Deck 6: Afroeurasia: Centers of Power, Trade, and New Ideas, 1200-600 B.C.E.

Question 1

Which of the following is a true statement about the introduction of iron into Afroeurasian societies?

A) A. Iron was introduced into Afroeurasia by mariners sailing from the Americas.
B) The introduction of iron into Afroeurasian societies was slow, and many people continued to work with copper and bronze even after iron was introduced.
C) Once iron was introduced into Afroeurasian societies, it rapidly replaced bronze and copper metallurgy.
D) Iron was initially rejected by Afroeurasian rulers, and as a result, it was a lost art until European rulers rediscovered it in the sixteenth century C.E.

Answer 1

The introduction of iron into Afroeurasian societies was slow, and many people continued to work with copper and bronze even after iron was introduced.

Question 2

Iron metallurgy originated in which of the following regions?

A) Southwest Asia
B) North America
C) Australia
D) All these answers are correct.

Answer 2

Southwest Asia

Question 3

Iron was superior to bronze because

A) iron was easier to find and produced a stronger and more durable product.
B) though less durable than bronze, iron was far cheaper to produce.
C) it took less time to train people in iron metallurgy than in bronze metallurgy.
D) iron was easier to transport than bronze.

Answer 3

iron was easier to find and produced a stronger and more durable product.

Question 4

Which of the following best describes the difference between the invention of iron metallurgy in tropical Africa and the invention of iron metallurgy in Southwest Asia?

A) Women were the primary metal workers in Africa, while in Southwest Asia, metallurgy was largely a male occupation.
B) Unlike Southwest Asia, tropical Africa did not have a preceding bronze age.
C) Unlike in tropical Africa, iron metallurgy did not spread much beyond the Southwest Asian epicenter.
D) Iron rapidly gained popularity in Southwest Asia, while it took centuries to take hold in Africa.

Question 5

The Bantu migration resulted in which of the following?

A) the eventual extinction of the Bantu people
B) the disappearance of the Bantu language as the Bantu people became assimilated into other cultures
C) the spread of Bantu language, culture, and agricultural practices throughout large parts of Africa
D) a temporary slowdown in the production of iron, as Bantu migrants tended to disrupt local economies and trade

Question 6

Which of the following best describes the impact of iron smelting on the natural world?

A) Because iron was easier to extract than other metals, people had to disrupt nature far less to obtain it.
B) Iron and bronze metallurgy differed little in how they affected the environment.
C) Iron smelting produced less pollution than bronze metallurgy.
D) Tools made from iron enabled people to clear woodlands far faster than with tools made from bronze.

Question 7

Beginning in the twelfth century B.C.E., which of the following caused massive disruption throughout Southwest Asia, Egypt, and the Aegean Basin?

A) a period of rapid global cooling
B) a devastating volcanic eruption
C) violent attacks by bands of Sea People
D) an unrelenting drought

Question 8

A compelling theory behind the success of the Sea People is that they

A) quickly adopted iron weaponry.
B) developed weaponry capable of defeating chariots.
C) were largely merchants and possessed more wealth than powerful rulers.
D) used large numbers of slaves to overpower their enemies.

Question 9

The letter exchanged between the rulers of Alashiya and Ugarit cited in the chapter tells us what about the time period?

A) A system of exchange and diplomacy existed among the rulers of the time.
B) Rulers did little to help one another in times of crisis.
C) Alashiya and Ugarit were part of the same empire.
D) Communication between rulers was limited and complicated by linguistic differences.

Question 10

Which of the following is an important outcome of the upheaval caused by the Sea People?

A) The Hittite, Mitanni, Egyptian, and Assyrian kingdoms all emerged stronger than they had been before the attacks.
B) A new class of chariots were developed to defend cities and villages.
C) Iron weaponry spread rapidly throughout Southwest Asia.
D) Chariots were abandoned as a useful tool of war.

Question 11

The Neo-Assyrian empire expanded and maintained its rule through which of the following?

