Ancient History

In the Greek world, a polis was a(n)

Independent political unit, small city, and community sharing common ancestors and religious rites (all of these answers are correct)

Solon’s reforms

Encouraged industry, expanded citizenship, and reduced Athens’ dependence on imported wheat (all of these answers are correct)

The period 404-371 B.C.E. is called the Spartan hegemony and is characterized by

Spartan leadership of the Greek world, overextension of Spartan power in Asia Minor, and the rise of Theban and Athenian power (all of these answers are correct)

Greek literature, mythology, and theater portrayed the extent of women’s influence as

Greater than it was in Athenian law, though perhaps comparable to the reality

Which best describes the beliefs of Epicurus?

Pursuit of happiness, practical atheism, withdrawal from public life

Which best describes the philosophy of the Stoics?

A life in harmony with God and nature, knowledge of good and evil, avoidance of passion

Zoroaster was similar to the Hebrew prophets, the Buddha, and Confucius because he preached a message of

Moral reform

Modern Iran has a dual cultural heritage based on

Islamic/Zoroastrian cultures

To hold their diverse empire together the rulers of the Achaemenid Dynasty

Developed an efficient administrative system, which borrowed much from preceding kingdoms

Under the reign of Darius, the Achaemenid Empire generally

Practiced toleration of religious and cultural diversity

The most important contribution of the Seleucid Dynasty to Near Eastern history was

Spreading Greek culture in urban regions across the Middle East

The cross-cultural contact between Eastern and Western cultures is best symbolized by

The Hellenizing conquests of Alexander the Great

Hinduism can best be described as

Polytheistic, with individual devotion to a particular god

What is the primary drawback to the reports of outside observers concerning African societies?

They are often riddled with strong biases

Anthropologists designate early human cultures by their

tools

Mathematics could not develop until

An independent concept of numbers was established

According to the excerpt from the Code of Hammurabi, women in Babylonian society

Were primarily supposed to be good homemakers, were eligible to own their own businesses, and were used as collaterals for loans (all of these answers are correct)

The new kingdom was different from earlier periods of Egyptian history because

Egyptian rulers pursued foreign expansion and created a large empire

What characterized the later phase of the Eastern Zhou (401-256 B.C.E)

Political fragmentation and frequent warfare between rival states

The agricultural surplus necessary to emerging civilizations in the Andes valleys was based

On a combination of agriculture and marine resources

Confucius believed that

Government should be run by men of superior learning and culture

Daoists would most likely believe that

Knowledge is bad because it creates distinctions

The legalists modeled their idea of a strong state on

A system of incentives and punishments

According to the teachings of Buddha

Pain and suffering stem from selfish desires

Called the "father of the faithful" many consider this man to be the symbolic founder of three of the world’s largest religions: Judaism, Christianity, and Islam

Abraham

During the classical era, most Greeks believed that laws

Were made by men and expressed the consent of the citizenry

One of the primary characteristics of Greek philosophy was its

Emphasis on reason as the means of discovering truth

Plato argued that the best and most moral system of government was one ruled by

A philosopher-king

The Cynics would most likely believe

In none of the above

All of the following represent Aristotle’s views except the

Desirability of monarchy

During its high point, the Meroitic Empire prospered primarily due to its role as

Middleman for African goods bound for the Mediterranean and near east

All of the early urbanized areas of western and central Sudan were characterized by

An economy based on a mix of hunting, fishing, and farming, location in an oasis or a river region, autonomous settlements organized in loose confederations (all of the above)

The most important commodities exchanged between the Sahara and West Africa were

Gold and salt

The first millennium C.E saw the rise of several sizable states in the western and central sudan because of

Settled agricultural populations and the expansion of trade

Ghana’s fame and importance in the Sudan was due to

Its control over the gold trade

Rome’s treatment of conquered Italian cities

Promoted revolt due to harshness

The Punic wars were fought between Rome and

Carthage

Hannibal planned to defeat Rome by

Invading Italy, seizing Saguntum, and persuading Rome’s allies to switch sides (all of the above)

The most important result of the Struggle of the Orders was to

Give the plebeians a somewhat greater role in Roman government

Tiberius Grachus sought to solve the problems facing the Roman Republic through

Land reform

The reforms of Marius had a dramatic impact on Roman politics because they

Made the armies loyal to their generals rather than Rome itself

The first Triumvirate was composed of

Caesar, Pompey, and Crassus

The government established for Rome by Augustus is best described as a

Constitutional monarchy

The most important basis of Augustus’s power was

The army

Paul of Tarsus played a major role in early Christianity because

He spread the message of Jesus to non-Jewish populations

Part of Rome’s defensive problems during the crisis of the third century was due to an army

Composed largely of Germanic mercenaries

Which of the following was a change seen in Roman social order in the third century C.E.?

