Q&A Hero

Q: The Mesoamerican 260-day calendar: A. was developed by the Aztecs in the 14th century ad B. consists of 20 names with 13 numbers C. corresponds with the length of human gestation D. does not correlate with any known length of time

Q: The ancient Zapotec site of Monte Albn is located: A. at the base of the highest mountain in the Valley of Oaxaca B. at the center of the three-armed Valley of Oaxaca C. on top of San Jos Mogote D. next to the river so that water sources could be easily used

Q: This wild grass found in the Mexican highlands is the ancestor of maize. a, Curcubita pepo b. marsh elder c. teosinte d. chenopodium

Q: A common Mesoamerican raiding tactic, which can be identified both archaeologically and iconographically was: A. the theft of another group's water vessels B. the burning of a community's temple C. auto-sacrifice D. the renaming of captives

Q: What was the Linear Band Keramik culture?

Q: How has our concept of the Neolithic Revolution changed since V. Gordon Childe proposed it?

Q: MATCHING 2 1) Los Naranjos 2) La Venta 3) Cuicuilco 4) Mixteca 5) Cuyamel Caves A. Eastern Honduras B. Lake Yojoa C. Valley of Oaxaca D. Basin of Mexico E. Olmec heartland

Q: What technological innovations occurred during the Late Neolithic?

Q: MATCHING 1 1) Guerrero 2) Chalcatzingo 3) Cuello 4) Los Naranjos 5) Chalchuapa A. Possible female ruler B. Near Mesoamerican jade source C. Cave paintings D. Honduran trading center E. Sweat bath

Q: What is the significance of plastered skulls during the Pre-Pottery Neolithic B?

Q: Chapters 5 and 6 of your textbook discuss the Formative period in Mesoamerica. Some general conclusions that can be drawn from these chapters are that: A. the Olmec heartland was the only place in Mesoamerica where cultural complexity developed, while other areas were still in transition from hunting and gathering to an agricultural lifestyle B. the Olmecs had a direct and strong impact on all areas of Mesoamerica C. as people completed the shift to agriculture, societies throughout Mesoamerica became larger and more complex D. all of the sites predominant during the Preclassic period endured and also flourished during the Classic Period

Q: How did Pre-Pottery Neolithic A villages differ from those later in the Pre-Pottery Neolithic B?

Q: Instead of maize, some Middle Formative sites show evidence of the staple: A. sea food B. manioc C. tobacco D. rice

Q: Archaeologically what is the major technology that distinguishes the Early Neolithic and Natufian?

Q: Perhaps the most remote example of Olmec influence during the Middle Formative comes from: A. the Cuyamel Caves B. Yarumela C. Los Naranjos D. Playa de los Muertos

Q: What characterized the Natufian Period?

Q: During the Middle Formative, developments in southeastern Mesoamerica: A. provide clear evidence for ranking in the archaeological record B. include the carving of colossal heads C. are difficult to interpret because of the lack of remains D. resulted in the prominence of this region from 900 to 600 bc

Q: The Middle Formative site of Cuello in Belize is known for: A. its unique architecture B. the remains of maize found there C. an early sweat bath D. producing an early form of Mayan writing

Q: The Maya are thought to have originated from the Chiapas interior, in Mexico, and the Guatemalan highlands. This hypothesis is based on: A. styles of pottery B. the great diversity of Mayan languages C. the early temples built in these regions D. types of jade artifacts

Q: Why did Marshall Sahlins call hunter-gatherers ʺthe original affluent societyʺ?

Q: How did Lewis Henry Morgan and V. Gordon Childe view the relationship between man and nature as it related to the development of agriculture?

Q: The site of Kaminaljuy, in Guatemala, is very close to a significant source of high quality: A. silver ore B. shell C. jade D. salt

Q: During the Middle Formative, the most important chiefdom in the Chiapas interior plateau was located at the site of: A. San Isidro B. Chiapa de Corzo C. Mirador D. La Libertad

Q: What is domestication? How is it recognized archaeologically?

Q: The earliest farming communities in the Middle East are called Linear Band Keramik (LBK).

Q: At the end of the Early Neolithic, there was a sharp rise in the number and size of villages in the Middle East.

