CHAPTER 1: Early Civilizations

Transcription

1 CHAPTER 1: Early Civilizations MULTIPLE CHOICE 1. To the peoples of the ancient world, the characteristic manifestations of civilization government, literature, science, and art were necessarily products of: a. rural life. d. warfare. b. city life. e. nomadic life. c. religion. B DIF: Moderate REF: page 4 OBJ: 1 TOP: I MSC: Remembering 2. Human cultures down to the fourth millennium B.C.E. are referred to as belonging to the Stone Age because they: a. made most of their tools out of stone. b. built urban structures primarily with stone. c. used rocks and stones as weapons. d. lived in caves. e. communicated primarily through messages carved in stone. A DIF: Easy REF: page 4 OBJ: 1 TOP: II, B MSC: Remembering 3. Social relationships in the ancient city of Çatalhöyük were largely: a. hierarchical. d. managed by religious officials. b. egalitarian. e. based on the example of their gods. c. based in a caste system. B DIF: Moderate REF: page 4 OBJ: 1 2 TOP: II, A MSC: Remembering 4. Although hominid existence extends back many millennia, human civilization was fully achieved around the year: a. 13,000 B.C.E. d B.C.E. b B.C.E. e B.C.E. c B.C.E. D DIF: Easy REF: page 4 OBJ: 1 TOP: I MSC: Remembering 5. The Paleolithic Age begins with the earliest ancestors of modern human beings, who used stone tools, approximately years ago. a. 7 million d. 750,000 b. 5 million e. 200,000 c. 2 million C DIF: Easy REF: page 4 OBJ: 1 TOP: II, B, 1 MSC: Remembering 6. Cave paintings, such as those found in Lascaux, France, are evidence of development of: a. a stratified society.

2 b. permanent settlement. c. language as well as religious and artistic ideas. d. a priestly class. e. an artistic class. C DIF: Moderate REF: page 5 OBJ: 1 TOP: II, B, 2 MSC: Applying 7. Before 11,000 B.C.E.., virtually all human societies were: a. engaged in settled agriculture to produce crop surpluses for the gods. b. able to use metal tools for arts, crafts, and building. c. using men to do the hunting and women to do the gathering. d. nomadic, moving incessantly in search of limited food. e. settled in agricultural communities. D DIF: Easy REF: page 5 OBJ: 1 TOP: II, B, 2 MSC: Remembering 8. Since human beings in the Paleolithic period had no domestic animals: a. great disparities developed in individual wealth. b. they could be easily ruled by tribal kings. c. they practiced a policy of divide, defeat, and conquer. d. they had no significant wealth beyond what they could carry. e. they used wild animals as beasts of burden. D DIF: Easy REF: page 5 OBJ: 1 TOP: II, B, 2 MSC: Understanding 9. The switch from subsistence by food gathering to food production: a. required people to give up their faith in storm and wind gods. b. was a momentous revolution that made stable settlements possible. c. meant that women were no longer part of the labor force. d. prohibited raising domestic animals as livestock. e. required seasonal movement, allowing for summer and winter settlements. B DIF: Moderate REF: page 5 OBJ: 1 TOP: II, C, 1 MSC: Understanding 10. The Neolithic Revolution allowed women to: a. participate fully in social and political governance. b. become the primary laborers in the growing of crops. c. have fewer children and devote less time to child care. d. have more children and devote more time to child care. e. become the religious leaders of communities. D DIF: Moderate REF: page 7 OBJ: 2 TOP: II, C, 1 MSC: Remembering 11. Why was life expectancy in early cities shorter than among nomadic hunter-gatherer peoples? a. The carbohydrate-rich diet was less nutritious, and cramped housing in the cities resulted in increased exposure to infectious diseases. b. The success of the cities and their stored supplies of food attracted attack from outside, chiefly by nomadic peoples.

