Narrative Section

Question 1

Plato, in the Phaedo (109b) refers to the Greeks as dwelling as ants or frogs around a pond. Plato says this because:

a) the movement of Greeks resembled the movements of frogs and ants
b) the ancient Greeks lived all over the Mediterranean
c) the Greeks viewed the Mediterranean as their highway
d) compared to the gods, the ancient Greeks were small like frogs and ants

Answer 1

b) the ancient Greeks lived all over the Mediterranean
AND
c) the Greeks viewed the Mediterranean as their highway

Question 2

The archaeologist responsible for excavations at Mycenae and Troy was

Answer 2

Heinrich Schliemann

Question 3

The archaeologist responsible for excavations at Knossos was ___. He called the civilization which he found there ___ based on the mythical king whose name was ____

Answer 3

Sir Arthur Evans; Minoan Civilization; Minos

Question 4

We refer to the Late Bronze Age civilization of mainland Greece as ___ after the site of ___, where King Agamemnon’s palace was supposed to have been.

Answer 4

Mycenaean; Mycenae

Question 5

Although most Neolithic era settlements were small, the village of _____ shows signs of urbanization, including a megaron in a large building atop a hall. This megaron is significant because: (circles all correct answers)

a) it was the one place where men and women mingled
b) it was dance hall modelled on Minoan frescos
c) Iron Age chiefs and great men met in the megaron, signifying continuity in culture following the collapse of the Bronze Age palaces
d) it was later used as the basic model for the temple (the gods’ house) from the eighth century

Answer 5

Dimini;

c) Iron Age chiefs and great men met in the megaron, signifying continuity in culture following the collapse of the Bronze Age palaces
AND
d) it was later used as the basic model for the temple (the gods’ house) from the eighth century

Question 6

In the fourth millennium (3000s) Greek settlements were small, but to the east settlements in _____ experienced population rise due the to the waters of this alluvial plain which inhabitants learned to tame and channel, allowing for farming innovations.

Answer 6

Mesopotamia

Question 7

We refer to the Bronze Age as the “Bronze Age” because people learned that adding 10% of ____ to ___ creates bronze, which is harder than copper.

Answer 7

tin; copper

Question 8

In the Middle Bronze Age (2100-1600) a group of people invaded Greece. These invaders spoke a language belonging to the _____ language family and introduced the Greek language.

Answer 8

Indo-European

Question 9

(has mult choice) The Minoans adopted from the Near East a _____ as their economic model. In this model the palace center: (circle all correct answers)

a) gathered, stored, and redistributed to the villages produce from palace lands and private lands
b) housed livestock
c) kept templates for pottery d) stored grain and olive oil in case of famine

Answer 9

redistributive system;

a) gathered, stored, and redistributed to the villages produce from palace lands and private lands
AND
d) stored grain and olive oil in case of famine

Question 10

The syllabic script used by the Cretans is referred to as ____. This script was used to:

a) record historical events
b) record poetry
c) keep economic records

Answer 10

Linear A;

c) keep economic records

Question 11

Frescoes in the Minoan palaces include the following: (circle all correct answers)

a) battle scenes
b) bull leaping
c) plant and animal life

Answer 11

b) bull leaping
AND
c) plant and animal life

Question 12

In 1628 a volcano on the island of Thera erupted, preserving the town of ____. The influence of Minoan civilization suggests that:

a) cities on the island of Thera and Crete were trading partners
b) cities in Thera were under Minoan control

Answer 12

Akrotiri;

a) cities on the island of Thera and Crete were trading partners

Question 13

At Mycenae, deep rectangular pits containing bodies were found. These pits are called ____. Dating from the 1600s-1500s, these contain immense wealth suggesting trade with communities all over the Mediterranean and the Near East. These graves have confounded researchers because:

a) the bodies are missing
b) the village of Mycenae has no discernible structures suggesting infrastructure necessary to support such wealth in the 1600s
c) the pits include animals not seen in other graves from this time, including cats

Answer 13

shaft graves;

b) the village of Mycenae has no discernible structures suggesting infrastructure necessary to support such wealth in the 1600s

Question 14

____ tombs suggest the growing power of an elite class at Mycenae. Unfortunately these were pillaged, although items that have been found suggest wealth on par with earlier graves.

