Q&A Hero

Q: Compared to Mesoamerica, pyramids in Old Kingdom Egypt were NOT A. constructed in fewer building episodes. B. meant to be ascended. C. larger. D. used as royal tombs.

Q: Western introductions into ancient China included A. the written script and scapulimancy. B. millet and pigs. C. wheat and the horse-drawn chariot. D. ceramics and dogs.

Q: The first metal used in West Africa was A. copper. B. bronze. C. iron. D. tin.

Q: According to Zhou texts, a primary symbol of the Chinese state was A. a cooking vessel. B. the ruler's sword. C. the ruler's helmet. D. the chopstick.

Q: The Zhou period in China was marked by all of the following except A. large, dense urban centers. B. iron casting. C. a series of devastating earthquakes. D. wet rice agriculture

Q: Key features of the Ubaid period in southern Mesopotamia were A. large urban settlements and the establishment of the earliest states. B. the development of the temple institution and the spread of canal irrigation. C. beveled-rim bowls and other mold-made pottery vessels. D. the world's earliest known written documents.

Q: During the second and third millennia B.C., the inhabitants of Mesopotamia were A. dominated by a single empire centered at Uruk. B. dependent on a diet of millet and pig. C. practitioners of scapulimancy. D. subdivided politically into a series of city-states.

Q: The city of __________ in southern Pakistan is one of the earliest cities in South Asia with evidence for baked brick buildings and drainage systems. A. Mohenjo-daro B. An-yang C. Uruk D. Gujarat E. Jenn-jeno

Q: Which of the following traits is NOT an important precondition for the development of urban state societies? A. agricultural diversity B. technological capabilities C. trade and exchange networks D. writing systems

Q: As early cities developed in different parts of the world, people often developed writing systems. In Mesopotamia, the earliest writing system was used primarily for A. ritual purposes. B. literary works. C. accounting purposes. D. the recording of dynastic histories.

Q: The first cities were established in A. Mesopotamia. B. Mesoamerica. C. China. D. Egypt. E. Southeast Asia.

Q: Eridu is significant because it was the site of A. the world's first city of more than 10,000 people. B. an early Mesopotamian temple. C. the longest cuneiform written text. D. a decisive battle between Natufian farmers and Sumer chiefs.

Q: Mesopotamian temples were generally associated with A. large storage facilities. B. major markets. C. obsidian blade production. D. kilns for ceramic firing.

Q: Discuss two strategies promoted by the Inca rulers to integrate and consolidate their political domain.

Q: Discuss differences in the exchange systems that characterized later prehispanic polities in Middle and South America.

Q: How would you interpret the Chav'n Horizon? What differences and similarities do you see with the Olmec Horizon?

Q: What is the mit'a system? Do you think this system had antecedents in earlier South American polities?

Q: An Andean recording device that uses knotted strings in a positional decimal system is called a A. quipu. B. tampu. C. huaca. D. shicra. E. waranqa.

Q: The site of Hunuco Pampa included A. a huge marketplace. B. the "Great Image." C. extensive storage facilities. D. what appears to have been a brothel.

Q: Which craft item was most central to the workings of the Inca polity? A. pottery B. cloth C. stone tools D. quipu.

Q: The individuals buried in the pyramid at Sipn appear to have been key participants in the A. Inca conquest. B. creation of Nazca geoglyphs. C. Sacrifice Ceremony. D. mit'a.

Q: Which of the following was not an Inca site? A. Machu Picchu B. Cuzco C. Hunuco Pampa D. Sipn

Q: At El Para'so, the diet included all of the following except A. shellfish. B. starchy tropical tubers. C. domesticated squash. D. birds and small mammals. E. Chilean sea bass.

Q: The art at Chav'n de Huantar includes A. polychrome vases fashioned on the pottery wheel. B. carved stone slabs covered with written texts. C. anthropomorphic figures that combine the features of different animal forms. D. posed human figures closely resembling those found in ancient Greece.

Q: Raised fields have been found in the vicinity of A. Tiwanaku. B. El Para'so. C. Moche. D. Machu Picchu

Q: Chan Chan covered approximately A. 5 sq km. B. 10 sq km. C. 20 sq km. D. 30 sq km.

Q: Each ciudadela at Chan Chan contained a A. raised field. B. carved stone. C. burial platform. D. llama burial.

Q: The Inca capital was A. Sipn. B. Hunuco Pampa. C. Machu Picchu. D. Cuzco. E. Chan Chan.

