Deck 2: Early Societies of West Asia and North Africa, to 500 Bce

Question 1

Which of the following accurately describes the Epic of Gilgamesh?

A) It was an Egyptian poem that paid homage to the Nile.
B) It was a Hebrew creation story.
C) It was a Mesopotamian poem about the search for immortality
D) It was an epic poem about Osiris and Seth.

Answer 1

It was a Mesopotamian poem about the search for immortality

Question 2

Which of the following locations was part of the Hittite, Assyrian, and Chaldean empires?

A) Babylon
B) Egypt
C) Palestine
D) Syria

Answer 2

Syria

Question 3

In addition to his law code, Hammurabi is also known for

A) adopting monotheism.
B) conquering most of Africa.
C) making advancements in metalwork.
D) instigating building projects.

Answer 3

instigating building projects.

Question 4

What geographical conditions were most important to the rise of Mesopotamia?

A) convenient seaports
B) rich mineral resources
C) fertile farmlands
D) extensive forests

Question 5

In most cultures today, it is customary for the bride's family to pay for the wedding. This custom has roots in the ancient practice of

A) the bride's family choosing the groom.
B) the groom's family arranging the marriage.
C) the bride's family supplying the dowry.
D) the bride's family walking her down the aisle.

Question 6

The Sumerians created all of the following EXCEPT

A) cuneiform.
B) copper and bronze tools.
C) a number system based on sixty.
D) a phonetic alphabet.

Question 7

What was the relationship between the Babylonians and the Sumerians?

A) The Babylonians were invaders who embraced many aspects of Sumerian society.
B) The Babylonians and Sumerians inhabited the same lands, taken from the Assyrians.
C) The Sumerians conquered the Babylonians.
D) The Babylonians and Sumerians were two regional powers conquered by the Hittites.

Question 8

The ideology that best explains Hammurabi's position with respect to commercial transactions was

A) let the buyer beware.
B) an eye for an eye.
C) property rights have little significance.
D) sellers must guarantee all work.

Question 9

Which of these Sumerian innovations did NOT serve to support the ruling powers?

A) the wheel
B) ziggurats
C) cuneiform
D) the calendar

Question 10

Mesopotamia was in present-day

A) Iraq.
B) Iran.
C) Syria.
D) Israel.

Question 11

Which of the following developments led to huge changes in warfare and travel?

A) the domestication of horses
B) the development of iron tools and weapons
C) the development of bridges
D) the potter's wheel

Question 12

Ziggurats were used for all of the following EXCEPT

A) religious ceremonies.
B) lookout towers for defense.
C) government functions.
D) tombs.

Question 13

Who was the most prominent leader of the Akkadians?

A) Sargon
B) Hammurabi
C) Nebuchadnezzar II
D) Cyrus the Great

Question 14

Which of the following does NOT apply to the Code of Hammurabi?

A) Penalties for crimes were based on the principle of retribution.
B) Punishments differed according to social status.
C) Property rights were valued very highly.
D) Women had no rights.

Question 15

Which of the following was the first system of writing?

A) Sanskrit
B) the Phoenician alphabet
C) cuneiform
D) hieroglyphics

Question 16

Which of the following statements does NOT characterize the religious beliefs of the people of Mesopotamia?

A) polytheism
B) the belief that humans had to serve the gods in this life.
C) optimism about an afterlife that would be much better than their current lives.
D) a belief that the gods would punish them if they were displeased.

Question 17

Which of these was NOT introduced to West Asia by the Indo-Europeans?

A) domesticated horses
B) new languages
C) agriculture
D) Hittite rule

Question 18

Which of the following accurately describes the Hittite kingdom?

A) matriarchal and matrilineal
B) hierarchical and patriarchal
C) monotheistic
D) matriarchal and hierarchical

Question 19

The Amorites could also be called

A) Sumerians.
B) Akkadians.
C) Babylonians.
D) Chaldeans.

Question 20

Which name means "between the rivers"?

