Question 1

The rulers of Teotihuacán began spectacular building projects on a scale unprecedented in Mesoamerica in the:

Accepted Answer

The rulers of Teotihuacán began their major building projects, including the construction of the Pyramid of the Sun, in the first century CE.

Question 2

The following was not a characteristic feature of the Teotihuacán culture:

Accepted Answer

Teotihuacán, an ancient Mesoamerican civilization, is known for its talud-tablero architectural style, extensive use of obsidian, and the cult of Quetzalcoatl. However, contrary to choice D, evidence suggests that ceremonial human sacrifice did occur in Teotihuacán, making the absence of a ceremonial human sacrifice tradition incorrect as a characteristic feature of the culture.

Question 3

Mayan calendars were:

Accepted Answer

The Mayan calendars were deeply intertwined with natural processes, including human gestation periods and astronomical cycles, reflecting their advanced understanding of the natural world and its rhythms.

Question 4

The Sahara was relatively hospitable for many millennia, until around 5000-3000 BCE, when ________.

Accepted Answer

The Sahara became inhospitable due to a shift in the Earth's orbit, which caused the monsoon rains to shift eastward, reducing the amount of rainfall received by the Sahara and leading to its desertification.

Question 5

When the ______, the first empire to unify the Middle East, conquered Egypt, the defeated king retreated and relocated himself farther upstream on the Nile at Meroë.

Accepted Answer

The Assyrians, known for their military prowess and administrative skills, were the first empire to unify the Middle East. When they conquered Egypt, the defeated Egyptian king retreated to Meroë, further upstream on the Nile.

Question 6

Trade in products in Meroë was:

Accepted Answer

Trade in Meroë was controlled by the king, reflecting a centralized system where the monarch had significant control over economic activities, including trade. This control allowed the king to manage resources, wealth, and external relations effectively.

Question 7

In spite of its regional orientation, Meroë was well known to the outside world, and it skirmished with the ___________ over border issues in the early first century CE.

Accepted Answer

Meroë, an ancient city near the Nile River and part of the Kingdom of Kush, had interactions with many civilizations, including the Romans. In the early first century CE, Meroë and the Roman Empire had conflicts over border issues, notably during the reign of the Roman Emperor Augustus.

Question 8

Aksum profited from all of the following factors EXCEPT:

Accepted Answer

Aksum's prosperity was largely due to its strategic location for trade, its control over both the production and trade routes, and the decline of Meroë due to environmental and external pressures. However, there is no historical evidence to suggest that Aksum's status as an entrepot was established by gold miners in Yemen. This option does not align with the known factors contributing to Aksum's wealth and influence.

Question 9

Aksum became the third Christian kingdom, after ________ (301 CE) and Georgia (319 CE).

Accepted Answer

Armenia is recognized as the first country to officially adopt Christianity as its state religion in 301 CE, making Aksum (which adopted Christianity in the early 4th century) the third Christian kingdom after Armenia and Georgia.

Question 10

Aksum lost its provincial holdings in Yemen when the Sasanid Persians invaded by land and sea in _______, establishing their own proxy regime at the commercially important entrance to the Red Sea.

Accepted Answer

Aksum lost its provincial holdings in Yemen to the Sasanid Persians in 570 CE, when the Persians invaded by land and sea, establishing their own proxy regime at a crucial commercial location.

Question 11

One of the indications that Jenné-jeno had become a major urban center by 900 CE is:

Accepted Answer

The presence of 25 surrounding villages indicates a central urban hub, suggesting Jenné-jeno's significance as a major urban center.

Question 12

Recent analysis of phytoliths has suggested that:

Accepted Answer

Recent analysis of phytoliths has suggested that Indian Ocean connections between East Africa and Southeast Asia could stretch back to the fourth millennium BCE.

Question 13

The conversion of the foragers of the savanna south of the _________ rain forest to farming, from the Great Lakes westward to Angola and southward to the tip of South Africa, was the work of multiple branches of Bantus.

Accepted Answer

The correct answer is Congo. The Congo rainforest is the one located south of the savanna areas where the Bantu expansion and conversion to farming took place, spreading from the Great Lakes region to Angola and down to the southern tip of Africa.

Question 14

A Greek-Hellenistic source called the Periplus of the Erythraean Sea mentions Yemenis intermarrying with locals in the town of Rhapta along the __________ coast.

Accepted Answer

The Periplus of the Erythraean Sea, an ancient Greek travel document, describes the coastal areas of the Indian Ocean and mentions Rhapta as a market town on the coast of Africa, which is believed to be located in modern-day Tanzania, near the Kenyan border. This places it along the East African coast, not the Egyptian, Arabian, or Persian coasts.

Question 15

The people in the Yucatán were early on exposed to Olmec cultural influence, but ___________.

Accepted Answer

The statement suggests that while the Yucatán people were exposed to Olmec cultural influences, there wasn't significant Olmec migration into the area as Maya culture developed. This implies cultural influence without substantial population movement.

Question 16

One of the calendars in use among the Mayas was the Long Count Calendar, which counted the days elapsed since the mythical origin of the universe (corresponding to _______________ in the Gregorian calendar).

Accepted Answer

The Long Count Calendar of the Mayas starts counting from August 11, 3114 BCE, according to the correlation with the Gregorian calendar. This date is mythically considered as the creation of the world according to Maya mythology.

Question 17

The final breakthrough in deciphering Mayan writing came during a conference at the Maya site of Palenque in 1973 when participants recognized the syllables k'inchi as ________.

Accepted Answer

The breakthrough at the 1973 Palenque conference involved recognizing "k'inchi" as referring to the Mayan sun god as well as individual kings, which was a significant step in understanding the contextual and symbolic use of Mayan glyphs in their writing system.

Question 18

Although the archaeological record is debatable, it appears that Mayan ball games took place during ____________.

Accepted Answer

Mayan ball games were significant cultural events that often occurred during royal festivities, fertility rituals, and were sometimes associated with human sacrifices. These games had deep religious and societal implications, serving various purposes beyond mere entertainment.

Question 19

In the first century CE, the rulers of Teotihuacán built the city ___________.

Accepted Answer

Teotihuacán was planned on a strict urban grid, aligning many of its structures along a north-south axis, notably the Street of the Dead. This layout demonstrates advanced urban planning and engineering skills of its inhabitants.

Question 20

In the early 600s CE, the Moche elite dissolved, while smaller elites in nearby valleys carried on and _____________.

Accepted Answer

The Moche civilization, which thrived in present-day Peru from about 100 to 800 CE, saw its elite class dissolve in the early 600s. Smaller elites in nearby valleys continued for a time but eventually also disappeared, around 750 CE. This decline is attributed to environmental changes and possibly internal unrest, rather than a reassembly or relocation to specific cultural or pilgrimage centers.

Quiz 6: Chiefdoms and Early States in Africa and the Americas, 600 B.C.E-600 C.E