A) Neo-Assyrian rulers claimed that they were divinely appointed.
B) Neo-Assyrian rulers invested heavily in their military and filled the power vacuum left by the Sea People invasions.
C) Neo-Assyrian leaders promoted equality among all their citizens, and as a result, many peoples flocked to the Assyrian ruler.
D) Neo-Assyrian rulers forged a complex system of diplomacy based largely on marriage alliances.

Question 12

The Neo-Assyrians were the first major state to adopt which of the following innovations?

A) horse-mounted soldiers
B) iron weaponry
C) war chariots
D) infantry

Question 13

Which of the following best describes the Neo-Assyrian command structure?

A) Priests and religious leaders held the ultimate authority, and even the king was subordinate to their power.
B) Neo-Assyrians established a type of democracy in which certain members of society elected local representatives that would serve the empire.
C) The Assyrian king held absolute authority and controlled matters in his kingdom with a rigid hand.
D) The Assyrian king chose representatives from among the various ethnic groups he conquered to run newly incorporated territories.

Question 14

One consequence of Assyrian efforts to uproot and resettle conquered populations throughout the empire was

A) civil war.
B) eventual cultural uniformity.
C) the extinction of several ethnic groups.
D) a level of cultural diversity not seen before in the region.

Question 15

The Neo-Assyrian empire was finally brought down by which of the following peoples?

A) the Hittite
B) the Babylonians
C) the Egyptians
D) the Sea People

Question 16

The writings about Adad-Guppi's life tells us what about the role of religion in Neo-Babylonia?

A) Only men were permitted to be religious leaders.
B) The king saw religious leaders as potential rivals.
C) Religion played an important role in politics.
D) Religion and politics were separated into two different spheres.

Question 17

Which of the following distinguished the Hebrews from other peoples in Southwest Asia?

A) They believed in one god.
B) They spoke a non-Semitic language.
C) They used a logographic writing system.
D) They rejected all forms of warfare.

Question 18

The Old Testament is described by which of the following?

A) a legal code established by Neo-Assyrian kings
B) the religious beliefs of Neo-Babylonia
C) the Hebrew bible
D) a code of military conduct popular in Southwest Asia

Question 19

According to the Hebrew Bible, the founding father of the Israelites was

A) Moses.
B) Abraham.
C) Adad-Guppi.
D) Joseph.

Question 20

The Hebrew faith differed from other religious beliefs of the time in which important way?

A) The Hebrews were polytheistic, while most of the other religions of the day were monotheistic.
B) The Hebrews closely associated their god with aspects of nature.
C) The Hebrew god was generally indifferent to the condition of his followers.
D) The Hebrew god cared deeply for his followers and required them to uphold his law.

Question 21

The Israelites were conquered and exiled en masse by which of the following kingdoms?

A) Judah
B) Babylonia
C) Egypt
D) Phoenicia

Question 22

Which of the following was an important change in trading practices during the first millennium B.C.E.?

A) Rulers began to sponsor merchants personally, providing them with the funds to travel farther and obtain a greater variety of goods.
B) Traders experienced a period of sharp decline during the Sea People invasions.
C) Merchants began to trade privately and served a greater population of potential customers.
D) Merchants became the rulers of several important city states and amassed great wealth.

Question 23

The ________ were an important trading people during the first millennium

A) Phoenicians
B) Canaanites
C) Assyrians
D) Berbers

Question 24

The term commercial diaspora refers to which of the following?

A) the economic rather than military takeover of a given region
B) the employment of merchants by rulers to increase wealth and prosperity
C) the process by which merchants use their wealth to seize power in economically weak regions
D) the process by which a particular merchant/ethnic group comes to facilitate both trade and cultural exchange in a given region

Question 25

Which of the following best defines the term polis?

A) a city-state in which all the inhabitants were invested in a type of self-rule
B) a city-state based on the absolute rule of a single king or queen
C) the urban capitol of an empire
D) a city-state in which all inhabitants were equal

Question 26

The metics can most accurately be described as

A) a group of religious leaders in the Aegean region.
B) a group of civic leaders in the Aegean.
C) an exiled minority.
D) a type of Greek commercial diaspora.