A) Kush
B) Nubia
C) Mesopotamia
D) Sumer

Question 21

Which name means "gold" or "black"?

A) Egypt
B) Nubia
C) Mesopotamia
D) Sumer

Question 22

Which Egyptian pharaoh became known as Akhenaton?

A) Thutmosis III
B) Hatshepsut
C) Amenhotep III
D) Amenhotep IV

Question 23

Which period of Egyptian history would best be described as imperialistic?

A) Early Dynastic Period
B) Old Kingdom
C) Middle Kingdom
D) New Kingdom

Question 24

Which period of Egyptian history was known for building pyramids?

A) Old Kingdom
B) Middle Kingdom
C) New Kingdom
D) Second Intermediate Period

Question 25

Which of the following civilizations is credited with building the Hanging Gardens of Babylon?

A) Chaldeans
B) Persians
C) Sumerians
D) Assyrians

Question 26

Which empire conquered and brought an end to the Chaldean Empire?

A) Assyrians
B) Persians
C) Hittites
D) Egyptians

Question 27

Nefertiti was

A) an Egyptian goddess.
B) King Tut's wife.
C) a Mesopotamian goddess associated with fertility.
D) Akhenaton's wife.

Question 28

Which of the following statements best accounts for the failure of Akhenaton's reign?

A) The Egyptian people viewed his reign as illegitimate because he was not the direct descendent of Amenhotep III.
B) He invested the majority of the country's resources on expansionist policies and neglected domestic priorities.
C) He was obsessed with his religion to the neglect of other affairs, as he tried desperately to reform Egypt into a monotheistic society.
D) He was a child king who was murdered before reaching adulthood.

Question 29

The Great Pyramid was built for

A) Thutmosis III.
B) Hatshepsut.
C) Khufu.
D) Akhenaton.

Question 30

Which of the following civilizations controlled their conquered enemies by torture and terrorization?

A) Chaldeans
B) Persians
C) Sumerians
D) Assyrians

Question 31

Which of these was NOT common to Egypt and Mesopotamia?

A) a polytheistic religion
B) the central role of great rivers
C) connections to neighboring cultures
D) reliance on a single river

Question 32

Which of these divided Africa into two great regions?

A) the Congo River
B) the Nile River
C) the Sahara
D) the Niger River

Question 33

How did Egyptian territory change during the New Kingdom?

A) Egypt lost Upper Egypt, but retained control of Lower Egypt.
B) Egypt lost Syria and Palestine.
C) Egypt gained land along the eastern Mediterranean Sea.
D) Egypt gained the communities of Giza and Memphis.

Question 34

Where is the Ishtar gate?

A) Ur
B) Jerusalem
C) Lagash
D) Babylon

Question 35

In what way was Hatshepsut unusual as an Egyptian ruler?

A) in being a female ruler of Egypt
B) in ruling over all of Egypt
C) in worshipping Osiris
D) in inheriting rule from her father

Question 36

After 5000 B.C.E., the climate changed in North Africa. What happened?

A) Monsoons began to flood the continent.
B) Savannah began to overtake desert land.
C) Rainfall became scarce, so the climate was drier.
D) The Nile began flooding erratically, thus wiping out the Egyptian kingdom.

Question 37

Which of these connected Egypt with the African interior?

A) Kush
B) Syria
C) Anatolia
D) Persia

Question 38

The city of Nineveh was part of which ancient civilization?

A) Sumerians
B) Assyrians
C) Akkadians
D) Persians

Question 39

Who first united upper and lower Egypt?

A) Thutmosis III
B) Menes
C) Amenhotep III
D) Amenhotep IV

Question 40

What caused the downfall of the Middle Kingdom?

A) The Nile flooded unexpectedly.
B) Egypt was plagued by droughts.
C) The Hyksos invaded and conquered.
D) The Egyptian economy suffered due to pyramid construction.

Question 41

Which of the following people were NOT polytheistic?

