Deck 14: Ancient Mediterranean Worlds

Question 1

The chances that a work of art from ancient times will be found or preserved are greatly increased if:

A) it was made of durable materials.
B) the local climate is conducive to preservation.
C) the culture from which it came was stable and organized.
D) it was located where access from the outside world was limited.
E) All of these answers are correct.

Answer 1

E

Question 2

Because they lacked stone, the ancient Sumerians built their cities from:

A) wood.
B) a mixture of sand and water.
C) plaster over reeds.
D) sun-dried brick.
E) lapis lazuli.

Answer 2

D

Question 3

The sculpture Akhenaten and His Family is an example of the ________ technique.

A) encaustic
B) fresco
C) gold inlay
D) sunken relief
E) painted terra cotta

Answer 3

D

Question 4

A prime example of art from the Hellenistic era is:

A) the Laocoön Group.
B) Eos and Memnon.
C) Kouros from Anavysos.
D) the Spear Bearer.
E) the Toreador Fresco.

Question 5

The mummy of Artemidoros, from Fayum, shows the influence of the ________ culture(s).

A) Egyptian
B) Greek
C) Roman
D) Egyptian, Greek, and Roman
E) None of these answers is correct.

Question 6

Although bronze was the favored material for freestanding sculpture in Greece, most bronze statues have not survived because:

A) they have corroded entirely away.
B) they were destroyed by Christian iconoclasts.
C) they were melted down to make weapons and other objects.
D) the Romans destroyed them when making marble copies.
E) they were lost at sea.

Question 7

What destroyed the Roman colonies of Pompeii and Herculaneum in 79 C.E

A) The eruption of a volcano B. The invasion of a foreign army
C) Leprosy
D) A tidal wave
E) None of these answers is correct.
B) The invasion of a foreign army
C) Leprosy
C)E.?
D) A tidal wave

Question 8

In Egyptian art, the convention of representing social importance by size-for example, where the pharaoh is shown much larger than his subjects-is known as:

A) simultaneous contrast.
B) hierarchical scale.
C) isometric perspective.
D) foreshortening.
E) entasis.

Question 9

The most notable example of Neolithic architecture in Europe is:

A) Tassili n'Ajjer in Algeria.
B) Stonehenge in England.
C) Pompeii in Italy.
D) the Colosseum in Rome.
E) Chauvet in France.

Question 10

Three major cultures that preceded the Greeks in and around the Aegean Sea were the ________ cultures.

A) Cycladic, Minoan, and Mycenaean
B) Akkadian, Babylonian, and Sumerian
C) Algerian, Mesopotamian, and Egyptian
D) Assyrian, Persian, and Macedonian
E) Assyrian, Sumerian, Minoan

Question 11

The bronze head of an Akkadian ruler is a rare example of ________ in ancient art.

A) royal portraiture
B) stylization
C) an idealized human form
D) naturalism
E) metalwork

Question 12

Romans could watch gladiators fight to the death, along with other sporting events, at the:

A) Pantheon. B. Parthenon.
C) Acropolis.
D) Colosseum.
E) Villa of the Mysteries.

Question 13

To compensate for the natural visual distortion in which tall columns appear to bend inward, the Greeks gave them a slight bulge, which is known as:

A) cella.
B) entasis.
C) kouros.
D) entablature.
E) frieze.

Question 14

Under the reign of ________, a new, more naturalistic style of Egyptian art developed.

A) Amenhotep IV
B) Nefertiti
C) Tutankhamun
D) Narmer
E) None of these answers is correct.

Question 15

Although we know almost nothing about the culture that created them, the abstract ________ of the Cycladic culture appear extremely sophisticated for five-thousand-year-old works.

A) lion hunts
B) animal deities
C) domestic scenes
D) female nude figures
E) equestrian portraits

Question 16

A true arch was developed by ________ architects long before the Romans came up with the idea.

A) Egyptian
B) Assyrian
C) Neo-Babylonian
D) Minoan
E) None of these answers is correct.

Question 17

All of the following cultures were Mesopotamian EXCEPT:

A) the Sumerian.
B) the Babylonian.
C) the Assyrian.
D) the Akkadian.
E) the Minoan.

