Anth 335 Old World Prehistory
Dr. Darlene Applegate
Spring 2008
Review Materials for Midterm
Exam 3
The third midterm exam covers:
lecture material on the Lower Nile,
Tropical Africa, and Temperate Europe culture areas
*be sure to think about similarities
and differences in material culture and lifeways in the three culture
areas*
Chapters 6 and 10 from the Fagan textbook
"Great Zimbabwe" and "Silbury Hill"
videos
Lower Nile Study Guide
Tropical Africa Study Guide
Temperate Europe
Study Guide
Practice Questions
LOWER NILE CULTURE AREA
DIAGNOSTIC FEATURES
- What is the earliest date for writing?
- What are the three types of writing systems and how are they
similar/different?
- What are the characteristics of the hieroglyphic script (e.g.,
number
of
symbols, types of symbols)?
- Who, predominantly, in Egyptian society used hieroglyphics and
for what purposes?
- What was in a scribe's tool kit?
- With what media were hieroglyphic texts recorded? What do
we know
about papyrus, in particular?
- What were the three types of mummification?
- How old is the earliest evidence for natural mummification?
- When did the practice of chemical mummification begin and end?
- Know these terms related to mummification: Osiris, Anubis,
canopic
jar,
natron,
resin, sarcophagus
- When were the earliest temples constructed?
- What were the three functions of the temples?
- What structural components/features are common to most temples?
- When were stone pyramids constructed (time periods and time
range)?
- What are the two types of pyramids?
- What four interpretations have been suggested to explain the
function
of
the pyramids?
- What construction methods and people were used in building the
pyramids?
- Know these terms related to pyramids: corvee or conscripted
labor, mastaba
- What is the time range (beginning and ending dates) of pharaonic
rule in Egypt?
- What were the characteristics of the pharaoh position in Egyptian
bureaucracy
and society?
- What is a dynasty?
- What is shaduf irrigation?
SITES
- what is the significance of these sites: Rosetta,
Saqqarah/Sakkarah, Dashur, Giza?
TEXTBOOK MATERIAL
- Chapter 6
- What were the first two plant domesticates and when were they
adopted?
- What was the first animal domesticate and when was it adopted?
- By what date did farming villages become widespread?
- When did irrigation develop?
- Chapter 10
- What is Barry Kemp's model for the origins of the Egyptian
state?
- Who was Narmer?
- What is signifcant about these sites: Memphis, Thebes, Karnak,
El-Amarna
IMAGE IDENTIFICATIONS
- stepped pyramid, level-course pyramid,
hieroglyphics, Sphinx,
Narmer palette
TROPICAL AFRICA CULTURE AREA
DIAGNOSTIC FEATURES
What is the date for the oldest evidence of rock art
in Tropical
Africa?
What is the difference between pictographs and petroglyphs?
What are common motifs in Tropical African rock art?
Why was the development of metallurgy a significant
cultural
change in
Tropical Africa?
When did experimentation with iron metallurgy begin? When
was
iron
metallurgy widespread throughout Tropical Africa?
What types of items typically were manufactured of iron? copper?
gold? bronze?
What is an alloy?
What is the typical composition of bronze? What is the typical
composition
of African bronze?
What is a tumulus?
How old is the oldest evidence of stone tumuli? earthen tumuli?
What are the distinctive features of tumuli in the middle Nile,
Mali, western savanna, Senegal, and Maruitania/Western Sahara areas?
What is trephination and why was it practiced?
When did the practice of trephination begin?
What three levels of trade existed are documented in
Tropical
Africa?
What were typical imports?
What were the most important exports?
SITES
- What is siginficant about these sites: Tassili, Kerma?
IMAGE IDENTIFICATIONS
image identifications: petroglyph, pictograph, Kerma Mound X,
Meroe pyramids, Aksumite stela, west African mosque, Great Zimbabwe
TEXTBOOK MATERIAL
- Chapter 6
- What two plants were domesticated in west Africa?
- Chapter 10
- What was the relationship between Kush and Egypt?
- What were some of the features of Meroe society?
- What were some of the features of Aksum society?
- What traits do the west African kingdoms have in common?
TEMPERATE
EUROPE
DISTINCTIVE FEATURES
- What is the earliest date for metal use (use conservative
date)?
Which metal(s)?
- What is significant about the site of Varna, Bulgaria?
- What metal ores were most widely distributed? Least widely
distributed?
- Which metals were used primarily for the manufacture of
non-utilitarian
items?
- Which metals were used for the manufacture of utilitarian items?
- What are some characteristic metal objects?
- What metals are alloyed to form bronze?
- Why were settlements fortified?
- What were the two forms of settlement fortification?
- What are the general characteristics of Neolithic/Chalcolithic
fortified
settlements?
- What are the general characteristics of Bronze Age fortified
settlements?
- What are the general characteristics of Iron Age fortified
settlements?
- Where is Maiden Castle? Who first excavated it? Why is it
significant?
How many phases of Iron Age construction have been identified?
- Generally speaking, how did burial customs change over time?
- Besides burial, what functions did megalithic tombs serve?
- What are differences between simple dolmens, passage graves,
gallery
graves,
menhirs, and henges?
- When do individual (princely) burials become common?