Q: During Mesoamerica's Middle Formative: A. the Olmec heartland was the only place that flourished B. most Mesoamerican people were not yet practicing farming C. the site of Teotihuacan reached its prominence D. population sizes increased all over Mesoamerica

Q: Offering 4 at La Venta: A. is a mosaic in the form of a jaguar mask B. contains a headdress made of stingray spines C. is a collection of sixteen figurines and six stone celts D. is the Tomb of the Monolithic Columns

Q: On domesticated plants, the rachis is selected to be brittle so that it can be more easily harvested.

Q: Excavation profiles can be represented schematically by using the Harris Matrix.

Q: La Venta is unusual, even among Mesoamerican sites, for: A. the number and size of its pyramids B. its site orientation C. the quantity and types of its buried offerings D. its decorated pottery

Q: The Jericho tower is the earliest known large-scale piece of architecture in the Middle East.

Q: The site orientation at La Venta: A. was shared with other Mesoamerican sites B. coincides with the summer solstice C. is 8 degrees east of south D. was unique

Q: The Natufians did not domesticate herd animals, but there is evidence that they domesticated cats.

Q: The most important Mesoamerican site of the Middle Formative was: A. San Lorenzo B. La Venta C. Chalchuapa D. San Jos Mogote

Q: Olmec influence throughout Mesoamerica during the Middle Formative is shown by the A. types of houses in which farmers lived B. shape of obsidian blades C. kind of clothing people wore D. type of pottery found at sites

Q: The Younger Dryas was a global climatic event that is often characterized as "prehistoric global warming."

Q: The Cascajal Block is the remains of: A. an Olmec writing system B. the longest Mayan inscription C. an early ball court D. building material from La Venta

Q: The characteristic tools of the Natufian are tiny crescent-shaped stones called lunates.

Q: During the Middle Formative, a major center in El Salvador that regulated obsidian trade was: A. Chalchuapa B. San Lorenzo C. Chalcatzingo D. El Mesak

Q: This small Guatemalan coastal village was important for salt production during the Middle Formative: A. Laguna Zope B. La Blanca C. El Infierno D. El Mesak

Q: The Natufian was the period where plants and animals were finally domesticated.

Q: ______ became a major Middle Formative trading center and specialized in the export of sea shells for lapidary work. A. Laguna Zope B. La Blanca C. La Zarca D. El Mesak

Q: The burial at the Geometric Kebaran site of Wadi Mataha indicates that this was a peaceful time with well-understood rituals.

Q: Ohalo is a Natufian dry cave site that yielded rare examples of preserved textiles.

Q: The first true agriculture in the Middle East developed during the Kebaran Period.

Q: The Middle Formative Mixteca: A. settled in the same area as the Olmecs B. were a colonial outpost of the Olmecs C. engaged in long-distance trade for jade, obsidian, and shell D. dominated the site of San Jos Mogote

Q: Elite hypergamy is: A. a form of marriage where a man legally has more than one wife at the same time B. a form of marriage where a woman legally has more than one husband at the same time C. when a man marries a woman of higher status than his own D. when a woman marries a man of higher status than her own

Q: The Fertile Crescent is a ribbon of Mediterranean climate that arcs across the Middle East.

Q: During the Middle Formative, the largest site in the Valley of Oaxaca was: A. Fbrica San Jos B. Huitzo C. Tierras Largas D. San Jos Mogote

Q: The Neolithic Revolution refers to the subsistence strategy known as broad spectrum foraging.

Q: During the Middle Formative in the Basin of Mexico: A. it was impossible to farm owing to the lack of rainfall B. the population more than tripled in size C. the Aztec capital of Tenochtitln was established D. a major drought wiped out farming villages

Q: Domestication refers to changes in plants and animals that allow them to survive better in the wild.

Q: At the site of Chalcatzingo: A. the Maya incised petroglyphs on cliff faces B. burials were egalitarian in nature C. there may have been a female ruler D. the first Mesoamerican ball court was constructed

Q: The earliest farmers in Central and Western Europe are known as the __________ culture. a. Linear Band Keramik b. fire-stick c. Mesolithic d. Pre-Pottery Neolithic A

Q: Designs pecked into a rock face are called _____, whereas designs painted onto rock faces are called _____. A. rock glyphs / pictographs B. petroglyphs / murals C. pictographs / petroglyphs D. petroglyphs / pictographs

Q: The __________ links the expansion of farmers into Europe with the spread of the Indo-European language family. a. language dispersal hypothesis b. agri-linguistic model c. Neolithic Revolution d. hyper-diffusionist hypothesis