Answer 14

Tholos

Question 15

In 1939, 600 Linear B tablets were found at the Mycenaean palace of ___, the legendary home of the Trojan War leader, Nestor.

Answer 15

Pylos

Question 16

Michael Ventris built on the previous work of Alice Kober to decipher ____ . This decipherment led to the following discovery: (circle all correct answers)

a) Greek was the language of the Mycenaeans
b) the Minoans conquered the Mycenaeans
c) the Mycenaean Greeks adapted Linear A to the Greek language to keep records

Answer 16

Linear B;

a) Greek was the language of the Mycenaeans
AND
c) the Mycenaean Greeks adapted Linear A to the Greek language to keep records

Question 17

In 1375 ____ was burned and looted, leading to the decline of Minoan Civilization.

Answer 17

Knossos

Question 18

Mycenaean palaces differed from Minoan palaces because Mycenaean palaces:

a) had walls and Minoan palaces did not
b) were situated on hilltops
c) had thatched rooves
c) were smaller

Answer 18

a) had walls and Minoan palaces did not
b) were situated on hilltops
c) were smaller

Question 19

Mycenaean frescos focus on the following themes:

a) personal combat
b) hunting
c) portraits of ancestors
d) siege warfare

Answer 19

a) personal combat
b) hunting
d) siege warfare

Question 20

According to Hittite records, a group of people known as the ____ were involved in a series of conflicts. Scholars believe this group of people refers to the ____. If this is true, then it would suggest that the Trojan War would have happened roughly in the later 13th century.

Answer 20

Ahhiyawa; Achaeans

Question 21

The Linear B word for king is ____. This is significant because Homer uses the title of ____ in his epics.

Answer 21

wanaka; wanax

Question 22

Before 1600 there is little evidence of Mycenaean religion. After 1600 the Mycenaeans seem to have adopted elements of elements of ____ religion.

Answer 22

Minoan

Question 23

The Bronze Age Greeks adopted the battle chariot from the Near East. While in the Near East soldiers fought from chariots, in Greece the chariot was used to:

a) transport the wives of soldiers to the edges of battle
b) transport extra weapons to men in the frontlines
c) transport warriors to the edges of the battle

Answer 23

c) transport warriors to the edges of the battle

Question 24

By the end of the twelfth century the Bronze Age palaces had collapsed. In addition, many cities throughout the Mediterranean suffered catastrophes. The capital of the Hittite Empire, ____, was destroyed. In Egypt, a group of people led by Libyans and perhaps including Greeks attacked Egypt several times. These men are describes as _______ and ______ in Egyptians inscriptions.

Answer 24

Hattusa; people of the countries of the sea; men from the northern lands

Question 25

The Bronze Age palaces may have collapsed for the following reasons:

a) invasion
b) plague
c) revolts of peasants and slaves
d) depletion of arable land
e) natural disasters such as earthquakes or floods

Answer 25

a) invasion
c) revolts of peasants and slaves
d) depletion of arable land
e) natural disasters such as earthquakes or floods

Question 26

When the Bronze Age palaces collapsed, the ancient Greeks also lost knowledge of:

a) how to make pots
b) how to write Linear B
c) how to cook stew
d) how to start a fire

Answer 26

b) how to write Linear B

Question 27

The Iron Age lasted 1200-750/700. We call this period the Iron Age because:

a) Hesiod calls this period the Iron Age
b) because times were hard like iron
c) they discovered iron smelting

Answer 27

c) they discovered Iron smelting

Question 28

For a long time historians referred to the Iron Age as the “Dark Age” due to the lack of ______ evidence.

Answer 28

archaeological

Question 29

Literary sources for the Iron Age include the works of _____ and _____. While _____ wrote about the time period in which he was living, ____ wrote about the _____.

