Deck 6: Studying the Intangible

Question 1

Late Ice Age cave art shows that humans melded the living and spiritual worlds at least

A)3,000 years ago.
B)30,000 years ago.
C)300,000 years ago.
D)3 million years ago.

Answer 1

30,000 years ago.

Question 2

The study of ancient astronomical observances using archaeological methods is called

A)astrology.
B)ritual astroarchaeology.
C)astroarchaeology.
D)ethnoarchaeology.

Answer 2

astroarchaeology.

Question 3

The Pueblo towers at Hovenweep, Colorado, served as

A)observatories.
B)sacrifice sites.
C)marketplaces.
D)shelters for shamans.

Answer 3

observatories.

Question 4

Stonehenge reflects the distinctive idea of time that revolved around

A)the agricultural seasons.
B)the movement of the sun, moon, and stars.
C)solar and lunar eclipses.
D)the cycle of birth and death in a lifetime.

Question 5

The Chaco Phenomenon dates to

A)2050 B.C.
B)A.D. 1550
C)A.D. 1050
D)1050 B.C.

Question 6

More than 60 road segments have been discovered in Chaco Canyon, many of which lead to

A)burial mounds.
B)Pueblo Alto.
C)nowhere.
D)Chetro Ketl.

Question 7

Ethnographic analogy is important in studying ancient rock art because of insightful archaeological research conducted

A)among the San of southern Africa.
B)at Chetro Ketl in Chaco Canyon.
C)in the Moche state on the north coast of Peru.
D)on Shang oracle bones in northern China.

Question 8

Name the five most common elements in early human cosmology. What commonalities, if any, do early religions share with modern religions?

Question 9

Discuss the actions of Spanish conquistador Hernán Cortés in the Aztec capital Tenochtitlán. What do you think about what he did? Would you feel differently if Cortés had taken similar actions in a modern-day sacred site?

Question 10

Discuss the evidence that exists to indicate ancient peoples worshipped an Earth Mother. What evidence exists to indicate otherwise? Which evidence do you believe is most compelling, and why?

Question 11

Explain why deciphering Maya glyphs was an important scientific accomplishment. Why was a team needed to undertake this work?

Question 12

Astroarchaeologist Anthony Aveni believes that the ceremonial site at Cahokia, Illinois, was used by ancient rulers to

A)schedule yearly rituals that mark the cycles of the agricultural year.
B)determine the positions of the moon and stars.
C)undertake ritualistic self-mutilation and blood-letting.
D)invest shamans and other spiritual leaders with authority.

Question 13

In Christianity, the rose is a symbol of

A)the soul.
B)the Virgin Mary.
C)eternity.
D)the Sun.

Question 14

Archaeologists believe today that much of Maya art was created to

A)legitimize rulers.
B)record history.
C)decorate sacred sites.
D)demonstrate wealth.

Question 15

Many Ancient religions share a common symbolism for the living and spiritual worlds

A)being separated by primordial waters.
B)being joined at an axis of the world.
C)having multiple boundaries.
D)being held together by ancestors.

Question 16

Ancient religions believed that individuals with supernatural powers, often known as shamans, had the ability to

A)pass between the material and spiritual realms.
B)see into the future.
C)predict solar eclipses.
D)united warring civilizations.

Question 17

A unique written record of the first kings of northern China were discovered in the form of

A)cave paintings.
B)elaborately decorated pottery.
C)oracle bones.
D)hieroglyphics.

Question 18

An emerging methodology for studying human consciousness that blends cultural systems theory, analogy, and environmental reconstruction, among other practices, is known as

A)archaeology of mind.
B)ethnoarchaeology.
C)ethnohistory.
D)astroarchaeology.

Question 19

David Lewis-Williams realized that the rock paintings of South Africa

A)link society with the supernatural.
B)depict elaborate blood-letting ceremonies.
C)glorify scenes of everyday life.
D)are examples of art for art's sake.

Question 20

Egyptian pharaohs were believed to be the living embodiment of the Sun God Ra, and the pharaohs were assumed to

A)regulate the movements of the moon.
B)join him in the skies at their death.
C)communicate with him through the pyramids.
D)hold power over the seasons.

Question 21

The Anglo-Saxon ruler Raedwald was buried in Sutton Hoo in a

A)pyramid.
B)castle.
C)ship.
D)tree.

Question 22

Archaeologist Kathleen Kenyon found a collection of plaster replicas of human heads at Jericho in the 1950s that are believed to be

A)death masks.
B)portraits of ancestors.
C)religious masks.
D)portraits of ancient deities.

Question 23

Which of the following practiced ritualized bloodletting and self-mutilation?

A)Aztecs
B)Minoans
C)Greeks
D)Moche

Question 24

The study of history using oral and other traditional sources is called

A)petrology.
B)astroarchaeology.
C)ethnoarchaeology.
D)ethnohistory.

Question 25

Discuss what is and is not known about Stonehenge. Why do you think it is one of the most commonly misunderstood archaeological sites?