3 c. The process of in-home burial led to an increase in contagious disease. d. Food was often portioned out according to social class and sex, resulting in an inadequate diet for women and the poor. e. People in early cities exercised less and ate more than people who lived in traditional hunter-gatherer societies. A DIF: Moderate REF: page 7 OBJ: 2 TOP: II, C, 2 MSC: Applying 12. Agricultural surpluses and permanent settlements allowed for the unequal accumulation of wealth and thus the emergence of: a. primitive communism. b. a socially, economically, and politically stratified society. c. charities dedicated to feeding the poor. d. religious rituals dedicated to increasing agricultural production. e. the earliest banks and trust companies. B DIF: Moderate REF: page 8 OBJ: 2 TOP: II, C, 2 MSC: Applying 13. One of the earliest civilizations, Sumer, flourished in what the Greeks called Mesopotamia, between the Tigris and Euphrates rivers in modern-day: a. Egypt. d. Ethiopia. b. Iran. e. Iraq. c. Saudi Arabia. E DIF: Easy REF: page 8 OBJ: 3 TOP: III, A MSC: Remembering 14. Why was Sumer an uninviting environment for the first cities? a. The area has no natural defenses. b. The soil was sandy and the rivers flooded unpredictably. c. The marshy land between the rivers was fertile breeding ground for malaria and other deadly diseases. d. The rivers were largely unnavigable during long periods of the year, making trade difficult. e. The region had no forests for timber or usable stone to quarry for building materials. B DIF: Moderate REF: page 8 OBJ: 3 TOP: III, A MSC: Applying 15. Which of the following was an important element in the development of early settlements? a. the development of coinage to make the exchange of goods easier b. the standardization of burial practices throughout the Near and Middle East c. the discovery made during the last Little Ice Age of freezing to preserve food d. the establishment of first local and then long-distance trade routes throughout the Near East e. the emergence of hereditary kingship D DIF: Moderate REF: page 8 OBJ: 2 3 TOP: II, C, 3 MSC: Applying

4 16. Although early writing was produced using pointed sticks, Sumerian scribes circa 3100 B.C.E. advanced writing with durable reeds that: a. almost anyone could use to produce simple documents. b. allowed the production of clay tablets without costly baking. c. were exclusively used by the priest class. d. produced wedge-like script called cuneiform. e. could be used to eat with as well as write. D DIF: Easy REF: page 10 OBJ: 2 3 TOP: III, B MSC: Remembering 17. Tens of thousands of Sumerian clay tablets have survived: a. but unfortunately the key to the language has not. b. documenting the United Sumerian empire, which lasted from 2900 to 2500 B.C.E. c. telling us more about Sumer than we know about any other human society at the time. d. probably because the Sumerians kept them in special underground archives. e. but all deal with priestly class and reveal nothing about Sumerian society. C DIF: Moderate REF: page 10 OBJ: 2 3 TOP: III, B, C MSC: Understanding 18. The common religion of the Sumerians: a. was an early form of monotheism that influenced other peoples. b. required city-states to settle their differences peacefully. c. guaranteed free food for the poorest members of society. d. included many gods, with a different god worshiped in each city-state. e. was the only aspect of Sumerian society that survived the society s collapse. D DIF: Moderate REF: pages OBJ: 2 3 TOP: III, C, 1 MSC: Remembering 19. While ancient Sumerians shared a common religion, warfare was frequent because: a. priests were also warriors. b. the common religion taught that war was necessary and good. c. most ancient Sumerians did not believe in the peaceful teachings of the common religion. d. residents of each city believed themselves to be the servants of different gods. e. residents of each city competed against each other for the honor of serving in the temples. D DIF: Moderate REF: page 11 OBJ: 3 TOP: III, C, 1 MSC: Remembering 20. Slavery in Sumerian society was: a. based on the color of a person s skin. b. strictly forbidden. c. based on gender. d. perpetual, with no chance for the slaves to gain their freedom. e. usually the result of capture during war. E DIF: Moderate REF: page 11 OBJ: 3 TOP: III, C MSC: Understanding 21. An individual who successfully led a Sumerian city-state s army in battles was: a. known as a tyrant and feared by freedom-loving citizens.

5 b. able to acquire prestige and power as a lugal. c. associated with distant countries where the gods supposedly lived. d. declared a god-king by his city s priests. e. allowed by the gods to carouse with the wives and daughters of the nobles. B DIF: Moderate REF: page 12 OBJ: 2 3 TOP: III, C, 1 MSC: Understanding 22. The Epic of Gilgamesh: a. exists today in the exact version in which it was read in ancient Sumer. b. relates the adventures of a lugal of Uruk in ancient Sumer. c. tells us more about ancient Persian society than it does about ancient Sumer. d. is largely derived from stories in the Hebrew Bible. e. tells the story of a simple Akkadian farmer. B DIF: Moderate REF: page 13 OBJ: 3 TOP: III, C MSC: Understanding 23. Enkidu s death in the Epic of Gilgamesh and Gilgamesh s inability to revive him illustrates that Sumerians believed that: a. a powerful lugal owes no allegiance to the gods. b. rural life is superior to urban life and civilization. c. human effort was futile to stop the forces of nature. d. the Sumerians believed that the gods would reward those who did their bidding. e. some Sumerians did not believe in gods and goddesses. C DIF: Difficult REF: page 14 OBJ: 3 TOP: III, C, 1 MSC: Applying 24. Shortly before 3000 B.C.E., people in the Near East discovered that bronze could be produced by: a. applying advances in Sumerian mathematics and astronomy. b. heating copper to extremely high temperatures in pottery furnaces. c. combining copper with iron. d. combining copper metal with arsenic or tin. e. combining iron with tin or arsenic. D DIF: Easy REF: page 15 OBJ: 1 3 TOP: III, C, 2 MSC: Remembering 25. Sumerian mathematics was very sophisticated and based on multiplications and divisions of: a. 5s and 10s. d. 5s and 50s. b. 10s and 20s. e. 30s and 60s. c. 10s and 100s. E DIF: Easy REF: page 15 OBJ: 3 TOP: III, C, 2 MSC: Remembering 26. After 2500 B.C.E., the tombs of Sumerian lugals often included armor and jewelry. This demonstrates both the wealth of the lugals and shows that Sumerians believed: a. gifts to the gods were necessary at death. b. there was no afterlife. c. the dead had to pay a toll to enter the land of the dead. d. all their possessions should be buried with them.

6 e. items such as these would be useful in the afterlife. E DIF: Moderate REF: page 16 OBJ: 3 TOP: III, C, 1 MSC: Applying 27. Sargon of Akkad (c B.C.E.) is significant because he: a. was the first lugal to conquer neighboring city-states. b. subdued Sumer and exerted influence from Ethiopia to the Indus Valley. c. built observatories and introduced the more accurate Akkadian calendar. d. sent ambassadors to distant lands ranging from Ethiopia to Europe. e. was the first ruler in history to take the title of emperor. B DIF: Moderate REF: page 17 OBJ: 3 TOP: III, C, 3, a MSC: Applying 28. The Akkadian rulers of Sargon and Naram-Sin: a. presided over the Dark Age, when foreigners dominated Akkad. b. were glorified bandits who had little interest in culture. c. wiped out the Sumerian religion and replaced it with their own. d. led their country to a series of disastrous defeats ending in the destruction of Akkad. e. ruled from cities and kept their empires through conquest and commerce. E DIF: Difficult REF: page 17 OBJ: 3 TOP: III, C, 3, a MSC: Understanding 29. Following the decline in Akkad, a new dynasty under the leadership of arose in the Sumerian city of Ur. a. Ur-Narmer d. Ur-Enkidu b. Ur-Nammu e. Gilgamesh c. Ur-Engar B DIF: Easy REF: page 18 OBJ: 3 TOP: III, C, 3, b MSC: Remembering 30. was the first king to launch wars of aggression in the name of his primary god. a. Sargon d. Djoser b. Ur-Nammu e. Narmer c. Hammurabi C DIF: Moderate REF: page 18 OBJ: 4 TOP: III, C, 3, c, i MSC: Remembering 31. Hammurabi s empire was founded on: a. a policy of terror. d. political strategy and diplomacy. b. constant warfare. e. the loyalty of his blood kin. c. complex trade networks. D DIF: Moderate REF: page 18 OBJ: 4 TOP: III, C, 3, c, i MSC: Understanding 32. The penalties in Hammurabi s Law Code: a. were equal for all. b. only applied to slaves.

7 c. were different depending on the class of an individual. d. were different depending on whether an individual was a citizen or not. e. were different depending on the age of the individual. C DIF: Moderate REF: page 19 OBJ: 4 TOP: III, C, 3, c, ii MSC: Understanding 33. The civilization that emerged in ancient Egypt arose: a. as a part of the Old Babylonian empire. b. at the same time as that of ancient Sumer. c. significantly later than that of ancient Sumer. d. significantly earlier than that of ancient Sumer. e. as a result of Akkadian colonization. B DIF: Easy REF: page 22 OBJ: 6 TOP: IV MSC: Remembering 34. Historians typically divide ancient Egyptian history into to facilitate the discussion of Egyptian politics and culture. a. intermediate eras d. kingdoms and periods b. predynastic societies e. primary and secondary eras c. pharaohs D DIF: Easy REF: page 22 OBJ: 5 TOP: IV MSC: Applying 35. Due to recent research, the method of numbering Egyptian dynasties now begins with the dynasty. a. Zero d. Primary b. First e. Scorpion c. Initial A DIF: Moderate REF: page 25 OBJ: 5 TOP: IV, B MSC: Remembering 36. The Egyptian system of hieroglyphics was: a. deciphered by Champollion using the Rosetta Stone. b. a popular version of the more complex cuneiform. c. used until the invention of printing with movable type. d. not written on papyrus because it was too expensive. e. a phonetic system of writing based on the Ubaid language. A DIF: Easy REF: page 27 OBJ: 5 TOP: IV, C, 1 MSC: Remembering 37. The important administrator of the pharaoh Djoser who initiated pyramid building in the step style was: a. Imhotep. d. Khafre. b. Khufu. e. Narmer. c. Cheops. A DIF: Easy REF: page 28 OBJ: 5 TOP: IV, C, 2 MSC: Remembering

8 38. The great Pyramids of Giza, built in the Fourth Dynasty, were: a. used for athletic events, concerts, and political rallies. b. lost in the desert sands and unknown to the Greeks. c. a good supply of building stone for Rome and Carthage. d. temples used for worship by the priestly class. e. constructed by thousands of peasant workers who were not slaves. E DIF: Moderate REF: page 28 OBJ: 5 TOP: IV, C, 2 MSC: Remembering 39. The weakening power of the Fifth and Sixth dynasties resulted in: a. a wider distribution of wealth in Egyptian society. b. a decline in cultural production. c. a contraction of court culture to Memphis. d. priests refusing to crown pharaohs. e. a decline in the general quality of life in Egypt. A DIF: Moderate REF: page 29 OBJ: 5 TOP: IV, C, 3 MSC: Applying 40. Egyptian society: a. was highly stratified, with an influential middle class. b. consisted of a tiny minority of royalty and nobility and a majority class of the poor, including peasants and artisans. c. was dependent on a large and heavily oppressed slave class. d. was a powerful patriarchy in which women had little participation. e. was a matriarchal society as evidenced by powerful queens. B DIF: Moderate REF: pages OBJ: 5 TOP: IV, D, 1 MSC: Remembering 41. The two gods most fundamental to Egyptian religious belief were: a. Seth and Osiris. d. Isis and Anubis. b. Isis and Osiris. e. Anubis and Horus. c. Seth and Isis. B DIF: Easy REF: page 30 OBJ: 5 TOP: IV, D, 2 MSC: Remembering 42. The Egyptians developed elaborate tombs and burial techniques: a. to preserve their sacred cats in the harsh desert climate. b. following the example of the Hebrews and other nomadic people. c. because they believed deceased people would be reincarnated as animals. d. to enable a person s afterlife and ensure he or she had all that was necessary there. e. to demonstrate their great respect for their ancestors. D DIF: Moderate REF: page 31 OBJ: 5 TOP: IV, D, 3 MSC: Remembering 43. Before entering an enjoyable afterlife, the deceased Egyptian supposedly: a. would be judged by Osiris and other divine judges. b. confessed all sins.