Answer 29

Homer; Hesiod; Hesiod; Homer; Bronze Age

Question 30

After the collapse of the palaces, for most Greeks:

a) life would never be the same
b) the rhythms of life remained the same

Answer 30

b) the rhythms of life remained the same

Question 31

By 950, almost every weapon found in graves was made not from bronze but from _____

Answer 31

iron

Question 32

We refer to pottery during the Iron Age generally as ______. Innovations in this style of pottery include:

a) the use of hand techniques to create textures
b) the use of a compass
c) arcs and circle designs
d) glazing at higher temperatures

Answer 32

geometric;

b) the use of a compass
c) arcs and circle designs 
d) glazing at higher temperatures

Question 33

The migration of 1050 is called the ______. In this migration people moved from _______ to ________

Answer 33

Ionian Migration;
mainland Greece;
the west coast of Asia Minor

Question 34

While most of Greece experienced population declines in the Early Iron Age, ______ remained stable. In fact, some Mycenaean Greek migrated there, building temples on the foundations of earlier Phoenician temples.

Answer 34

Cyprus

Question 35

In the Iron Age, communities were led by chiefs, referred to in Greek as _____. The archaeological evidence for the existence of chiefs comes from sites like _____ and ______.

Answer 35

basileus;
Nichoria;
Lefkandi

Question 36

At _______, the finds include a spacious megaron with a porch. This “chieftain’s house” was remodelled several times. This structure is believed to be a chieftain’s house because:

a) it was made of better materials
b) it is identical to other houses, but bigger
c) a storeroom of weapons was found

Answer 36

Nichoria;

b) it is identical to other houses, but bigger

Question 37

At ______ the finds include a cremated man, a woman buried, and two pairs of buried horses. Soon after the funeral the entire building was demolished and a cemetery appears shortly after. This site is significant because:

a) this is the oldest cemetery in Greece
b) it suggests stratification
c) there are no children buried in the cemetery

Answer 37

Lefkandi;

b) it suggests stratification

Question 38

The period from 900 to 750 is distinct from the earlier period of the Iron Age because:

a) new designs and shapes appear on pottery, including animals and humans
d) the alphabet emerges
c) the Greeks start using gold to create weapons for burial

Answer 38

a) new designs and shapes appear on pottery, including animals and humans
d) the alphabet emerges

Question 39

Which of the following are elements of the oral-formulaic theory used by bards reciting what came to be known as the Homeric epics?

a) stock phrases, lines, and blocks of text
b) note cards made from papyrus
c) cue cards
d) typical scenes and story patterns

Answer 39

a) stock phrases, lines, and blocks of text

d) typical scenes and story patterns

Question 40

What can we learn about Homeric society from Peleus’ advice to his son Achilles, “Be both a speaker of words and a doer of deeds” (Il. 9.443)?

a) fathers loved their sons
b) chieftains where those who were skilled in battle and able to persuade
c) fathers often dispensed wisdom to their sons
d) sons resented their fathers

Answer 40

b) chieftains where those who were skilled in battle and able to persuade

Question 41

Which of the following is believed to have been the political organization of Homeric society?

a) each region has its own basileus
b) a paramount basileus would lead communities, each of which would have its own basileus
c) two kings would rule jointly on alternating days over their followers

Answer 41

b) a paramount basileus would lead communities, each of which would have its own basileus

Question 42

How did warriors acquire hetairoi?

a) by force
b) by raiding the livestock of others and providing a feast
c) by paying them

Answer 42

b) by raiding the livestock of others and providing a feast

Question 43

In the Iron Age, only sons could inherit property. Daughters, however, would receive a share of the property through her ______

Answer 43

dowry

Question 44

Free persons who did not own land and had to work for another person were known ______

Answer 44

thetes

Question 45

In the Iron Age and Archaic Age, fathers would divide their ancestral land, known as _____ evenly among their sons.

Answer 45

kleros

Question 46

At the end of the Iron Age, there was:

a) a population increase
b) a population decrease

Answer 46

a) a population increase

Question 47

This shift in population meant that land which had been used to graze animals was converted to fields to grow grain. The POOR/ARISTOCRATS (circle one) had acquired the best fields for grazing over the years, which meant that they were able to grow the most grain.

Answer 47

ARISTOCRATS

Question 48

In the Iron Age, people emigrated because:

a) there was a land shortage
b) they were curious about other people
c) trade

Answer 48

a) there was a land shortage

c) trade

Question 49

The Euboean Greeks traded all over the Mediterranean. In the east they traded at ____ in Northern Syria, and in the west they traded at _____ in the bay of Naples.