A) Sumerians
B) Hebrews
C) Egyptians
D) Aryans

Question 42

Which Hebrew king was known for elaborate building projects?

A) Saul
B) David
C) Solomon
D) Nebuchadnezzar

Question 43

We still don't know the location of the capital of Sargon's empire.

Question 44

Which of these was common to the cultural traditions of Sumeria and Israel?

A) flood narratives
B) monotheism
C) polytheism
D) a religious covenant

Question 45

Most Sumerians learned to write.

Question 46

Which people laid the foundations for the phonetic alphabets used throughout the West?

A) Babylonians
B) Sumerians
C) Persians
D) Phoenicians

Question 47

Which of the following statements is True of Carthage?

A) It became independent power.
B) It was on the Mediterranean Sea.
C) It relied on trade.
D) Its society was largely urban.

Question 48

Carthage was a colony founded on the North African coast by a seafaring people from West Asia known as the

A) Hittites.
B) Egyptians.
C) Phoenicians.
D) Assyrians.

Question 49

Horses remained the main form of military transport until World War II.

Question 50

Which people allowed the Hebrews to return to Jerusalem and rebuild their temple following their Babylonian exile?

A) Assyrians
B) Chaldeans
C) Persians
D) Egyptians

Question 51

Which of these had the greatest cultural impact on Nubia?

A) Egypt
B) Syria
C) the Hyksos
D) the Amorites

Question 52

Much of the Code of Hammurabi is based on the idea that the punishment should fit the crime.

Question 53

Where was the Phoenician homeland?

A) the Eastern Mediterranean
B) Mesopotamia
C) Anatolia
D) the Western Mediterranean

Question 54

The Hebrews laid the foundation for all of the religions EXCEPT

A) Judaism.
B) Christianity.
C) Islam.
D) Hinduism.

Question 55

Which of the following accomplishments did NOT occur during the reign of King David?

A) Jerusalem was established as the capital city.
B) The Philistines were defeated.
C) A standing army was created.
D) The temple was built.

Question 56

What was the source of Phoenician influence?

A) military strength
B) a large population
C) extensive territory
D) a large trading network

Question 57

Who were the original inhabitants of Kush?

A) Egyptians
B) Nubians
C) Babylonians
D) Sumerians

Question 58

Which Hebrew man was called "Israel"?

A) Judah
B) Isaac
C) Jacob
D) David

Question 59

The Sumerians invented the wheel.

Question 60

Which Hebrew king was able to unite the Israelites but was unable to decisively defeat the Philistines?

A) Saul
B) David
C) Solomon
D) Nebuchadnezzar

Question 61

Explain how the story of Sargon exemplifies the challenges faced by historians in trying to compile accurate histories of ancient civilizations.

Question 62

How did the Hittites succeed in making iron weapons after other groups had failed?

Question 63

Evaluate the contributions of the Sumerians to present-day society.

Question 64

What period established most of Egypt's institutions and culture?

Question 65

What was the basis of the Phoenician economy?

Question 66

Discuss the role of Osiris in Egyptian religion. How does his legend shape the overall outlook of Egyptian religion?

Question 67

Why were the Hyksos able to conquer Egypt?

Question 68

Discuss the major events of the New Kingdom, including notable differences among the Old, Middle, and New Kingdoms.

Question 69

What was the name of the agreement the Israelites believed existed between themselves and their god?

Question 70

Why didn't copper work well for creating large tools and weapons?

Question 71

Mesopotamian society was less given to conquest than Egyptian society.

Question 72

Compare and contrast Egyptian and Mesopotamian women.

Question 73

The Phoenician trading empire centered on the Nile valley.

Question 74

Carthage was the most prominent of all the Phoenician colonies.

Question 75

Which people wrote on papyrus?

Question 76

Where were Ur and Uruk located?

Question 77

Who were the "New Babylonians"?

Question 78

David united the Israelites into a single kingdom.

Question 79

What does "cuneiform" mean?

Question 80

The Hittites were eager to share their technological advancements in iron with their neighbors.