Question 1

What likely led to the increasing economic importance of sites like Kotosh and Chavín de Huántar:
A) their rich agricultural soil
B) their location along natural trade routes
C) their location adjacent to the significant obsidian sources of the Konya Mountains
D) all of the above

Accepted Answer

The increasing economic importance of sites like Kotosh and Chavín de Huántar is likely due to their strategic location along natural trade routes, which facilitated trade and cultural exchange.

Question 2

What were the first metals produced in South America:
A) copper and bronze
B) bronze and brass
C) copper and iron
D) copper and gold

Accepted Answer

Copper and gold were among the first metals worked by ancient South American civilizations, with evidence of their use dating back to pre-Columbian times.

Question 3

Chavin was:
A) the first empire in prehistoric South America
B) a unifying religion and art style in prehistoric South America
C) the earliest city in South America, dating to more than 2,500 years ago
D) an art style likely inspired by the Olmec to the north

Accepted Answer

Chavin was a religious and artistic movement that emerged in prehistoric South America around 900 BCE and lasted until roughly 200 BCE. It is characterized by a distinct style of sculpture, architecture, and ceramics, as well as a shared belief system centered around a powerful deity known as the Staff God. While Chavin did not constitute a political empire or a single city-state, it had significant influence over a wide area of the Andes region and helped to unify diverse communities under a common cultural identity.

Question 4

Chavin iconography begins its spread in South America about when:
A) 1,000 years ago
B) 3,000 years ago
C) 5,000 years ago
D) 10,000 years ago

Accepted Answer

Chavin iconography began its spread in South America about 3,000 years ago, during the Chavin culture period (900-200 BCE). This is when the iconic image of the "Staff God" (a multi-faced deity holding a staff and associated with rain and fertility) became widespread in Andean art.

Question 5

Included in the iconography of Chavin was the often stylized depiction of:
A) felines
B) birds of prey
C) snakes
D) all of the above

Accepted Answer

The iconography of Chavin included stylized depictions of felines, birds of prey, and snakes.

Question 6

During its existence, the site of Chavín de Huántar:
A) remained an important ceremonial center with a small population mostly of priests
B) lost its importance as a ceremonial center as sites situated on the economically richer coast became increasingly important
C) grew in size until it became one of the earliest urban settlements in South America
D) became the capital of the Inca empire

Accepted Answer

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Question 7

Among the technological innovations of Chavin were:
A) bronze and brass metallurgy
B) gold-silver alloys, soldering, and sweat welding
C) cold hammering of copper objects
D) the smelting of copper ore and the casting of copper objects

Accepted Answer

The Chavin culture is known for its advanced metalworking techniques, including the creation of gold-silver alloys and methods like soldering and sweat welding.

Question 8

Chavin iconography:
A) likely facilitated the integration of different peoples into a larger political entity
B) supports a hypothesis of contact between the Olmec and the people of South America
C) implies the existence of a supreme political ruler symbolized by the Staff God
D) represents the earliest form of writing in ancient South America

Accepted Answer

Chavin iconography, with its complex and shared religious symbols, likely helped integrate diverse groups into a cohesive cultural and political entity in ancient Peru.

Question 9

The sculpture today known as the Lanzón is believed to be:
A) the chief god of the Olmec
B) the depiction of an ancient Chavin warrior
C) the chief god of Chavín de Huántar
D) an Inka depiction of a Spanish conquistador

Accepted Answer

The Lanzón is believed to be the chief god of Chavín de Huántar, a prominent religious center in ancient Peru. It is a large granite sculpture that stands over 15 feet tall and is housed in an underground chamber within the Chavín complex. It is considered one of the most important and enigmatic artifacts of the Chavín culture.

Question 10

What was the purpose of using the ancient megalithic monument of Stonehenge in the Prelude of Chapter 9?

Accepted Answer

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Question 11

How can we measure the geographical reach of Stonehenge? Where did the people who were buried there come from? How do we know? What does this information tell us about the geographic reach of Stonehenge?

Accepted Answer

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Question 12

What is meant by the term "complex society?"

Accepted Answer

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Question 13

Why and how is organizing a large labor force more difficult than organizing the labor of a small group of immediate family members? What does this have to do with the evolution of complex societies?

Accepted Answer

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Question 14

What does Göbekli Tepe imply about the development of complexity? What is surprising about the site?

Accepted Answer

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Question 15

What do sites like Watson Brake and Poverty Point imply about the development of complexity? What is surprising about these sites?

Accepted Answer

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Question 16

Considering the fact that most people work harder and relinquish at least some control over their own lives in complex societies, why might such societies have developed at all?

Accepted Answer

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Question 17

What sorts of practical concerns or challenges faced by ancient people may have led to the development of complex societies?

Accepted Answer

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Question 18

Why and how would complex societies devote so much of their energies to the production of great monuments with no practical purpose?

Accepted Answer

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Question 19

What was the significance of Çatalhöyük? Describe the site. What are the implications of its size, complexity, and organization? Why did it develop?

Accepted Answer

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Question 20

What are the roots of complexity in Mesopotamia?

Accepted Answer

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Quiz 9: Roots of Complexity: The Origins of Civilization

What likely led to the increasing economic importance of sites like Kotosh and Chavín de Huántar:

What were the first metals produced in South America:

Chavin was:

Chavin iconography begins its spread in South America about when:

Included in the iconography of Chavin was the often stylized depiction of:

During its existence, the site of Chavín de Huántar:

Among the technological innovations of Chavin were:

Chavin iconography:

The sculpture today known as the Lanzón is believed to be: