Book 1 Shorter, Chapter 2, Set 1

Question 1

When did the Bronze Age begin? (page 52)

Answer 1

c. 3000 BCE.

Question 2

About when did settled agriculture begin in Mesopotamia? (page 54)

Answer 2

c. 10,000 BCE.

Question 3

When was the reign of Sargon of Akkad? (page 54)

Answer 3

2340-2284 BCE.

Question 4

When was the Early Dynastic period of Mesopotamian history and what kind of governments did it have? (page 54-55)

Answer 4

The Early Dynastic Period of Mesopotamian history began around 3000 BCE and lasted about 700 years. It was marked by Mesopotamia being controlled by city-states that alternately fought one another or made diplomatic alliances with each other.

Question 5

When was the Pre-Dynastic era of Egyptian history? (page 56)

Answer 5

It was the period between Neolithic settlement and c. 3100 BCE.

Question 6

When was Egypt’s Early Dynastic Era? (page 56)

Answer 6

The Early Dynastic Era was from c. 3100-2686 BCE and covered the first and second dynasties.

Question 7

When was Egypt’s Old Kingdom? (page 56)

Answer 7

c. 2686 to 2181 BCE.

Question 8

How were the first pharaohs linked to the Egyptian gods? (page 56)

Answer 8

The pharaohs were seen as the living representatives of the gods. The first pharaohs were seen as the earthly representatives of the mythical figure Horus, son of Osiris and Isis. Horus, in turn, was strongly linked with Ra (or Re), the creator of life and the falcon-headed god of the Sun. The Sun cult became very important in Old Kingdom Egypt and Ra would become a separate figure from Horus.

Question 9

To which Old Kingdom pharaoh is the Great Pyramid at Giza dedicated? (page 57)

Answer 9

Khufu.

Question 10

What are some possible reasons that Old Kingdom Egypt eventually declined? (page 57)

Answer 10

By the 6th dynasty (c. 2345 - 2181 BCE), the pharaohs granted certain powers to nobles and governors of the regional districts, or “nomes”. This may have undermined the pharaoh’s authority and may have been a sign of centralized power weakening. At the end of the 6th dynasty, especially after the reign of Pepy II, the Old Kingdom started to decline and Egypt entered a more chaotic time called the First Intermediate Period. This could have been partly caused by the Nile flooding, by drought, or both causing great destruction. This could have been particularly disruptive if there was weak central authority.

Question 11

When was the “Mature Harappan” period of Indus Valley civilization and why was it important? (page 58)

Answer 11

This was between 2600 BCE and 1900 BCE and was considered the peak of the Indus Valley civilization.

Question 12

What regions did the Indus Valley civilization cover at the height of its “Mature Harappan” period?

Answer 12

Extensive areas of northwest India, Pakistan, and Afghanistan.

Question 13

When and why did the Indus Valley civilization decline? (page 58)

Answer 13

The civilization went into decline sometime in the 18th century BCE, with most of its cities deserted by 1700 BCE. The reasons for the general decline are unknown, but the city of Mohenjo-Daro suffered severe flooding in the 1700s and was pillaged by unknown attackers.

Question 14

When did the Shang dynasty of ancient China flourish? What objects are they most famous for? (page 60)

Answer 14

c. 1600 to 1100 BCE. The ruler of the Shang, the second of ancient China’s dynasties, were thought to be invested with divine power from his ancestors. The Shang civilization is famous for its bronze artifacts.

Question 15

What were oracle bones and what was important about them? (page 61)

Answer 15

Oracle bones were the shoulder blades of cattle used by the Shang civilization for divination. They are quite important due to their being one of only a very few examples of objects containing the Shang written language. Questions would be written on the bones and then heated bronze would be applied. The resulting cracks would be interpreted for answers to the questions.

Question 16

What were some other important contributions by the Shang dynasty to later Chinese culture? (page 61)

Answer 16

The Shang developed their own writing system, which would later be adapted into the Chinese characters in use today. The script was eventually fixed into its present form by the Qin dynasty (221-206 BCE). The Shang also developed a lunar/solar calendar based on the zodiac, with ten “heavenly branches” and twelve “earthly branches”. When combined, the stems and branches formed cycles of sixty days or sixty years. A modified version of this calendar remains the basis for the traditional Chinese calendar. The Shang also introduced worship of ancestors along with other deities, a practice continued in later Chinese civilizations up to the present.