IMAGE
IDENTIFICATIONS
TEXTBOOK MATERIAL (Chapter 6)
- What do archaeologists know about the site of Avebury?
- What are megaliths and how do they relate to burial practices?
PRACTICE QUESTIONS
1. Given its large size, the Tropical Africa culture
area is quite diverse in topography, climate, and vegetation.
Generally speaking, however, the Tropical African environment
A. is rich in natural
resources that are distributed evenly across the continent.
B. lacks fertile soils.
C. has a relatively inaccessible coastline on the
east and an accessible coastline on the west.
D. is characterized by widespread, endemic diseases.
E. All of these are correct.
2. Regarding the origins of domestication and food
production in Tropical Africa,
A. the most important
animal domesticates were sheet and goats.
B. the most important grain cultigens were African
rice and tef.
C. the most important root-crop cultigen was yams.
D. farming and herding became widespread throughout
Tropical Africa about 3500 B.C.
E. All of these are correct.
3. Tropical African rock art represents one of the
oldest continuous artistic traditions in the world. The oldest evidence
of rock art found to date in Tropical Africa is about
A. 29,000 to 26,000
B.P.
B. 22,000 to 20,000 B.P.
C. 13,000 to 11,000 B.P.
D. 12,000 to 8,000 B.P.
E. 6,000 to 5,000 B.P.
4. With respect to Tropical African trade,
A. networks were
regional, trans-Saharan, and overseas in spatial extent.
B. regional-scale trade networks are older than
overseas trade networks.
C. the trans-Saharan trade network was facilitated by
the introduction of the domesticated camel.
D. overseas trade contacts extended as far east as
China.
E. All of these are correct.
5. Which of the following statements about Egyptian
scribes is false?
A. They painted
hieroglyphic texts on papyrus, a "paper-like" product made of bound
reeds.
B. They painted hieroglyphic texts on stone, clay,
wood and other materials.
C. They tended to be men.
D. Their tool kit included a water jug, a brush case
with brushes, and a palette with ink cakes.
E. Their primary duty was to train the general
populous how to write.
6. All of the following are components of typical
temples in the Lower Nile except
A. artificial lakes.
B. grand facades.
C. courtyards.
D. multiple rooms and chambers.
E. multiple floors or levels.
7. The time range of pharaonic rule in Egypt is about
A. 2900 to 330 B.C.
B. 3100 B.C. to A.D. 40.
C. 2100 to 550 B.C.
D. 2700 to 1500 B.C.
E. 1800 B.C. to A.D. 150.
8. Egyptian hieroglyphics
A. are a combination
of pictographic and phonetic symbols.
B. consisted of over 900 symbols.
C. were used between 2700 and 100 B.C.
D. were used primarily for economic purposes.
E. All of these are correct.
9. Which of the following statements about metal use
in temperate Europe is false?
A. Copper and gold
were used primarily for the manufacture of non-utilitarian objects.
B. Bronze and iron were used to manufacture
utilitarian objects.
C. Characteristic objects manufactured from metal
included weapons, such as daggers and swords, and jewelry, such as
broaches and pins.
D. Domestic tools, such as knives and axes, were not
manufactured from metal.
E. Bronze is an alloy of copper and tin.
10. Regarding the site of Maiden Castle,
A. at 45 acres it is
one of the largest fortified settlements in Great Britain.
B. the fortifications are constructed entirely of
stone.
C. five phases of Iron Age fortification construction
have been identified.
D. it was excavated by V. Gordon Childe.
E. it is located in northern Scotland.
11. True or False: Memphis and Thebes functioned as capitals of
the Egyptian state in the Lower Nile.
12. True or False: The oldest step pyramid is that of King Djoser
at Dashur; the oldest level-course pyramid is that of King Seneferu at
Saqqarah; the largest level-course pyramid is that of King Khufu at
Giza.
13. True or False: Egyptian temples functioned as sites of
religious activities devoted to particular deities, granaries for the
storage of agricultural surplus, and/or structures for mortuary
preparation and/or burial of upper-class individuals.
14. True or False: The oldest archaeological evidence of
trephination, or skull surgery using stone and metal tools, in Tropical
Africa is about 2900 B.C.
15. True or False: Unlike most bronze alloys in the Old World,
Tropical African "bronze" consisted of copper, tin, and iron.
16. True or False: Gold and copper typically were used to
manufacture non-utilitarian items in Tropical Africa.
17. True or False: Tropical African trade exports included animal
products, metal ores, manufactured metal items like iron swords, and
salt. Glassware, vegetable oils, wine, and spices were imported
into Tropical Africa.
18. True or False: Considering the four metal ores discussed in
lecture,
iron and tin are the most widely distributed while gold and copper are
the least widely distributed in temperate Europe.
19. True or False: Generally speaking, burial practices in temperate
Europe shifted from lavishly appointed individual burials during
earlier time periods before 2800 BC to communal burials with simple
grave goods during later time periods after 2800 BC.
Sample Essay Question: Pyramids, tumuli, and megalithics were
monumental forms of
architecture used to inter individuals in the Lower Nile, Tropical
Africa, and Temperate Europe culture areas, respectively. Other
than that which is
stated in the question, compare and contrast these three forms of
burial.
Click here for answers to multiple
choice and true false questions.
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Last updated on April 8, 2008
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