Deck 4: The Ancient Near East

Question 1

Which Assyrian king who ruled from 883 to 859

A) Assurnasirpal II
B) Sargon I
B)C. was known for his boastful claims of slaughtering his enemies?
C) Gudea
D) Naram-Sin

Answer 1

A

Question 2

Which is NOT true of the stele of Naram-Sin?

A) It is a relief.
B) It represents landscape as well as human figures.
C) It commemorates the death of Naram-Sin.
D) It is Akkadian.

Answer 2

C

Question 3

The figure of Naram-Sin on the stele of that name is shown

A) wearing the horned cap of a god.
B) at the bottom of the stele, showing him as the foundation of his kingdom.
C) with his left side most visible.
D) wearing an elaborate full-body suit of armor.

Answer 3

A

Question 4

A common motif in Assyrian art was that of kings dominating and killing what type of animal?

A) bears
B) wolves
C) lions
D) snakes

Question 5

What animals associated with royal power sit atop the capitals in the Apadana of Persepolis?

A) lions
B) dragons
C) bears
D) bulls

Question 6

Who was the best-known king of Lagash, ruling c. 2100

A) Gudea
B) Hattusas
B)C.?
C) Ashurbanipal
D) Naram-Sin

Question 7

Sir Leonard Woolley discovered the so-called "royal" cemetery at

A) Ur.
B) Tell Asmar.
C) Akkad.
D) Persepolis.

Question 8

Hammurabi's law code was inscribed on

A) a series of papyrus scrolls.
B) the walls of a ziggurat.
C) a stele.
D) his tomb.

Question 9

The Hittite capital was located in

A) modern Turkey.
B) modern Jordan.
C) modern Iraq.
D) modern Iran.

Question 10

Scythian artwork is notable for what characteristic?

A) a fascination with military conflict
B) the realistic depiction of the human form
C) monumental and bulky size and shape
D) the merging of different animal forms

Question 11

The statues of Gudea conform to what Mesopotamian tradition?

A) the portrayal of kings in the act of subduing their enemies
B) the treatment of kings as first among equals
C) the combination of surface stylization with organic form
D) the depiction of kings with long beards denoting virility

Question 12

Which of the following statements about the small cult figures of Tell Asmar is FALSE?

A) The statues of both women and men are bare-chested.
B) The size of the statue denoted the status of the person represented.
C) The statues are cylindrical.
D) The statues combine stylization with organic form.

Question 13

Lions were traditional guardians because they

A) were kings of the animals.
B) were thought to never sleep.
C) were powerful enough to keep enemies away.
D) symbolized the human king.

Question 14

Where would one most likely find lamassu?

A) atop ziggurats
B) within temples
C) at the entrances of palaces
D) at a burial site

Question 15

What is an object's provenience?

A) its status as a forgery or an authentic piece
B) a record of its place of origin
C) its value on the open market
D) its symbolic meaning within the context of the culture that produced it

Question 16

Sargon I founded which dynasty?

A) Akkadian
B) Sumerian
C) Hittite
D) Babylonian

Question 17

The oldest surviving epic poem tells the story of

A) Inanna.
B) Abu.
C) Enki.
D) Gilgamesh.

Question 18

Which king supervised the construction of the ziggurat at Ur?

A) Gudea
B) Nindub
C) Ur-Nammu
D) Naram-Sin

Question 19

The statues of Gudea were made from

A) diorite.
B) marble.
C) bronze.
D) lapis lazuli.

Question 20

The Ishtar Gate was dedicated to the

A) god of war.
B) goddess of fertility.
C) goddess of the moon.
D) god of the underworld.

Question 21

Plaster skulls that may have been used as part of an ancestor cult have been found in the remains of which Neolithic settlement?

A) Çatal Hüyük
B) Jericho
C) Uruk
D) Susa

Question 22

Some evidence suggests that the people of Çatal Hüyük may have worshipped bulls.

Question 23

The legendary birth story of Sargon I closely resembles that of which biblical figure?

A) Jesus
B) Moses
C) David
D) Solomon

Question 24

With regard to pottery, what is a register?

A) a symbol identifying the potter who made a piece
B) a decorated strip encircling the piece
C) a flat bottom allowing the piece to stand upright
D) a statuette of a human or animal figure

Question 25

The main corridor of a Near Eastern temple was known as the

A) cella.
B) armature.
C) tyre.
D) enki.

Question 26

The people of the ancient Near East were the first people to invent writing.

Question 27

Ziggurats were built to house the bodies of deceased rulers.

Question 28

A lamassu combined elements of human and animal bodies.

Question 29

The region of Mesopotamia takes its name from its position between the Tigris and Euphrates rivers.

Question 30

Glyptic art such as cylinder seals is so named because it is

A) circular.
B) carved.
C) painted.
D) small.

Question 31

Located in modern-day Turkey, what is the largest Neolithic site so far discovered in the ancient Near East?

A) Çatal Hüyük
B) Jericho
C) Uruk
D) Susa

Question 32

The Ishtar Gate was erected during the reign of Hammurabi.

Question 33

Excavations of Jericho and Çatal Hüyük reveal that it was common at both settlements for the dead to be buried underneath homes.

Question 34

Unlike other Near Eastern peoples, the Hittites were too concerned with war and conquest to produce monumental works of art.

Question 35

Excavations of Çatal Hüyük suggest that

A) the settlement was carefully planned along a grid of broad avenues.
B) the dead of the settlement were dumped in mass graves with little ceremony.
C) the people of the settlement developed a complex body of written literature.
D) the walkways among buildings in the settlement were on rooftops rather than ground level.

Question 36

Iranian art is notable for its preference for

A) stylized animal figures.
B) stylized human figures.
C) abstract patterns devoid of figurative content.
D) realistic depictions of the natural world.

Question 37

Ancient Near Eastern art exhibits all of the following characteristics EXCEPT

A) flat space.
B) legs in profile.
C) frontal heads.
D) frontal eyes.

Question 38

Cuneiform literally means "etched in clay."

Question 39

Achemenes lent his name to the dynasty and culture of

A) Scythia.
B) Babylon.
C) Persia.
D) Anatolia.

Question 40

Lapis lazuli is a semiprecious blue stone used in some Near Eastern art.

Question 41

What are some of the "firsts" in the Ancient Near East? Use examples from the text.

Question 42

How did Near Eastern rulers use art to enhance their prestige and strengthen their rule?

Question 43

How did Near Eastern religious views shape Near Eastern art? What does Near Eastern art suggest about views of the supernatural and the divine?

Question 44

What functions did ziggurats serve? What do these constructions reveal about Near Eastern religious and social views?

Question 45

Discuss the issue of provenience in regard to the Proto-Elamite Kneeling Bull. What is provenience, and what is lost when provenience is lost?

Question 46

What kingly qualities did Near Eastern art celebrate? Did some kings depict themselves in different ways from others, or were depictions of royalty largely consistent over time?

Question 47

What purposes did Near Eastern art serve? For whom was the art intended?