Q&A Hero

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

Q: If an archaeologist wishes to study community plans, he/she should A. excavate many small and deep test pits. B. cross-section a site with two narrow test trenches. C. excavate a broad horizontal area that exposes features. D. limit the excavations to tombs and burials.

Q: One of the first North American archaeologists was A. Robert Hall. B. Hernando de Soto. C. Thomas Jefferson. D. A. E. Douglass.

Q: The annual exchange of holiday presents between two friends is an example of A. redistribution. B. marketing. C. potlatch. D. reciprocity.

Q: By definition, redistribution includes A. a central "nodal" figure or chief. B. pastoral herders. C. a market. D. a state bureaucracy.

Q: The Mound 72 excavations at Cahokia revealed A. the burial of a monk from the early historic period. B. the burial of an individual laid out on a litter of shell beads. C. caches of Southern Cult objects. D. the largest prehistoric structure north of Mexico.

Q: The largest prehistoric structure built north of Mexico is located at A. Snaketown. B. Cahokia. C. Moundville. D. Etowah. E. The Hopewell site.

Q: Early Hopewell platform pipes were made generally in the shape of a(n) A. atlatl, or spearthrower. B. bow. C. arrow. D. knife.

Q: Which of the following is not matched appropriately? A. pithousesSnaketown B. longhousesthe Draper site C. pueblosChaco Canyon D. kivasMoundville

Q: The largest prehispanic structure north of Mexico, situated at Cahokia, is called A. Monks Mound. B. Mound 72. C. The Great Kiva. D. Pueblo Bonito.

Q: Maize was not a key food source at A. Ozette. B. Moundville. C. Chaco Canyon. D. Cahokia.

Q: The earliest permanent dwellings in the American Southwest were A. pueblos. B. rectangular brick dwellings. C. pithouses. D. teepees.

Q: In prehistoric North America, which of the following was NOT a variety of nonresidential construction? A. communal bath house B. platform mound C. kiva D. effigy mound

Q: Wet-site excavation techniques were employed at A. Ozette. B. Snaketown. C. Chaco Canyon. D. Poverty Point.

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.

Q: The following would NOT be found in a Hopewell burial: A. fluted points B. copper celts and earspools C. carved stone platform pipes D. obsidian ceremonial blades

Q: In the Archaic period of eastern North America, large-scale earthen construction has been found at A. Cahokia. B. Snaketown. C. Poverty Point. D. Moundville.

Q: At Moundville, ceremonial structures were primarily A. stone-faced pyramid mounds. B. flat-topped earthen mounds. C. cut-stone circular structures. D. pyramids made of stone blocks.

Q: The principal form of residential architecture at the Draper site were A. longhouses. B. semisubterranean pithouses. C. singular family rectangular structures. D. multiroom pueblos.

Q: Which of the following is an ascribed status? A. Queen of England B. President of the United States C. Archaeology professor D. Prime Minister of Canada E. Starting quarterback in the Super Bowl

Q: Which of the following could best be considered an achieved status? A. age B. sex C. birth order D. profession

Q: Social status differentiation can be determined from burials through the analysis of all of the following except A. grave offerings. B. burial treatment and context (location of burials). C. biochemical analysis of skeletal materials. D. burial's orientation toward the east (rising sun)

Q: Subterranean, circular ceremonial structures found at both ancient and contemporary Pueblo sites are called A. pueblos. B. charnel houses. C. pit houses. D. kivas.

Q: Reciprocity and redistribution are both modes of A. ritual behavior. B. production. C. information gathering. D. exchange.

Q: Objects placed in Mississippi burials suggest A. that long-distance trade was rare, unlike in Hopewell. B. a shortage of garbage disposal areas. C. that warfare was the primary cause of death among Mississippians. D. status differences in the society.

Q: A probable date for this site would be A. 25,000 B.C. B. 9000 B.C. C. 7000 B.C. D. 2000 B.C.

Q: Compare and contrast the origins of agriculture in Southwest Asia and Mesoamerica.

Q: Describe three cradles of domestication and discuss the kinds of plants and animals involved and the dates for the first domesticates in each area.

Q: If you had enough time, money, and energy for three field seasons of excavation to learn about the origins of agriculture, where would you work, what would you look for, and how would you do it?

Q: Which of the following is NOT true of the domestication of plants and animals? A. It began during the Late Pleistocene/Early Holocene. B. It happened simultaneously in the Old and New Worlds. C. It occurred independently in a number of areas. D. It appears to have occurred first in Southwest Asia

Q: Which of the following is NOT a theoretical model proposed to account for the origins of food production? A. Marginal Zone Hypothesis B. Multi-dimensional Hypothesis C. Oasis Theory D. Hilly Flanks or Natural Habitat Theory

Q: Mound 72 at Cahokia A. marked the north/south center axis of Cahokia and contained at least six separate burial episodes. B. was a charnel house located in a high-status residential area. C. was a linear "ridgetop marker" mound that marked the edge of the site. D. is the number designation for Monk's Mound.