Q: Compared to the market at Tenochtitln-Tlatelolco, the market at Cuzco was A. large with a more diverse array of products. B. small and peripherally located. C. known for the greater abundance of cacao, which was used as a currency. D. described in more detail by the Spanish.

Q: Llamas generally carry loads that weigh up to ___ pounds. A. 50 B. 100 C. 200 D. 500

Q: The Inca road system A. was constructed for wheeled vehicles. B. included suspension bridges. C. spanned more than 100,000 km. D. was restricted to royal caravans.

Q: Tawantinsuyu, the Inca empire, literally refers to the A. Land of Opportunity. B. Land of 4 Seasons. C. Land of 4 Quarters. D. Land of Llamas.

Q: The Inca road system did all of the following except A. charge tolls for carts and other wheeled vehicles. B. include suspension bridges. C. cross deserts and mountains. D. involve networks of roadside lodgings and storage places.

Q: The Inca quipu was used for A. the roadside storage of food. B. cooking maize beer. C. numerical recording and calculation. D. the construction of suspension bridges.

Q: Where would you expect to find the best archaeological preservation for ancient textiles? A. the Peruvian coast B. the montaa C. Amazonia D. highland Andean open-air sites

Q: Discuss diachronic changes in the nature of nonresidential features and architecture in the Valley of Oaxaca.

Q: The emergence of hierarchical societies with monumental constructions on the dry Pacific coast of Peru A. occurred soon after the development of pottery. B. preceded the advent of pottery making in western South America. C. rapidly spurred the development of highly decorated ceramic forms. D. was contemporary with the advent of pottery in western South America.

Q: Huaca del Sol is A. an Inca administrative center. B. a Moche deity often represented on pottery. C. a Late Horizon site noted for its finely cut and coursed masonry. D. a Tiwanaku outpost located on the South coast of Peru. E. a huge adobe brick pyramid dating to Moche times.

Q: Which of the following pairs can be said to be roughly contemporary? A. Chav'n and Chim B. Nazca and Inca C. Nazca and Chim D. Moche and Nazca E. Inca and Chav'n

Q: The capital of the Chim (Kingdom of Chimor) was A. Wari. B. Chan Chan. C. Tiwanaku. D. Cuzco.

Q: Besides participating in the production of food for the subsistence of his kin group, adults had to perform a certain amount of labor for the Moche state. The labor tribute was called the A. mit'a. B. bulla. C. vita. D. mitmaq.

Q: The largest empire in the Americas, in terms of population and area under its control, was A. the Aztec empire. B. the Sumerian empire. C. the Chim empire. D. the Inca empire.

Q: At European contact, the largest empire in the Americas was situated in A. the Andes. B. highland Mesoamerica. C. the Petn. D. the Amazon Basin.

Q: Which of the following were domesticated in South America? A. turkey and dog B. sheep and goat C. guinea pig and llama D. horse and cat

Q: Prior to the establishment of Monte Albn, the largest site in the Valley of Oaxaca with a danzante was A. San Jos Mogote. B. Cuicuilco. C. San Lorenzo. D. Tikal.

Q: The Aztec pochteca were specialists in A. religion. B. long-distance exchange. C. human sacrifice. D. chinampa farming.

Q: The dietary trinity of Mesoamerica consisted of A. maize, beans, and squash. B. potatoes, lima beans, and chili. C. wheat, barley, and lentils. D. acorn, mesquite pods, and maguey.

Q: Giant stone columns of warriors were found at which site: A. Teotihuacn B. Tenochtitln C. Tlatilolco D. Tula

Q: San Jos Mogote was situated A. on the Gulf Coast. B. in the Basin of Mexico. C. in the Petn. D. in the Valley of Oaxaca.

Q: Three Gulf Coast sites were A. San Lorenzo, La Venta, and Tres Zapotes. B. Tikal, Palenque, and Copn. C. El Mirador, San Jos Mogote, and Monte Albn. D. Teotihuacn, Tenochtitln, and Cuicuilco.

Q: To date, no ball court is known from the site of A. Chichn Itz. B. Monte Albn. C. Tenochtitln. D. Teotihuacn.

Q: The principal theme of Maya inscriptions on carved stone monuments appears to have been A. accounting. B. political/dynastic. C. foretelling the future. D. keeping track of time.

Q: Although exchange linked most Mesoamerican cities with their hinterland, marketing has an especially crucial role at A. Teotihuacn. B. Tenochtitln. C. Monte Albn. D. San Lorenzo

Q: Mural art at Teotihuacn A. glorified past rulers. B. depicted ritual feasts and offerings. C. portrayed major military battles. D. helped predict eclipses.

