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CLEP Western Civilization I: Ancient Near East

Subjects : clep, history
Instructions:
  • Answer 50 questions in 15 minutes.
  • If you are not ready to take this test, you can study here.
  • Match each statement with the correct term.
  • Don't refresh. All questions and answers are randomly picked and ordered every time you load a test.

This is a study tool. The 3 wrong answers for each question are randomly chosen from answers to other questions. So, you might find at times the answers obvious, but you will see it re-enforces your understanding as you take the test each time.
1. Egyptian sun-god that attained preeminence above other Egyptian deities. Briefly leading the Egyptians into monotheism prior to the reign of Tutankhamen which saw the restoration of the older religion and its promise of an afterlife.






2. Following the defeat of the foreign Hyksos rulers - this period was the most prosperous time of Ancient Egyptian history. It saw the expansion of the Egyptian Empire to Nubia in the south as well as to the near east through warfare gaining riches and






3. A combination of pictograms and phonograms that the Eqyptians used for writing.






4. Ancient Sumerian king - ruled 2700 BC. Credited with having been a demigod of superhuman strength who built a great city wall to defend his people from external threats. Influence of his epic stories are seen in the Hebrew story of the Great Flood.






5. Tapered pillars carved of a single piece of granite 70 - 100 feet tall symbolizing man's aspirations to immortality.






6. Period of Ancient Egyptian history during which the Pharaohs regained powers over the priests but with somewhat less authority during which laws began to be written down.






7. The period prior to 12 -000 BC typified by the use of crude stone tools and hunting and gathering for subsistence; describes the majority of 2 million plus years of the existence of homo species.






8. Period of Ancient Egyptian history during which permanent settlements were established - stone and crafts work developed - burial practices moved to the outer edges of the territories - and the beginnings of a belief in the afterlife became evident.






9. Cunning woman who became Pharaoh during the New Kingdom. She relied heavily on propoganda claimed to be the daughter of the God Amen - often presented herself with a male body and false beard in statues and imagery. Her stepson - whom she had usurped






10. Major contributor to the spread of culture.






11. Cradle of Civilization located in the area between Mesopotamia and Syria.






12. Prior to the Bronze Age - during the 4th Millenium - crafters smelted tools from ___________.






13. Pre-agricultural culture located in present day Israel - Jordan and Lebanon. Collected naturally present barley and wheat to supplement game. Characterized by large settlements.






14. The first civilizations - they created a basic set of tools - intellectual concepts such as writing and mathematics - and political forms that would persist and spread to other parts of Europe - Asia - and Africa. Most were in decline by 1000 BC.






15. Monotheistic - Semitic-speaking people of Mesopotamia. Enslaved by the Egyptians - their leader Moses eventually led them out of captivity. Their religion opened the door for awareness of the self with moral autonomy - man had the choice between good






16. Part god and part king - the __________ was the leader of the Ancient of Egyptians. It was his job to raise the sun - the crops - and the coming of the Nile. He held absolute power over the Egyptians in the present life and in the hereafter.






17. The practice of seeking to foretell future events by interpreting divine signs - which could appear in various forms - such as in entrails of animals - in patterns in smoke - or in dreams.






18. Egyptian gods were often represented by ____________.






19. _____________religion inspired confidence and optimism in the external order and stability of the world.






20. Egyptian civilization sprang up in northern Africa - along the ______________; this river played a crucial role in the ability of the Egyptians to produce an abundant harvest.






21. First Pharaoh of the Old Kingdom.






22. Stepson of Hatshepsut - he lead the military expeditions during her reign. When he became Pharaoh - he enlisted thousands of men to help him capture more land than any other Pharaoh before him. At the time - he ruled the largest empire ever ruled by






23. The most important gods of Ancient Egypt - ________ was the sun and the begetter of the gods themselves. The myth that he was the first king on earth is the foundation on which the Pharoahs stake their claim of divinity.






24. Brother to the Ancient Egyptian god - Osiris - and credited with his death - _______ stands for all things unpleasant - disorder and warfare.






25. Founded by Cyrus the Great who expanded the empire across vast lands using a system of local administrators to maintain control.






26. The smaller size of the pyramids during the 5th and 6th dynasties is reflective of the declining power of the Pharaoh and the rise in power of ____________ in an economy of increasing size.






27. Documents of the Hebrew god and his law. Rather than heroic tales of gods and goddesses - this book told takes of men and women both weak and strong.






28. Indo-European people who entered Mesopotamia in 1750 BC - destroying the Babylonian Empire; partnered with the Egyptians to destroy Syria - then turned on the Egyptians conquering them and ruling for several centuries; played a major role in transmit






29. From the Latin term for 'city.' Characterized by formal states - writing - cities - and monuments.






30. Recent archeological studies show that there were at least _____ early civilizations.






31. The African state that developed along the upper reached of the Nile circa 1000 BC; conquered Egypt and ruled it for several centuries.






32. The life of the _____________ was filled with anxiety and pessimism because the gods themselves were unstable and the idea of an afterlife was unknown






33. The loose collection of territorially small cities in Mesopotamia which lacked unity with one another due to geographic isolation. Each was dedicated to a particular god or goddess.






34. Ancient Sumerian economies were ___________ with Priests charged with caring for the gods and goddesses and then providing for the community.






35. A sea-faring civilization located on the shores on the Eastern Mediterranean; established colonies throughout the Mediterranean and devised a simplified alphabet that greatly influenced the Greek and Latin writing systems.






36. First to develop money - weights and measures - and hours.






37. The term given to the development of agricultural societies. This revolution in economic - political - and social organization began in the Middle East as early as 10 -000 B.C.E. and gradually spread to other centers - including parts of India - Nort






38. 'Soldiers of God'






39. In contrast to the isolated Egyptians - these people were warriors and traders - they were highly unpredictable and abstract thinkers.






40. Capital of Ancient Egypt during most of the New Kingdom.






41. Period of Ancient Egyptian history during which the great pyramids were built - Declined following the reign on Pepi II because of the rise in power of regional nomarchs and the dissolution of a centralized Egyptian government. This period was follow






42. Period from 4 -000 BC to 1 -500 BC (3rd Millenium) when bronze tools were first introduced in the Middle East.






43. First common language used for trading amongst people of different groups - replaced Hebrew in religious texts - and was probably spoken by Jesus and his disciples.






44. Unified Upper and Lower Egypt into one kingdom with the capital at Memphis around 3000 BC.






45. Homo Species that disappeared at the end of the Paleolithic period.






46. Early Sumerian kingdoms began as theocracies - their kings established their authority through ____________.






47. Wife of Akenhaten - died during his celebration. After which Akenhaten became intolerant of any other gods - obsessively erasing them from history and neglecting his kingdom in the process.






48. Born a commoner - this Pharaoh rose to power at the age of 15 on the coat tails of his family's military prowess and reigned until his death at age 93. As one of Egypt's greatest kings - he relied heavily on propaganda and diplomacy - building temple






49. First foreigners to conquer and rule Egypt during the 15th and 16th dynasties. Later defeated by Egyptian Soldiers opening the door for the New Kingdom.






50. During this young Pharaoh's reign - the priests and military leaders who has lost power during the reign of his predecessor - Akenhaten - seized the opportunity to use the boy as their puppet and return Egypt to its traditional religion.