Question 17

How and when did the Shang dynasty of China end? (page 61)

Answer 17

The last Shang ruler, Di Xin, was considered a tyrant, and was overthrown by the state of Zhou in the 11th century BCE.

Question 18

What was the Rosetta Stone and why was it important? (page 62)

Answer 18

The Rosetta Stone was a stele of Ptolemy V containing the same message written in hieroglyphic Egyptian at its top, demotic (simplified ancient Egyptian priest writing) Egyptian at its center, and Greek at its bottom. This allowed the Stone’s finder, Egyptologist and linguist Jean Francois Champollion, to translate the Egyptian and also deduce the sounds of each Egyptian sign from the Greek.

Question 19

When and where did the first alphabetic writing emerge? (page 63)

Answer 19

It first appeared in the Middle East in the 2nd millennium BCE.

Question 20

When was the first American writing and on what was it found? (page 63)

Answer 20

It was found on 600 BCE Zapotec monuments in Mexico recording the names of sacrificed captives.

Question 21

When was the Gutenberg printing press invented? (page 63)

Answer 21

1454 AD.

Question 22

When was the First Intermediate Period of Egyptian history and how did it end with the beginning of the Middle Kingdom of Egyptian history? (page 64)

Answer 22

The First Intermediate Period (c. 2180-2040 BCE) was a time of lessened central royal authority that saw civil war, drought, and famine. One of the competing factions was a dynasty of kings based in Herakleopolis in central Egypt, and they fought against the Theban kings to the South. In the 11th Dynasty, the Theban kings when the Theban king Nebhepetre Mentuhotep II (c. 2060 - 2010 BCE) defeated his Herakleopolis rivals and reunified Egypt. This led Egypt into the Middle Kingdom.

Question 23

How is Egyptian history traditionally divided according to the strength of central, royal authority? (page 64)

Answer 23

Egyptian history is traditionally divided into periods of relative stability and royal authority punctuated by “Intermediate Periods” of weaker central authority and comparative instability.

Question 24

When was Egypt’s Middle Kingdom and what were some of the major events at its start? (page 64)

Answer 24

c. 2040 - 1730 BCE. (From Dynasties 11 to 13) Thebes became a major royal center, although the seat of government stayed near Memphis at the new city of Itj-Towy. After the chaos of the Intermediate Period, the pharaohs regained some powers from the nobles, but common Egyptians gained some new rights.

Question 25

How did Egypt’s Middle Kingdom dissolve into the Second Intermediate Period and how did the New Kingdom eventually begin? (page 64)

Answer 25

The Middle Kingdom dissolved when local governors started pushing for more power, bringing about civil wars that began the Second Intermediate Period (c. 1730 - 1550 BCE). During this time, a people called the Hyksos invaded and ruled Lower Egypt as pharaohs, while Egyptian pharaohs continued to rule Upper Egypt from Thebes. The Theban pharaohs finally expelled the Hyksos under Amose I, and the New Kingdom (c. 1550 - 1069 BCE, Dynasties 18 to 20), began.

Question 26

What were some of the important events and individuals of New Kingdom Egypt? (page 64)

Answer 26

Trade links extended and diplomacy intensified. Egypt squashed threats to the throne, thanks greatly to military techniques borrowed from the Hyksos. There was also spectacular architecture and art, including the statues of Ramses II and southern Theban culture prevailing. Thebes was rebuilt, and great temples were erected to the sun god Amun-Ra. Royalty were now buried in elaborate tombs in Thebes’ Valley of the Kings.

Question 27

Who was Akhenaten? (page 64)

Answer 27

Born Amenophis IV (c. 1352 - 1336 BCE), Akhenaten changed his name to reflect his own worship of the cult of Aten – the sun’s disk. He tried to bend his kingdom to his beliefs, but failed when Tutankhamun returned Egypt to its previous beliefs.

Question 28

Who was Nefertiti? (page 65)

Answer 28

The most famous wife of Akhenaten and a prominent figure in her husband’s rule. Art of the period sometimes even shows her in warrior-like poses suggesting royal power. Smenkhhare, a mysterious figure who ruled beside Akhenaten, may have actually been Nefertiti. She may have died in 1338 BCE, when all record of her disappears.

Question 29

How did Egypt’s New Kingdom decline into the Third Intermediate Period? (page 64)

Answer 29

Outside threats eventually overwhelmed Egypt, but it is unclear why Egypt could not hold these threats back. Internal corruption and rebellion may have played a part.