Q: When Chalcatzingo reached its apogee during the Middle Formative, the population: A. was ethnically Olmec B. may have been as high as 1,000 C. was egalitarian, as reflected in burials and housing D. built large stone heads

Q: The Late Neolithic site of __________ in Central Turkey includes rooms decorated with frescoes and bulls horns. a. Jerf el Ahmar b. atalhyk c. Netiv Hagdud d. Lepinski Vir

Q: The artistic traditions of the Middle Formative: A. are significant because they are the very first artistic traditions found in Mesoamerica B. were expressed in both portable and non-portable art forms C. occurred only in the Mexican states of Guerrero and Tabasco D. are not well known in the archaeological record

Q: Pottery manufacture developed across the Middle East during the __________ period. a. Natufian b. Upper Paleolithic c. Late Neolithic d. Younger Dryas

Q: The indigenous species most often associated with ancient Mesoamerican royalty was the: A. deer B. jaguar C. bear D. ocelot

Q: Which of these plants was domesticated during the Pre-Pottery Neolithic B? a. corn b. potatoes c. wheat d. tobacco

Q: One characteristic of domesticated plants is a tough __________, which holds the seed to the stalk until harvested. a. rachis b. flower pod c. spikelet d. rindos

Q: Jaguars in Mesoamerica: A. have preyed upon humans as their main source of food from prehistoric through modern times B. were co-opted as a symbol of the commoner class C. are the smallest species of wild cat in the New World D. hunt at night and sustain themselves with a variety of species

Q: A stela is: A. a standing monument B. a type of cookie made from maize dough or masa C. an avian serpent D. a cut block of stone

Q: Of the many ritual objects found hidden away at Early Neolithic sites, perhaps the most striking are __________. a. caches of arrowheads b. plastered skulls c. plaster dog effigies d. bone flutes

Q: The last major florescence of Olmec culture occurred during the: A. Early Formative B. Middle Formative C. Late Formative D. Early Classic

Q: The most spectacular example of Pre-Pottery Neolithic A construction is the 9-meter-high structure at __________. a. Jericho b. Mallaha c. Abu Hureya d. Jerf el Ahmar

Q: Although the Natufians did not appear to domesticate herd animals, there is evidence that they did domesticate __________. a. cats b. camels c. dogs d. chickens

Q: The Early Neolithic includes the period __________. a. Pre-Pottery Neolithic A b. Post-Pottery Neolithic B c. Chalcolithic C d. Dravidian D

Q: MATCHING 2 1) Mokaya culture 2) Olmec culture 3) Capacha culture 4) El Opeo culture 5) Teopantecuanitln A. Civic-ceremonial precinct with sunken patio B. Ball court C. Shaft tombs D. Gourd-shaped ceramics E. Colossal heads

Q: Toward the end of the Natufian there was a reduction in the number and size of sites. This reduction has been correlated with the __________, a global climatic event known as "the Little Ice Age." a. Pleistocene b. Older Dryas c. Elder Glaciation d. Younger Dryas

Q: MATCHING 1 1) Mokaya culture 2) Olmec culture 3) Capacha culture 4) El Opeo culture 5) Teopantecuanitln A. Gulf Lowlands B. Southern West Mexico C. Guerrero D. Chiapas-Guatemala Coast E. Northern West Mexico

Q: The type of arch used in Mesoamerican architecture is: A. identical to the type of arch used in the Old World B. a corbelled vault C. a true arch with a keystone D. the most stable type of arch

Q: At the Natufian site of __________ in Syria, flotation has recovered many burned seeds that indicate the inhabitants were collecting a wide variety of plants. a. Ohala b. Jericho c. Netiv Hagdud d. Abu Hureya

Q: What Natufian village site in Northern Israel has allowed archaeologists to tentatively reconstruct a large structure? a. Jerf el Ahmar b. Lepinski Vir c. Jericho d. Mallaha

Q: The Kebaran site of __________, at the Sea of Galilee, was notable because of its remarkable preservation of organic remains, including the remains of six brush huts. a. Abu Hureyra b. Ohalo c. Mallaha d. Jericho

Q: The Mesoamerican sweat bath: A. dates back to at least the Early Formative B. was invented by the Aztecs C. is found only in Guerrero D. lost its popularity after the decline of the Olmecs

Q: The large Early Formative center in Guerrero is: A. San Lorenzo Tenochtitln B. Teopantecuanitln C. El Opeo D. Chalcatzingo