Answer 49

Al Mina; Pithecusae

Question 50

The evidence of Euboean Greeks’ trading routes comes primarily from:

a) temple inscriptions
b) pottery 
c) shipwrecks

Answer 50

b) pottery

Question 51

The Greeks adapted the _____ alphabet to their language shortly after 800.

Answer 51

Phoenician

Question 52

The new alphabet was more accessible than Linear B because:

a) it was prettier c) it had 24 letters rather than 87 signs b) it included letters for vowel sounds Attica

Answer 52

c) it had 24 letters rather than 87 signs

b) it included letters for vowel sounds Attica

Question 53

The process by which territories were incorporated into a capital city from the ninth century until around 750 or 700 is called _______. For example, people living in the territory of ______ accepted Athens as their political center and referred to themselves as Athenians. Some cities did not undergo this process. Cities with a common culture and heritage sometimes formed federations and joined forces when needed. These are called _____.

Answer 53

synoecism; Attica; ethne

Question 54

In many city-states in the early Archaic period, gene such as the _____ of Corinth dominated political offices. The later Greeks referred to this type of government as either _____ or ______. In 657, this family was overthrown by _____ whose son was ______.

Answer 54

Bacchiads; oligarchy; aristocracy; Cypselus; Periander

Question 55

Evidence for the process of establishing a colony comes from the colonization of ____, a city in North Africa colonized by people from the island of _____.

Answer 55

Cyrene; Thera

Question 56

In general, it was much easier to become poor in the Archaic period than wealthy. The reason for this is:

a) it was easy to lose a job because of harsh labor practices
b) fathers were disinheriting sons due to a lack of birth control
c) the poor relied on the wealthy for loans of seed after a bad harvest, which left them in debt

Answer 56

c) the poor relied on the wealthy for loans of seed after a bad harvest, which left them in debt

Question 57

Which of the following were included as citizens?

a) free, adult men
b) slaves
c) women
d) foreign residents
e) former slaves

Answer 57

a) free, adult men

Question 58

Hesiod is generally considered one of the mesoi because:

a) Homer says he was one of the mesoi
b) there are roughly 10—12 people living on his farm and would have had 10-15 acres c) Herodotus says he was one of the mesoi
d) he expresses anger at the rulers, a common theme among the middle class

Answer 58

b) there are roughly 10—12 people living on his farm and would have had 10-15 acres
d) he expresses anger at the rulers, a common theme among the middle class

Question 59

One of the best sources for ideologies of hoplite warfare is the poet _____

Answer 59

Tyrtaeus

Question 60

Hoplites are called hoplites because:

a) they hop
b) their unique shield, which is called a hoplon
c) their spear, which is called a hoplon

Answer 60

b) their unique shield, which is called a hoplon

Question 61

Hoplite formation consists of tightly packed rows. We call this formation ______

Answer 61

phalanx

Question 62

Aristocrats may have been upset about hoplite warfare because:

a) everyone wore roughly the same armor and weapons, making it difficult to distinguish themselves
b) since everyone had the same armor, they experienced this new armor as a downgrade compared to the old armor
c) creating new armor provided work for the poor, equalizing incomes

Answer 62

a) everyone wore roughly the same armor and weapons, making it difficult to distinguish themselves

Question 63

Tyrants become increasing popular due to the violent struggles between:

a) brothers
b) the rich and the poor
c) aristocratic gene competing for offices

Answer 63

c) aristocratic gene competing for offices

Question 64

Tyrants come from:

a) poor families
b) aristocratic families  c) the middle-class families

Answer 64

b) aristocratic families

Question 65

Tyrannies seldom lasted longer than three generations because:

a) no woman wanted to marry a tyrant’s son or grandson
b) the sons and grandsons of a tyrant lacked the skills necessary to govern
c) the sons and grandsons of tyrants were not interested in ruling

Answer 65

b) the sons and grandsons of a tyrant lacked the skills necessary to govern

Question 66

Tyrants are associated with:

a) refusing to marry
b) building fortifications
c) having only sons
d) building projects
e) improving the water supply
f) exiling aristocrats and confiscating land
g) instituting new religious cults

Answer 66

b) building fortifications
d) building projects
e) improving the water supply
f) exiling aristocrats and confiscating land
g) instituting new religious cults