It became more difficult for individuals to move from lower social orders to higher.

The tetrarchy system created by Diocletian was intended to

Create an orderly and peaceful method of succession to the throne

Why was the capitol moved to Constantinople by Constantine?

It could easily, protect the western and Danubian frontiers, it could control trade into the black sea, and it was easily defensible (all of the above)

After the fourth century C.E., the Roman Empire

Split into declining Western and still-flourishing Eastern halves

Augustine sought in his writings

To separate the fate of christianity from the collapse of the Roman world

The basis of Sasanid culture was

A revived version of Zoroastrianism

Manichaeans advocated

A radical dualism between spirit and matter, a universal "justice", restoring the original unity of Christian, Zoroastrian, and Buddhist teachings (all of the above)

One of the most important indices of culture in the Gupta era was

A strong emphasis on education

Jati groupings in India included all of the following except

Religious practice

A central trait of Hinduism during and after the Gupta dynasty was the

Growth of devotional cults to specific deities

The Byzantine ruler Justinian is best known for

Promulgating a Roman law code

The "golden age" of Indian civilization was the

Gupta period

Which of the following was part of Sasanid aristocratic culture?

Roman, Hellenistic, and Bactrian traditions, Indian artistic and scientific works, and indian religious influences (all of the above)

The chief rival of the Sasanid Empire for predominance in the near east from the third to seventh century C.E. was

The Byzantine Empire

Which of the following was not a contribution of the Romans to architecture?

The Doric column

The Paleolithic Age is characterized by

A hunting and gathering existence

The Neolithic Revolution is characterized by

The domestication of animals and the start of agriculture

Which group was the first to unify much of Mesopotamia and create a true empire?

The Akkadians

The Mesopotamians constructed lofty towers, perhaps symbolizing mountains, called

Ziggurats

Egypt’s "black land" was

The dark fertile fields along the Nile

In ancient Egypt, maat was

The highest virtue combining the ideas of truth, justice, and order

The Assyrians were famous for their

Fierce and well-disciplined military

The vedas contain the earliest beliefs of Hinduism and originated with

Aryans who moved into the Ganges area

India’s Late Vedic Age is also called the Epic Age because it is setting for

The Mahabharata and the Ramayana

Which of the following was not a characteristic of Shang civilization?

Use of iron weapons

In the Americas, relatively dense Neolithic settlements emerged emerged in all of the following areas except

The Great Plains

Karma refers to

The principle that every action influences the cycle of life and death

A tholos tomb

Was a single, huge, beehive-like chamber

Solon, Pisistratus, and Clisthenes contributed to the development of Athenian government by

Breaking down traditional allegiances

Clisthenes’s claim to the title of "father of Athenian democracy" is based on which action?

Enlargement of the citizen rolls, elevation of the role of the assembly, and reduction of the power of aristocrats (all of the above)

The Athenian victory at Marathon in 490 B.C.E

Was due to the leadership of Miltiades, was important for the positive contributions of Athens, and did not provide permanent protection for Athens from the Persian threat (all of the above)

The Persian War battle that ultimately ensured Greek independence and instilled Athenians with confidence was at

Salamis

The kingdom of Macedon

Provided a buffer between the Greeks and northern barbarians, was unified by Philip II, and conquered Athens in 338 B.C.E (all of the above)

Part of the genius of the Achaemenids’ unparalleled imperial success lay in their ability to

Use existing institutions to build their own state

The third and greatest Mauryan emperor was

Ashoka

Kautilya is famous in Indian history as

A cunning and ruthless political thinker who laid the basis of the Mauryan Empire

All of the following were part of the Mauryan legacy except

Grand cities built in stone

Which of the following shows the correct chronological sequence of historical eras?

Paleolithic, Neolithic, Bronze, Iron

Who developed the form of writing called cuneiform?

The Sumerians

The epic of Gilgamesh includes the story of

A hero-king’s search for eternal life

The Hittites

Were innovators and helped bridge cultures

The most important staple food crop for early American cultures was

Maize

Mesoamerica is located

In modern Mexico and parts of Central America

Thucydides was an Athenian who

Wrote the history of the Peloponnesian war

Alexander was forced to end his conquest in India because of

A mutiny by his men

Great Hellenistic scholars include

All of the above

The Parthians were a steppe people who

Defeated the seleucids and created a large empire in Iran

Parthian control over the Iranian plateau in the first centuries C.E

Encouraged the growth of trade along the Silk Road

Which of the following was responsible for Parthian decline?

Constant wars with the neighboring Roman and Kushan Empires

By the second century C.E in the indo-iranian world, we see the

Decline of Western influence on Eastern culture