Archaeology and Humanity’s Story:

A Brief Introduction to World Prehistory

Chapter 9 Test Bank—Early Dynastic Mesopotamia

Multiple-Choice Questions (40)

1. Chapter 9 examines the _______________ and ________________ foundations of Mesopotamia.

A) Neolithic; Chalcolithic

B) Late Archaic; Mesolithic

C) Paleolithic; Cretaceous

D) Chalcolithic; Mammalian

2. ___________ were domesticated around 7500 cal BC along the Euphrates in northern Syria.

A) Honey bees

B) Sunflowers

C) Dogs

D) Cattle

3. Mesolithic, Mesoamerica, Mesopotamia . . . The prefix “Meso” must mean ________________.

A) first

B) last

C) middle

D) super

4. Painted pottery of the _____________ style is found across much of Mesopotamia and as far north as Turkey.

A) ‘Ubaid

B) Mimbres

C) Eanna

D) Cuneiform

5. An oikoi economy is based on _________________.

A) “yogurt”

B) “megavillages”

C) “superhouseholds”

D) “protolanguage”

6. Değirmentepe is interpreted as a(n) ___________________.

A) ziggurat

B) ‘Ubaid colony

C) sacred precinct

D) maize storage facility

7. ______________ was the first city-state of southern Mesopotamia.

A) Tell Oueili

B) Uruk

C) Ur

D) Ninkasi

8. The Akkadian Empire was established by _______________ in 2334 BC.

A) Gilgamesh

B) Palpatine

C) Sargon I

D) Alexander the Great

9. The Third Dynasty of Ur is also known as ________________.

A) PPNB

B) ED III

C) BM III

D) Ur III

10. Most of the Mesopotamian region is located in the modern nation-state of ____________.

A) Iraq

B) Syria

C) Tunisia

D) Uruk

11. Tell as-Sawwan dates from 6400 to 5700 cal BC during the _______________ period.

A) Adena

B) Samarran

C) Gravettian

D) Upper Paleolithic

12. Sumerian civilization is also referred to as the ED or _________________ period.

A) Early Dynastic

B) Eridu Dynasty

C) Elite Deference

D) Enkidu Duel

13. Each ED Mesopotamian city had a temple dedicated to ___________________.

A) a god or goddess

B) animistic spirits

C) moai

D) the feathered serpent

14. An individual named Puabi, often referred to as a ___________ was buried at Ur.

A) pharaoh

B) lord

C) queen

D) magistrate

15. 4000–3100 BC is referred to as _________________ in Mesopotamia.

A) the Third Dynasty of Ur

B) the Uruk period

C) Basketmaker II

D) PPNA

16. What role did slavery play in ED Mesopotamia?

A) Slavery was unknown at that time.

B) War captives could become slaves.

C) Every firstborn male was a slave.

D) Slavery was abolished by Hammurabi.

17. “Protocuneiform” began as a(n) _______________ system.

A) ideographic

B) alphabetic

C) phonographic

D) syllabic

18. It is estimated that Uruk had about _________________ residents within its walls.

A) 27

B) 15,000

C) 50,000

D) 110,000

19. Chapter 9 focuses on __________________ city-states.

A) Namibian

B) Sumerian

C) Gungan

D) Persian

20. Which of these was not a Middle Eastern domesticated species?

A) Cattle

B) Guinea pig

C) Goat

D) Sheep

21. Clay figurines from Uruk and later periods often depict _____________________.

A) a bearded male

B) a winged pig

C) mountains of grain

D) a bearded female

22. ___________________ were at the bottom of the ED Mesopotamian hierarchy.

A) Bureaucrats

B) Craft specialists

C) Scribes

D) Slaves

23. ___________________ was a brief period that followed the Uruk period.

A) Larsa

B) Abrahamic

C) Jemdet Nasr

D) Epi-Dynastic

24. Which of these was not a city-state of the Uruk period?

A) Ur

B) Göbekli Tepe

C) Nippur

D) Eridu

25. The ‘Ubaid period is marked by a _____________ style found across much of Mesopotamia.

A) basketry

B) pottery

C) burial

D) ziggurat

26. Which technique would be best applied to dating a ceramic fragment from the PN?

A) Dendrochronology

B) Paleomagnetism

C) Potassium-argon dating

D) Thermoluminescence

27. The _____________ and ______________ were sacred precincts of Uruk.

A) Jango; Boba

B) Eanna; Anu

C) Mohenjo; Daro

D) Qermez; Kosh

28. Eventually cuneiform developed into a _________________ language.

A) Mayan

B) syllabic

C) protocuneiform

D) Neandertal

29. _____________ is a PPN site in Iraq dating to 9000 cal BC.

A) Machu Picchu

B) Mezhirich

C) Mogollon

D) M’lefaat

30. A written text of Mesopotamia was the ____________________________.

A) long count calendar

B) Popol Vuh

C) Bhagavad Gita

D) standard professions list

/Questions (10)

1. The Tigris and Euphrates are defining rivers of the Mesopotamian region. (

2. Ur and Uruk are both located in Mesopotamia. (

3. Naboo is an alternate name for the Mesopotamian city of Uruk. (

4. Stepped pyramids at the end of the ED are called ziggurats. (

5. Most cuneiform texts were recorded on copper sheets. (

6. During the Uruk period, 85% of all written texts related to receipts and debts. (

7. Sumerians used barley to make beer. (

8. A legion is a mass of heavily armed infantry organized into a rectangle. (

9. Kings were often the only people in Mesopotamian city-states that were literate. (

10. Many archaeologists believe that the most important factor to the development of complex city-states was the presence of agricultural surpluses. (

1. What do the period designations PPN and PN stand for? Why was this technological transition significant?

2. Why is the Değirmentepe site in Turkey interpreted as an ‘Ubaid colony?

3. At the Ali Kosh site in Iran, people were buried under the floors of dwellings. How has this been interpreted by archaeologists?

4. Good tool stone was rare in southern Mesopotamia where Tell Oueili was located. What kinds of materials did people use as substitutes?

5. Battles occurred between Early Dynastic Mesopotamian city-states. What did they fight over?

6. Early Dynastic city-states had patron deities. Name one Sumerian god or goddess and his/her domain (i.e., the goddess of ________________).

7. Human skulls that appear to have been exposed for long periods of time were discovered at the PPN site Qermez Dere. Why is this noteworthy? What might it indicate?

8. What are the approximate dates of the Early Dynastic, “Sumerian Civilization,” period in Mesopotamia?

9. How does the Early Dynastic period relate chronologically to the Uruk period?

10. The Tigris and Euphrates rivers define Mesopotamia (“land between the rivers”). Into which larger body of water do these major rivers flow?

1. Describe an oikoi economy of Early Dynastic Mesopotamia and its social consequences.

2. Why is the Royal Cemetery at Ur described as royal? What does Puabi’s tomb reveal about social classes at Ur? Provide details about this burial.

3. Uruk is often described as the world’s first city. How many parallels can you draw between this early Mesopotamian city and the metropolises of today?

4. In the archaeological study of Early Dynastic Mesopotamia, we have, for the first time, the luxury of written records to supplement the material record. What are some specific details this writing makes “knowable”?

5. Outline the evolution of the written word in Mesopotamia. What were the major “steps” toward written language as we know it?