Question 18

The earliest-known writing system from which a recorded language developed was the invention of:

A) the Assyrians.
B) the Sumerians.
C) the Akkadians.
D) Neolithic peoples.
E) the Egyptians.

Question 19

According to historians, the Roman era began in 510

A) the founding of the Roman Republic. B. the reign of Julius Caesar.
C) the Punic Wars.
D) the defeat of Hannibal.
E) the Norman Conquest
B) the reign of Julius Caesar.
B)C.E. with:
C) the Punic Wars.
D) the defeat of Hannibal.

Question 20

King Tutankhamun's tomb was discovered in 1922 by:

A) Lord Carnarvon.
B) Henri Cartier-Bresson.
C) Howard Carter.
D) Champollion.
E) Hunter Thompson.

Question 21

Discuss theories explaining the purposes of prehistoric art.

Question 22

One of the many standard Greek pottery shapes is a krater and belongs to the period known as:

A) Archaic.
B) Classical.
C) Hellenistic.
D) Late Geometric.
E) Cycladic.

Question 23

Consider the Riace Warrior A, the Aphrodite of Melos, and the marble kouros figure of c. 580
B.C.E. Identify the cultures in which these works were made and describe how each of the works depicts the human figure. How did their sculptors use design elements and principles in each work? How do the differences in these works exemplify the changing perceptions of the idealized human form?
Drawing on Egyptian stylistic presentation of the body, the Greek Archaic period produced stiff, rectangular-shaped frontal figures, symmetrically balanced with a degree of naturalism. Sculptures were typically of young males called kouros. The Greek concern with lifelike representation is evident in the Classical style of a bronze statue, Warrior A, an idealized, virile male body, a form distilled from athletic physiques. The sculpture exhibits negative spatial areas, and the body presents the distinctive contrapposto pose, which sets the line dynamic in a gentle S-shaped curve through a play of opposites. As the spread of Greek culture moved eastward, sculpture developed in several stylistic directions, one being a continuing classical style as seen in the Aphrodite of Melos, emphasizing symmetrical balance and restraint in a closed sculptural form.

Question 24

Discuss the evolution of style in Greek sculpture, naming and describing specific works that illustrate each of the stages you mention.

Question 25

The portrait bust of __________ is presented in a naturalistic and elegant style that is timeless.

A) the Sphinx
B) Nefertiti
C) Venus of Willendorf
D) the head of an Akkadian ruler
E) Aphrodite of Melos

Question 26

Discuss the influences of Greek architecture and sculpture on the Roman arts. Compare and contrast several works from both Greece and Rome, emphasizing cultural reasons for the differences in both form and content.

Question 27

Compare and contrast the functions and themes of art in the Mesopotamian and Egyptian civilizations. Analyze the reasons for the differences and similarities between them.

Question 28

Outline and evaluate several differing viewpoints on the topic of digging into the past for information about earlier cultures. How have clashes of cultural values occurred in response to archaeological studies of graves, tombs, and other sites? What debates have emerged regarding the transportation of artifacts to museums, away from their historical site?

Question 29

Discuss the portrayal of Roman portrait busts, citing Double Portrait of Gratidia M.L. Chrite and M. Gratidius Libanus as an example.

Question 30

Explain the new technologies of the Neolithic era that caused changes in human life and led to the development of civilization.

Question 31

Consider the mummy case of Artemidorus and the wall painting from Villa of the Mysteries, Pompeii. Identify the materials and techniques with which each was made and the purposes of each. Indicate how each work presents information relating to the Roman Empire and its history.

Question 32

Compare and contrast the female statuettes Venus of Willendorf and the Statuette of a Woman, considering their function and sculptural form. Identify the culture each is associated with and the location of discovery.

Question 33

The Great Sphinx at Giza, in Egypt, has the body of a lion and the head of a(n):

A) creature.
B) woman.
C) pharoah.
D) Akkadian ruler.
E) scribe.

Question 34

Consider the fragment of a wall painting from the tomb of Nebamun and the Toreador fresco. Identify the cultures that produced these two works. How are the works different in style and intent?

Question 35

Consider the Funerary Temple of Hatshepsut, the Ishtar Gate, and the Parthenon. Discuss each in terms of the purpose for which it was intended. Also discuss differences in the style and structural system in which each work was made.