Q: The site is located in A. Europe. B. Africa. C. Asia. D. Mesoamerica.

Q: Evidence from the animal bones suggests that the sheep were A. hunted like the rest of the animal species. B. scavenged. C. traded. D. herded.

Q: Evidence that this is a fairly permanent settlement comes from A. the presence of the cemetery. B. the evidence of hunting. C. the presence of artworks. D. the association of the bone tools with charcoal.

Q: Sedentism preceded plant domestication in which area? A. The Levant B. Highland South America C. Highland Mesoamerica D. Japan

Q: The site of Mehrgarh in Pakistan has evidence for the use of wheat, barley, sheep, goats, and A. llamas. B. cattle. C. camels. D. horses.

Q: The earliest domesticated plants now known come from A. Tehuacn. B. Khok Phanom Di. C. Catalhyk. D. Abu Hureyra.

Q: Catalhyk, perhaps the first city, contains evidence for all of the following except A. obsidian trade. B. human burial. C. pottery. D. bronze toolmaking.

Q: Compared to Upper Paleolithic sites, ________ were particularly abundant at Ain Mallaha. A. obsidian figurines B. camel bones C. storage pits D. wheel-thrown pots

Q: Domestication in the Americas A. involved the domestication of many animal species. B. occurred later than the earliest Old World domestication. C. was dependent on the use of canal irrigation. D. never truly happened.

Q: Which of the following prehistoric cultigens is NOT matched correctly with its geographical area? A. Japanmillet B. Highland Mexicomaize C. Southwest Asiawheat D. Highland South Americapotato

Q: Which of the following prehistoric cultigens is NOT correctly matched with its original place of domestication? A. Irelandpotato B. Southwest Asiabarley C. Andean South Americalima beans D. Mesoamericasquash

Q: Which of the following was NOT originally domesticated in the Americas? A. maize B. beans C. potato D. turkey E. cattle

Q: Which of the following was NOT originally domesticated in the Old World? A. barley B. millet C. turkey D. rice E. goat

Q: Which of the following was NOT domesticated in the Americas? A. llamas B. maize C. lentils D. potatoes

Q: Which of the following was NOT first domesticated in Southwest Asia? A. barley B. beans C. wheat D. pigs E. goats

Q: Which of the following was NOT domesticated in the Americas? A. beans B. squash C. manioc D. barley E. maize

Q: Which of the following is a true statement of differences between the food-producing traditions of Mesopotamia and Mesoamerica? A. Domesticated animals played a greater role in Mesopotamia than in Mesoamerica. B. Mesopotamians depended on maize as their major crop. C. Agriculture occurred thousands of years earlier in Mesoamerica. D. Goats were a key domesticated resource in Mesoamerica.

Q: The only pack animal domesticated in the Americas was the A. horse. B. ox. C. donkey. D. llama.

Q: At Non Nok Tha metal objects were made of A. bronze and iron. B. gold and silver. C. steel and aluminum. D. copper and tin.

Q: Which of the following archaeologists investigated early agriculture in the Tehuacn Valley? A. Richard MacNeish B. Charles Higham C. Robert Braidwood D. Kathleen Kenyon E. Chester Gorman

Q: At Guil Naquitz key food resources included all of the following except A. acorns. B. maguey hearts. C. rabbit. D. blue oysters.

Q: Wheat and barley were first domesticated in a region that extends from A. Egypt to Greece. B. India to China. C. Israel to Iran. D. China to Southeast Asia.

Q: The following individual has NOT used population growth in theories about the Neolithic Revolution: A. Mark Cohen. B. Kent Flannery. C. Robert Brain. D. Lewis Binford.

Q: A key domesticated animal at Mehrgarh after 6000 B.C. was the A. gazelle. B. elephant. C. horse. D. cow.

Q: The world's earliest ceramic vessels were probably made in A. Southwest Asia. B. Mesoamerica. C. Japan. D. Ecuador. E. Southeast Asia.

Q: The key early domesticates at Ban-po-ts'un were A. wheat and goats. B. corn and guinea pigs. C. grapes and cattle. D. millet and pigs.

Q: Khok Phanom Di is now located in A. North China. B. Thailand. C. India. D. South China.

Q: One of the advantages of plant and animal domestication is A. an increase in leisure time. B. variety in the diet. C. an increase in the amount of food produced per unit area. D. increased chances for social contact with neighboring groups. E. decreased incidence of diarrhea.

Q: Which of the following plants is NOT part of the basic triad of Mesoamerican plant food staples? A. chili pepper B. squash C. beans D. maize