewish diaspora
C) a sacred box containing the tablets of law given to Moses.
D) a transcription of Abraham's promise of monotheism in exchange for "a land of milk and honey."
E) the pact of government from which Samuel asked Saul to be the first king.

Question 33

The Library of ______ was a large collection of writings drawn from the ancient literary, religious, and scientific traditions of Mesopotamia.

A) Ninevah
B) Ashurbanipal
C) Ashur
D) Crete
E) Alexandria

Question 34

Which of the following poses a problem for interpreting the history of the early Israelites from the Bible?

A) They were pastoralists who did not write down their history for nearly 1,000 years.
B) The Bible was written for religious, not historical, purposes.
C) The Hebrew Bible was written in several phases by different people.
D) Hebrew civilization was interrupted by conquest several times.
E) These are all problematic.

Question 35

Solomon began an ambitious building project to create

A) the walled city of Jerusalem.
B) the Library of Alexandria.
C) the Wailing Wall.
D) the First Temple.
E) aqueducts and irrigation canals.

Question 36

Information about ancient Israel can be found in the

A) chronicles of Abraham.
B) Rosetta stone.
C) Rig Veda.
D) poems of Saul.
E) Hebrew Bible.

Question 37

How were the Assyrian elite bound to the monarch?

A) Oaths of obedience.
B) Fear of punishment.
C) Expectation of rewards.
D) All of the above.
E) They were not bound to the monarch.

Question 38

The rise of a centralized monarchy in Israel is typically attributed to _____.

A) Solomon
B) Abraham
C) Jacob
D) David
E) Joseph

Question 39

Which of the following is not one of the reasons that the Assyrians were able to conquer vast territories?

A) they had a large army of half a million men.
B) they used iron weapons.
C) they created a corps of professional soldiers.
D) they had engineers who developed machines to besiege fortified towns.
E) they had accomplished and wily diplomats.

Question 40

The forcible removal and relocation of large numbers of people or entire populations is called

A) forced mass removal.
B) forced relocation.
C) mass relocation.
D) mass deportation.
E) mass immigration.

Question 41

Identify the following term(s).
Cyclopes

Question 42

Diaspora means refers to the Jews being taken from their homeland to __________.

A) Egypt
B) Jordan
C) Syria
D) Anatolia
E) Babylon

Question 43

Identify the following term(s).
Iron Age

Question 44

The foreign policy of the Carthaginian state

A) was neglected by the Phoenician Empire.
B) was restricted by its more powerful neighbors.
C) reflected an interest in protecting its sea trade.
D) was constantly overturned by Greek powers.
E) was based on Assyrian models.

Question 45

The Phoenicians developed a system of writing based on consonants, and the vowel sounds added by this group resulted in a complete alphabet writing system:

A) Chinese
B) Egyptians
C) Greeks
D) Babylonians
E) Turks

Question 46

Identify the following term(s).
Minoan

Question 47

Identify the following term(s).
Nefertiti

Question 48

Carthage's power in the Mediterranean Sea rested with its ______.

A) navy
B) merchant class
C) elite
D) priests

Question 49

Identify the following term(s).
Linear B

Question 50

Identify the following term(s).
Akkadian

Question 51

Identify the following term(s).
Assyrians

Question 52

Identify the following term(s).
Hatsheput

Question 53

The exile of Hebrews to Babylon in 587 B.C.E. occurred under

A) Cyrus the Great.
B) Nebuchadnezzar.
C) Ashurbanipal.
D) Darius of Persia.
E) a Chaldean revolt.

Question 54

The chief opponents of Carthaginian power in the Mediterranean Sea were ________.

A) Romans and Greeks
B) Moroccans and Spaniards
C) Israelites and Egyptians
D) Greeks and Persians
E) Tunisians and Libyans

Question 55

What made certain Phoenician textiles unique?

A) Man-made fibers
B) Blind stitching
C) The combination of silk and cotton fabric
D) Purple dye
E) Their expense

Question 56

Identify the following term(s).
Ramesses II

Question 57

Which of the following rituals did not aid the Jews in maintaining a strong cultural identity after the loss of their state?

A) Dietary rules
B) Keeping the Sabbath
C) Ritual baths
D) Banning marriage with non-Jews
E) The requirement that men grow beards

Question 58

Identify the following term(s).
Mycenae

Question 59

Carthage was founded by peoples migrating from

A) Rome.
B) Phoenicia.
C) Greece.
D) Egypt.
E) Arabia.

Question 60

The site of a fortified palace complex in southern Greece that controlled a Late Bronze Age kingdom was

A) Athens.
B) Macedonia.
C) Crete.
D) Mycanae.
E) Thebes.

Question 61

Identify the following term(s).
monotheism

Question 62

What were the significant consequences of Assyrian power in the Middle East after 721 B.C.E.?

Question 63

Describe the nature and extent of Phoenician expansion in the Mediterranean.

Question 64

Identify the following term(s).
Phoenicia

Question 65

What factors led to Egypt losing its isolationist perspective in the Near East?

Question 66

Who was the longest-ruling "builder" king of the New Dynasty in Egypt?

Question 67

How did the Hittites become the foremost power in Anatolia from 1700 to 1200 B.C.E.?

Question 68

Compare the rise of civilizations in the Aegean Sea area with the rise of earlier world civilizations.

Question 69

Identify the following term(s).
Phoenicians

Question 70

Identify the following term(s).
Carthage

Question 71

Trace the migrations of the people ultimately known as Israelites, noting the causes and consequences of those migrations.

Question 72

Identify the following term(s).
mass deportation

Question 73

Identify the following term(s).
Library of Ashurbanipal

Question 74

Which group were the first to learn iron making?

Question 75

Identify the following term(s).
First Temple

Question 76

Identify the following term(s).
Babylon

Question 77

Identify the following term(s).
Plutarch

Question 78

Identify the following term(s).
Israel

Question 79

What is meant by the description of Carthage as a commercial "empire"?

Question 80

Why have historians called the Assyrian Empire of the first millennium B.C.E. the first correct empire?