9 c. had to buy access to heaven with offerings to the gods. d. had to build a pyramid, large or small, according to social status. e. had to find his soul in the Duat. A DIF: Easy REF: pages OBJ: 5 TOP: IV, D, 3 MSC: Remembering 44. Egyptian coffin books or books of the dead contained: a. lists of prominent persons who died each year. b. funeral regulations for members of the royal family. c. instructions about preserving bodies after death. d. magic spells, formulas, and incantations needed in the afterlife. e. lamentations and consoling writings to aid the bereaved in their time of sorrow. D DIF: Moderate REF: page 31 OBJ: 5 TOP: IV, D, 3 MSC: Remembering 45. Ma at: a. or size, meant that temples and palaces had to be very large. b. is equivalent to the English human rights. c. was a male god who made the universe move forward in time. d. includes ideas of harmony, order, justice, and truth. e. referred to the Egyptian belief in reincarnation. D DIF: Moderate REF: page 32 OBJ: 5 TOP: IV, D, 3 MSC: Remembering 46. The Egyptians made notable advances in: a. mathematics. d. philosophy. b. science. e. measuring time. c. military technology. E DIF: Easy REF: page 32 OBJ: 5 TOP: IV, D, 4 MSC: Remembering 47. It is possible that Egyptians did not develop many laborsaving devices such as the wheel because: a. there was a very large pool of available manpower in Egypt. b. many craftsmen in Egypt were dedicated to designing monumental architecture. c. Egypt did not have trade contacts with areas in which laborsaving devices had been developed. d. the Egyptian way of farming did not lend itself to using devices such as the wheel. e. any and all technology produced was owned by the pharaoh. A DIF: Moderate REF: page 32 OBJ: 5 TOP: IV, D, 4 MSC: Remembering 48. Which of the following is NOT true regarding women in Egyptian society during the Pharaonic period? a. They could assume pharaonic authority. b. They could own property. c. They could stand before the courts as individuals without male representation. d. They could practice sexual freedom. e. They were recognized as persons in their own right.

10 D DIF: Difficult REF: page 34 OBJ: 2 5 TOP: IV, D, 5 MSC: Applying 49. Which period saw Egypt expand its borders, abandon its isolationism, and change its ideal of pharaoh from a god to a good shepherd? a. the Old Kingdom d. the Second Intermediate Period b. the Middle Kingdom e. the New Kingdom c. the First Intermediate Period B DIF: Easy REF: page 35 OBJ: 5 TOP: IV, E MSC: Applying 50. Which comparison between Egypt and Mesopotamian civilizations is NOT true? a. Each underwent a melding of religious and political leadership. b. Each engaged in massive building projects. c. Each developed a technique of writing, which helped them expand their influence. d. Each enjoyed significant political and cultural interactions. e. Each underwent a process of political consolidation in the third millennium B.C.E. D DIF: Moderate REF: page 37 OBJ: 6 TOP: IV, F MSC: Understanding TRUE/FALSE 1. Myths can be considered an early form of history. T DIF: Easy REF: page 3 OBJ: 2 TOP: I MSC: Remembering NOT: Myths often represent an oral tradition of a people trying to make sense of their reality by understanding their past. 2. Hierarchical structures of leadership were uncommon in early hunter-gatherer societies. T DIF: Easy REF: page 5 OBJ: 1 TOP: II, B, 2 MSC: Understanding NOT: These societies may have been highly organized, but lack of personal wealth made attendant distinctions in rank and status unlikely. 3. Labor among Paleolithic peoples was strictly divided along gender lines, as men did the hunting and women the gathering. F DIF: Moderate REF: page 5 OBJ: 1 TOP: II, B, 2 MSC: Remembering NOT: Such gendered assumptions do not reflect the complex realities of hunter-gatherer societies. It is more likely that all members of the group were engaged to some extent in all the basic activities. 4. Agricultural surplus made it possible for early societies to become more stable and to expand in population, yet also kept early societies socially stagnant as all labor was focused on the land and the cultivation of more grain. F DIF: Moderate REF: page 8 OBJ: 1