Question 27

As compared to logographic systems of writing, alphabets

A) are more difficult to learn because they require the student to memorize thousands of different symbols.
B) are less capable of expressing complex human thoughts and ideas.
C) require the learner to memorize a far smaller number of characters and is consequently far easier to master.
D) spread slowly throughout Afroeurasia and encountered a great deal of resistance from rulers and scholars.

Question 28

One example of an alphabet is

A) cuneiform.
B) Phoenician.
C) hieroglyphs.
D) Chinese.

Question 29

By 600 B.C.E., which of the following peoples ruled most of western Europe?

A) the Celts
B) the Phoenicians
C) the Greeks
D) the Assyrians

Question 30

Etruscan wall paintings suggest what about this early European society?

A) Women likely held more power than men.
B) Men held more power than women.
C) Women and men may have enjoyed more equality than in other regions.
D) Priests held significant authority.

Question 31

Nubia was located in the region of modern-day

A) Egypt and Sudan.
B) Syria and Lebanon.
C) Turkey and Iraq.
D) Greece and Turkey.

Question 32

One consequence of the Kushite defeat by the Assyrians in the seventh century B.C.E. was

A) the collapse of the Nubian kingdom, never to rise to power again.
B) that Egyptian religious beliefs died out.
C) the adoption of iron weaponry by the Kushites.
D) that trade along the Nile came to a standstill.

Question 33

Hindi and Punjabi belong to which of the following language family group?

A) Semitic
B) Dravidian
C) Indo-European
D) Polynesian

Question 34

The term kshatriyas refers to which of the following?

A) Indic priests
B) leaders descended from Dravidian speakers
C) descendants of the Harappan civilization who rose to power in later centuries
D) descendants of the Indo-Europeans who eventually rose to power in North India

Question 35

Which of the following was a result of the arrival of Indo-European populations in the Ganges valley?

A) Farming shrank, and local populations returned to foraging.
B) Farming expanded, and several kingdoms arose in the region.
C) Indo-Europeans adopted the local Dravidian tongues.
D) The Harappan civilization was revived.

Question 36

Which of the following best summarizes the social structure of South Asia during the first millennium B.C.E.?

A) Society was rigidly structured into five distinct groups of people, all of which were charged with different duties and responsibilities.
B) Society was separated into two distinct groups: those who could own land and those who labored for their livelihood.
C) Society revolved around the priestly class who had jurisdiction over everyone, including secular rulers.
D) Society was unusually egalitarian, but all citizens were subject to the rule of a divinely appointed leader.

Question 37

The Brahmin class performed which of the following roles in society?

A) They were largely warriors.
B) They were largely laborers.
C) They performed religious rituals.
D) They were given the most menial tasks in society.

Question 38

An individual's social position and duties in early India was determined by

A) wealth.
B) birth.
C) gender.
D) educational level.

Question 39

Brahmins used which of the following to enforce India's rigid social structure?

A) monetary rewards
B) violence
C) the prospect of social mobility
D) notions of purity and impurity

Question 40

Brahmanism can best be described as

A) an Indic religion with a highly organized central authority.
B) a monotheistic religion adapted from the Israelites.
C) an Indic religion with a diverse array of beliefs and rituals.
D) an Indic religion in which rulers were seen as divine entities.

Question 41

Our knowledge of early Brahmanism is derived from which of the following?

A) the Old Testament
B) oral traditions
C) wall paintings
D) the Upanishads

Question 42

Which of the following concepts was an important feature of early Brahmanism?

A) the idea that suffering in life would enable an individual to more quickly unite with Brahmin in death
B) the idea that an individual would likely be reincarnated many times before he/she could reunite with the divine spirit known as Brahmin
C) the idea that interacting with and serving the poor in society would help you to reunite with Brahmin
D) the idea that matters such as class were misleading and diverted one from a righteous path

Question 43

Which of the following distinguished Brahmanism from other religions of the first millennium B.C.E.?

A) Brahmanism appealed to a wide spectrum of people from different ethnic and linguistic groups.
B) Brahmanism was monotheistic and believed in a single divine entity.
C) Brahmanism permitted women to obtain great religious authority.
D) Brahmanism rejected all forms of violence.