Q: The Mesoamerican group with the most and longest written inscriptions are the A. Maya. B. Aztec. C. Olmec. D. Zapotec. E. Mexica.

Q: Discuss and evaluate the different views of Aztec human sacrifice and cannibalism.

Q: Discuss the different residential patterns at Monte Albn and Teotihuacn and what interpretations can be drawn from them.

Q: Danzantes are A. elaborate serpentine masks, which were buried beneath Olmec architecture. B. Mixtec stone carvings, which probably represent ritual dancing. C. Maya hieroglyphs related to maize festivals. D. Monte Albn stone carvings that probably represent captives.

Q: The Culhua Mexica, or ____, inhabited the Basin of Mexico in the last years before the Spanish conquest. A. Maya B. Zapotec C. Olmec D. Aztec

Q: The Aztec practiced human sacrifice A. in order to obtain much needed protein. B. because hearts and blood were needed to maintain the order of the Universe. C. because they were ordered to by Tlaloc, the goggle-eyed god. D. as a means of population control

Q: The study of the distribution of ancient communities on a landscape falls under the domain of A. stratigraphic excavation. B. provenience. C. physical anthropology. D. settlement pattern analysis.

Q: Which is true of Monte Albn? A. It had more temples than any other prehispanic Mesoamerican site. B. It had a residential pattern of houses built on terraces. C. It had several large round temples. D. The first chinampas are found there. E. It was founded by peoples from Teotihuacn.

Q: One of the most important economic activities carried out at Teotihuacn was A. obsidian working, as shown by the remains of possible obsidian workshops. B. slash-and-burn agriculture, as shown by the remains of hundreds of chinampas. C. the carving of jade ceremonial objects, as shown by jade debris and hundreds of broken jade figurines. D. the production and distribution of fine earthenware ceramics

Q: The system of agricultural production used by the Aztecs, which involved the creation of fields in swampy areas, is called A. slash-and-burn. B. well irrigation. C. agricultural terracing. D. chinampa farming. E. canal irrigation.

Q: Which of the following statements best characterizes Teotihuacn? A. a highly nucleated city built on a grid plan with wide avenues, a market, many temples, and apartment-style dwellings B. a large urban settlement in central Mexico buried by a volcanic eruption around 1 A.D. C. a Triple Alliance capital city on an island in Lake Texcoco, surrounded by chinampas D. a large hilltop settlement with defensive walls and separate neighborhoods, which may have been founded by competing groups who decided to form a confederacy

Q: The talud-tablero style of architecture is typical of the site of A. San Jos Mogote. B. Cuicuilco. C. Palenque. D. Teotihuacn. E. La Venta.

Q: The following is NOT associated with the Zapotecs: A. tombs B. funerary urns C. conquest glyphs D. the Street of the Dead

Q: During the period from A.D. 950-1160, the most powerful city in central Mexico was A. Teotihuacn. B. Tula. C. Cuicuilco. D. Tikal.

Q: La Venta is A. an Olmec ceremonial center on Mexico's Gulf Coast with a principal occupation from 800-400 B.C. B. a site in central Mexico with rare examples of round architecture. C. the source of valuable green obsidian. D. the largest site in the Valley of Oaxaca before the establishment of Monte Albn.

Q: When documentary records are available, does archaeology have relevance for interpreting the past?

Q: Describe variations in ceremonial architecture in prehistoric North America. What interpretations about social organization might you draw?

Q: We are now beginning to understand that the Maya did all of the following except: A. engaging in warfare frequently. B. occupying cities supported by numerous farming villages. C. maintaining long distance trade connections with Teotihuacan. D. forging and casting iron

Q: The massive basalt heads found at La Venta are thought to represent A. were-jaguars. B. danzantes. C. portraits of early rulers. D. captives.

Q: The calendar round in Mesoamerica did NOT A. comprise a 52-year cycle. B. include the ritual calendar of 260 days. C. include the solar calendar. D. feature the twelve constellations of the zodiac

Q: Sea mammals were hunted by the inhabitants of which site? A. the Draper site B. Snaketown C. Poverty Point D. Ozette

Q: Large earthen mounds were not erected at A. Moundville. B. Cahokia. C. Poverty Point. D. The Draper site. E. Hopewell.

Q: How might the analysis of grave offerings be used to reveal social differentiation?

Q: Design an archaeological project that will collect data amenable to the study of community layout.

Q: Compare dendrochronology to one other archaeological dating technique that is discussed in the text.

Q: Petroglyphs are A. maya carved stones. B. drawings carved on rocks. C. oil-based paints used on bark paper. D. code words known only to chieftains.