11 TOP: II, C, 2 3 MSC: Understanding NOT: Agricultural surplus made it possible for members of society to devote at least a portion of their labor to pursuits other than agriculture and to begin to specialize in crafts such as pottery or cloth making. It also contributed to a rise in social elites who exploited the labor of others to gain power and become rulers. 5. Sumerian distrust of nature and fear of the world were paralyzing to their culture as they lacked motivation to make significant advances in science, technology, and trade. F DIF: Moderate REF: pages OBJ: 3 TOP: III, C, 1 2 MSC: Applying NOT: Although the Sumerian fear of nature and death led to an extensive and powerful religious system, the desire to control nature led to immense advances in technology, including the development of bronze casting and seed drills. As a result, trade and Sumerian culture as a whole flourished. 6. While both Egypt and Mesopotamia used the wheel in pottery making, in the Early Bronze Age only Mesopotamia used the wheel for transport and war chariots. T DIF: Moderate REF: page 15 OBJ: 6 TOP: III, C, 2 MSC: Remembering NOT: Egypt did not use the wheel for transport until 1700 B.C.E. 7. Although the Akkadians were the predominant people of central Mesopotamia, they adopted Sumerian script, culture, war techniques, and language. F DIF: Moderate REF: page 17 OBJ: 3 TOP: III, C, 3, a MSC: Understanding NOT: The Akkadians retained their Semitic language and were not bound by conventions of Sumerian warfare. 8. Hammurabi s Law Code is the first law code that exacted equal punishment for crimes across the social spectrum. F DIF: Moderate REF: page 19 OBJ: 4 TOP: III, C, 3, c, ii MSC: Understanding NOT: The Law Code is evidence of a highly stratified society with strict class divisions. Crimes committed against the nobility were punished more heavily than those committed against the lower classes. 9. Hammurabi s Law Code accorded no rights to women. F DIF: Moderate REF: page 19 OBJ: 4 TOP: III, C, 3, c, ii MSC: Understanding NOT: Although the rights of women were restricted compared to men s rights in ancient Babylon, Hammurabi s code did grant women some limited rights such as the right to divorce estranged or abusive husbands and the right to demand that such a husband support his children. 10. The early pharaohs had difficulty establishing their rule over all Egypt due to the power of local civic and religious authorities. T DIF: Easy REF: page 24 OBJ: 5

12 TOP: IV, B MSC: Remembering NOT: Legitimating their rule over all Egypt was difficult. Local civic and religious loyalties remained strong, and for centuries Lower Egyptians would continue to see themselves as distinct in some respects from their neighbors to the south. 11. Egyptian and Mesopotamian hieroglyphic writing developed independently of one another. T DIF: Easy REF: page 27 OBJ: 6 TOP: III, B IV, C, 1 MSC: Understanding NOT: The development of hieroglyphic writing in Egypt dates to around 3200 B.C.E., when pictographs began to appear in Mesopotamia. But the two scripts are so different that they probably developed independently; and the uses of writing for government and administration developed far more quickly in Egypt than in Sumer. 12. Egypt in the Old and Middle Kingdoms was maintained chiefly through conquest. F DIF: Moderate REF: page 25 pages OBJ: 5 TOP: IV, C, E MSC: Applying NOT: Egypt in the Old and Middle Kingdoms was maintained through trade, shared culture, religion, and language. 13. The vast majority of Egyptians who built the pyramids were slaves. F DIF: Easy REF: pages OBJ: 5 TOP: IV, C, 2 MSC: Remembering NOT: While historians used to believe that the Great Pyramids of Egypt were built by slave labor, it is now thought that they were raised by willing peasants during the Nile s annual flooding, when peasants were not engaged in farming. 14. The First Intermediate Period refers to a period in which Egypt ceased to be unified. T DIF: Moderate REF: page 29 OBJ: 5 TOP: IV, C, 3 MSC: Applying NOT: The First Intermediate Period, dating from B.C.E., is a time when the centralized control of the pharaohs lessened. In some places local governors and priests emerged as leaders in their community, and it was to those individuals, not the pharaohs, that people looked for security and governance. 15. During the Middle Kingdom, Egypt turned inward and lessened its trade and diplomatic contacts. F DIF: Moderate REF: page 34 OBJ: 5 TOP: IV, E MSC: Understanding NOT: During the Middle Kingdom, Egyptians began to trade with peoples as far away as modern-day Somalia (and perhaps even farther away) and to have diplomatic ties with Syria and Palestine. Moreover, the Egypt of the Middle Kingdom expanded the territory it directly controlled by expanding southward into Nubia. ESSAY 1. Why is the capacity to produce beer a sure sign of civilization?