Question 44

Which of the following best describes the Mandate of Heaven?

A) the idea that Chinese rulers were divine beings themselves
B) the idea that only priests and other religious leaders could rule in China
C) the idea that Chinese rulers derived their authority from a divine force that could be revoked if rulers behaved poorly toward their subjects
D) the idea that Chinese rulers were endowed with their authority by a divine force, and no human could overthrow a ruler once approved by the heavens

Question 45

Which of the following is a true statement regarding the Zhou dynasty?

A) The Zhou monarch ruled his empire directly and managed the affairs of his kingdom personally.
B) The Zhou dynasty was extremely short-lived and only lasted about fifty years.
C) The Zhou rejected the notion of the Mandate of Heaven and ruled their territory ruthlessly.
D) The Zhou empire was highly decentralized, and the Zhou monarch ruled through dozens of representatives.

Question 46

Which of the following was a consequence of the collapse of the Zhou dynasty?

A) Rivalry among competing rulers promoted and accelerated military and other technological innovations.
B) China fell into an extended period of economic collapse and population implosion.
C) Foreign powers invaded the remnants of the Zhou dynasty, and Chinese culture was temporarily suppressed.
D) Smaller rulers entered into a relative period of peace in order to reestablish stability in urban centers as well as in the countryside.

Question 47

In order to build up their militaries, Chinese rulers during the first millennium B.C.E.

A) forced farmers and poor laborers into military service.
B) allowed women to enter the military ranks.
C) conscripted foreign soldiers to swell their ranks.
D) acknowledged the needs of farmers and laborers in order to compel them to take up military service.

Question 48

An increase in the use of bronze coins of various shapes in China during the first millennium B.C.E. indicates which of the following?

A) The Chinese had not yet discovered and adopted iron metallurgy.
B) The Chinese economy was expanding.
C) The lack of central leadership meant that no ruler could impose a single currency.
D) Money from across Afroeurasia circulated throughout China, confirming its place in the international network of trade.

Question 49

The Book of Songs is a critical source for information about which of the following?

A) the lives of Chinese rulers
B) the lives of Chinese priests
C) the lives of average Chinese men and women
D) the lives of great military heroes

Question 50

Rival rulers following the end of the Zhou dynasty frequently

A) attempted to establish their Zhou lineage in order to legitimize their rule.
B) married one another in order to bring peace and expand their rule.
C) sought to annihilate their enemies at all costs.
D) attempted to reestablish a more powerful and larger Zhou dynasty.

Question 51

Discuss the introduction of iron metallurgy into Afroeurasian society. How did this new technology diffuse throughout Afroeurasia? How did iron metallurgy affect Afroeurasian societies, and what were the consequences of iron production on the environment?

Question 52

Examine the changing nature of warfare during the first millennium B.C.E. What was the effect of the Sea People invasions on the manner in which war was waged in Southwest Asia? What were some of the significant changes in military structure and weaponry? Describe some of the practices rulers employed in order to avoid warfare with other states.

Question 53

Explore the rise of the Hebrew faith. How were the religious beliefs of the Israelites different from other religious beliefs of the day, and how were they similar?

Question 54

Define the term commercial diaspora. What role did commercial diasporas play in Afroeurasian society? Provide examples of diasporic communities that provided important commercial services. What was the position of these groups within the larger framework of Afroeurasian society? What were some of the significant changes in trading practices that enabled commercial diasporas to arise?

Question 55

Describe the system of social organization that arose in South Asia during the first millennium B.C.E. What were some of the key consequences of the caste system that developed in early India? How was social class determined, and by what means were social norms enforced? How did this system of social organization fit into the larger trends of the day?

Question 56

Discuss some of the fundamental beliefs of Brahmanism. What were some of the basic tenets of the Brahmanic faith? What were some of the distinguishing features of early Brahmanism, and how did Brahmanism parallel other religions of its time?

Question 57

Examine the rise and fall of the Zhou dynasty. What were some of the important consequences of the Zhou collapse? Describe the Mandate of Heaven in first millennium B.C.E. China. How did this concept affect the relationship between Chinese rulers and their subjects?