13 The production of beer is a luxury rather than a necessity. It required several of the noted characteristics of civilization to be present, including the production of a surplus of grain and the ability to dedicate labor to outcomes other than the production of food for subsistence ( job specialization). Making beer also required the use of pots, the production of which only occurred on a mass scale after the foundation of cities. The presence of beer also demonstrates the increasing economic stratification that occurs in early cities. DIF: Difficult REF: page 8 OBJ: 1 TOP: II, C MSC: Applying 2. What innovations characterize the Neolithic Revolution, and how did these innovations impact Neolithic society? Substantial numbers of humans began to domesticate animals and raise crops, making possible permanence and stability in settlement patterns. Increased food supply made a larger population sustainable. The managed production of agriculture required storage to preserve grain for the large population between harvests. Storage allowed a constant food supply and seed for sowing. Sowing allowed for higher yields that could support even larger populations. People could also compensate for natural disasters, such as flooding or fire. A larger supply of grain also made it possible for large animals to be domesticated and used for labor purposes. Protection of these stores resulted in early walled or protected dwellings or buildings and some of the first cities. The ability to grow a surplus of grain made it possible for some members of society to spend some of their labor on specialized crafts, resulting in a more stratified society. DIF: Moderate REF: pages 6 8 OBJ: 1 TOP: II, C MSC: Understanding 3. How did the Ubaid culture contribute to the development of urban civilization in Mesopotamia? The Ubaids brought their village culture with them when they moved into Sumer in the sixth millennium B.C.E. They developed irrigation systems consisting of sophisticated canals and pools lined with stone so that they would last from season to season. They constructed dikes and levees to control seasonal flooding. Their sophisticated agricultural technologies resulted in large harvests and the ability of many members of society to specialize in other crafts such as weaving, pottery making, metalwork, and construction. They also built religious structures that quickly evolved from humble shrines to massive temple complexes that controlled trade and much of the economy. DIF: Easy REF: pages 8 9 OBJ: 3 TOP: III, A MSC: Understanding 4. How did the geography of Mesopotamia and Egypt shape their cultures?

14 Mesopotamia Unpredictability of weather, irregular flooding of rivers, and inhospitable soil ensured that the Sumerian people believed natural forces were unpredictable and dangerous. The religion that developed in ancient Sumer reflected this belief. Large populations and competition for access to water and arable land, along with each city s perception that they owed service to different gods, ensured that warfare was common and contributed to the rise of the lugal or a warrior-king. Egypt The desert made a natural protective border, isolating Egypt from much trade and technologies with Mesopotamian cultures. The predictable nature of the Nile gave a cyclical nature to life, religion, events, and understanding of history. Regular and abundant harvests due to the flooding of the Nile yielded a large food supply and therefore a large population. The lack of contact and invasion produced an ethnically homogeneous people and an ethnocentric worldview in which peoples were grouped as Egyptian or non-egyptian. DIF: Difficult REF: pages 8 10 page 29 OBJ: 6 TOP: III, A, C IV, D, 2 MSC: Understanding 5. Compare and contrast Sumerian and Egyptian forms of religion. Similarities: Both Sumerian and Egyptian religions were pantheistic, and both had powerful priestly classes, which served the gods on earth. Both religions also allowed for the interconnection of religious and political leadership, and temples in both religions served as important religious and secular places. Both religions also believed in an afterlife. Differences: In the Sumerian religion, each city supported a different patron god, which resulted in warfare between cities for the honor of the gods. This pattern continued until the rise of Hammurabi in Babylon, who insisted that all people in territory he controlled recognize the primacy of Babylon s patron god, Marduk. This decree allowed for the beginnings of not only religious, but also political, unity. In Egypt, in contrast, the foundation myth of Osiris s death and dismemberment, and the subsequent dispersal of his remains to all parts of Egypt allowed all areas to lay claim to Osiris, perhaps more easily allowing religious and political unity under the divine leadership of the Pharaoh. Furthermore, while the uncertain and difficult nature of producing food in Mesopotamia led to a belief that the gods were capricious and nature was not to be trusted, the regular flooding of the Nile in Egypt allowed for a more optimistic worldview and understanding of human and divine interaction. DIF: Moderate REF: pages page 30 OBJ: 6 TOP: III, C, 1 IV, D, 2 MSC: Analyzing 6. How can the Epic of Gilgamesh help historians better understand Sumerian society? It shows the impact the office of the lugal had on Sumerian culture and the power of the office. It illustrates the conflict between the civilized city peoples and the uncivilized rural peoples. It further demonstrates that Sumerians believed that the codes of conduct of their society must be obeyed and that those who challenged them by showing little respect for the noble class and behaving immodestly, as Gilgamesh did, needed correction. The friendship that develops between Enkidu and Gilgamesh demonstrates the importance of strong bonds between warriors in ancient Sumer, even as it demonstrates the great grief that comes with the breaking of those bonds by death. Finally, Gilgamesh s inability to save his friend Enkidu from death illustrates that the Sumerian distrust of the natural world is well founded (a water snake steals the plant that would have saved Enkidu) and that human action is futile in the face of nature. DIF: Difficult REF: pages OBJ: 6 TOP: III, C, 1 MSC: Evaluating

15 7. How did Sumerian advances in technology help shape society in the Fertile Crescent? The Sumerians were a self-reliant people whose several important technological advances made possible trade, booming economies, specialized goods, and empires in an area otherwise hostile to settlements and civilization. The constant warfare in the area promoted military technology such as metallurgy, especially the making of bronze. These new bronze weapons were more easily produced than stone or flint weapons and more effective in battle. Another advance that enabled the militaries of the area to be both fast and effective was the wheel. Although this new technology was not invented in the Fertile Crescent, the Sumerians made great use of it. Wheeled chariots were used in warfare and were extremely effective against the largely infantry armies of the ancient world. The wheel also increased the productivity of the Sumerian workforce as more goods could be carried longer distances. The wheel for pottery also allowed the Sumerians to capitalize on their one great natural resource: clay. They produced high-quality clay vessels in great quantity with the potter s wheel, which allowed for greater trade to occur, involving both the pottery itself and the oil and other goods that traveled in the pots. Technologies in mathematics and astronomy made possible better irrigation systems, a relatively accurate calendar, as well as the building of the first domes and arches. Other resources had to be imported into Sumer, which expanded the trade and contact with other peoples and societies as far away as the Indus Valley, but trade occurred most regularly with the peoples of the Persian Gulf. Just as ideas and goods were brought into Sumer through trade routes, so too were Sumerian ideas carried out of Mesopotamia and into places throughout the Near Eastern world. DIF: Difficult REF: page 15 OBJ: 3 4 TOP: III, C, 2 MSC: Applying 8. In what ways can Hammurabi s rule be described as innovative? Hammurabi used military intelligence and diplomacy to encourage his powerful neighbors to fight each other. While pretending to have alliances with almost all his neighbors even as they entered into war with each other, Hammurabi was able to quietly increase the size of his army and, after his neighbors had exhausted themselves economically and militarily in war, he conquered their territories. Hammurabi was also innovative in his use of religion as a powerful tool for political unity. He elevated Marduk, the patron-god of his own city of Babylon, to the primary god of all the regions he conquered, insisting that all his subjects owed their allegiance to Marduk. This legitimated Hammurabi s rule and gave his wars of aggression justification in Marduk s name. Finally, Hammurabi issued a law code that portrayed him as devoted to justice and to his people s welfare. He used this law to reform his administration, adding to his image as a just ruler. DIF: Moderate REF: page 18 OBJ: 4 TOP: III, C, 3, c, ii MSC: Evaluating 9. How did the image of the pharaoh change during the Middle Kingdom? The Archaic Period was ruled by strongmen such as King Scorpion who made their names as conquerors. The early pharaohs were associated with divinity, and by the Second Dynasty the pharaoh was regarded as the earthly manifestation of Horus. This claim to divinity may have been a tool for uniting Upper and Lower Egypt.

16 The Old Kingdom s administration and religion focused on the glorification of the pharaoh. He was Egypt. All trade was entirely controlled by him, and his government was made up of family members he appointed. This was the great pyramid-building era in which much of the economy and labor force was dedicated to building these grand, palatial tombs that not only added to the pharaoh s prestige in life but ensured that he lived in the same lavish lifestyle after death. The Middle Kingdom focused on conquest of new lands and peoples. The pharaoh was a warrior. This kingdom portrayed the pharaoh as a good shepherd. He was a protector from a hostile outside world. He had to be ruthless in the treatment of the nobility and expect dangers and challenges. DIF: Moderate REF: page 25 page 28 pages OBJ: 5 TOP: IV, B C, 1 3 E MSC: Analyzing 10. What factors contributed to the fall of the Old Kingdom? Increase in the power of the priestly class at the expense of the pharaohs; increase in the power of the local nobles who were more readily available to protect nearby territories than the weakening, distant Pharaohs; the positions of nobles in the pharaonic bureaucracy becoming hereditary; the costly building efforts of the previous Fourth Dynasty; climate changes that resulted in famine; the rise in the power of Nubian states that may have restricted Egyptian access to mineral deposits, thus crippling the economy; and lack of ma at, which contributed to a lack of power of and support for the pharaohs. DIF: Moderate REF: page 29 OBJ: 5 TOP: IV, C 3 MSC: Understanding