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Chapter 17 – The Ancient World
Multiple Choice Questions
1. The drawings from Ardèche Gorge are located in southern France at:
a) Chauvet cave.
b) La Villedorphe.
c) Lascaux cave.
d) Nomadic cave.
2. The figures from the Abu Temple represent worshippers from the complex society of:
a) Egypt.
b) Sumer.
c) Jericho.
d) Çatal Hüyük.
3. Nike of Samothrace is an outstanding example of:
a) Roman idealism.
b) Hellenistic realism.
c) the Minoan Snake Goddess.
d) the Egyptian canon of proportions.
4. One of the earliest surviving examples of a _______ lies at Sanchi, India.
a) beehive tomb
b) stupa
c) dostraka
d) ka
5. The She-Wolf, later adopted by Romans as a symbol of their civilization, was, until
recently, thought to have been made by ___________, who were famous for their
metalwork.
a) Egyptians
b) Sumerians
c) Etruscans
d) Greeks
6. The colossal head found in La Venta, Mexico (p. 417) was created by the
___________.
a) Olmec
b) Mixtec
c) Toltec
d)Aztec
7. Like much of Egyptian art, the statue of King Khafre (p. 415) shows:
a) skewed proportions and scale.
b) naturalistic tendencies.
c) gods from their pantheon.
d) rigorous geometry.
8. The “Toreador” fresco (p. 418) was created by the _______ culture.
a) Greek
b) Roman
c) Minoan
d) Neolithic
9. Found in Austria, the Venus of Willendorf (p. 409) is most likely a:
a) fertility figure.
b) representation of a ruler.
c) hunting tool.
d) doll.
10. The word Neolithic (p. 409) means:
a) Old Stone Age.
b) New Stone Age.
c) Middle Stone Age.
d) Nomadic.
11. Egyptian culture was dedicated to providing a home for the _______, which required
that Egyptian artisans decorate tombs with paintings to be enjoyed after death (p. 413).
a) ka
b) papyri
c) stele
d) emperor
12. Neolithic culture developed quickly in the world’s fertile valleys (p. 413). By 4000
BCE, urban societies had developed in:
a) Egypt and Mesopotamia.
b) China and India.
c) China and Japan.
d) Egypt and China.
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13. Construction of the Acropolis in Athens (p. 420) began about 450 BCE under the
leadership of:
a) Marcus Aurelius.
b) Phidias.
c) Hippocrates.
d) Pericles.
14. According to Buddhism, the release from worldly desires (p. 429) that ends the cycle
of death and reincarnation and begins a state of permanent bliss is called:
a) nirvana.
b) stupa.
c) ka.
d) Buddha.
15. Stonehenge (p. 410) in England is an example of what type of monumental stone
architecture?
a) colosseum
b) stupa
c) megalith
d) ziggurat
16. The stele inscribed with the Law Code of Hammurabi (p. 412) was created by which
Mesopotamian culture?
a) Hittite
b) Assyria
c) Babylon
d) Sumer
17. The Palette of King Narmer is historically important:
a) because it depicts an Assyrian king hunting.
b) because it is the first written record in Ancient Mesopotamia.
c) it mixes depictions of gods with historical figures.
d) it probably represents the first unification of Upper and Lower Egypt and the shift
from the prehistoric to historic in Egypt.
18. How was sculpture from the reign of Akhenaton in Egypt different from previous and
subsequent sculpture?
a) it was more abstract, bordering on non-objective
b) it was more naturalistic and informal, sometimes depicting the royal family in
intimate situations
c) it was much more colorful
d) it was modeled clay instead of carved stone
19. Classical Greek sculpture can best be described as:
a) writhing: chaotic figurative art that reflected an uneasy time.
b) calm: relaxed poses that sought to depict ideal form.
c) rigid: frontal art that was used as a receptacle for the ka.
d) iconic: representing the history of Christianity
20. What major events and developments marked the shift from Paleolithic to Neolithic
civilization?
a) The fall of Greece to Rome in 146 B.C.E. and the development of naturalistic
sculpture done in marble.
b) The founding of the Egyptian Dynasty 5,000 years ago and the use of load-bearing
architecture.
c) The shift from hunter-gatherers to sedentary agrarians, the end of the last ice age,
and the development of organized communities roughly 10,000-7,000 years ago.
d) The development of modern humans 250,000 years ago and the eruption of the
Yellowstone Caldera at about the same time.
21. When was Rome founded and by whom?
a) in 313 C.E. by Constantine
b) in 753 B.C.E. by Romulus and Remus
c) in 338 B.C.E. by Alexander the Great
d) in 20 B.C.E. by Augustus
22. What was the Egyptian Pharaoh Akhenaton famous for?
a) having the Pyramids at Giza built
b) continuing the traditional Egyptian style in sculpture
c) changing the traditional Egyptian religion and art for the only time during a 3000
year time period
d) a & b
23. Architecture and art of the Roman Republic was heavily influenced by the building
styles of_______________.
a) Etruscan temples
b) Egyptian pyramids
c) Greek temples
d) a & c
24. The capitol of the Roman Empire moved in the 4th century, splitting the empire in
two. What was the name of the new capital (before it was renamed) and who moved it?
a) Byzantium; Constantine
b) Rome; Hadrian
c) Paris; Louis XIV
d) Byzantium; Justinian
25. The earliest known civilization in India, contemporary with the great civilizations of
Mesopotamia and Egypt, is often called the __________civilization.
a) Aryan
b) Shang
c) Harappan
d) Sumerian
26. The Great Stupa at Sanchi, India is a typical Buddhist structure. What purpose do
they serve?
a) they serve as Buddhist temples
b) they house some of the ashes of the cremated Buddha and serve as devotional sites
c) they are residences for Buddhist monks
d) they are tombs for Indian royalty
27. An early Mesopotamian text refers to ________ as the bond between heaven and
28. In Buddhist art, Buddha’s hands are often shown set in symbolic gestures called
29. The Mycenaeans buried their dead in tombs of what overall shape?
30. What term, based on the words for “people” and “power,” was used to describe the
Greek’s political system?
31. The Romans’ major architectural contributions were what two types of structures?
Essay Questions
32. Using examples from this chapter, discuss the transition from Paleolithic to Neolithic
cultures.
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33. Describe the features and purposes of The Great Stupa.
34. Compare the Palette of King Narmer to the jade Ritual Disc with Dragon Motif (Pi).
What do they have in common (other than size)? What did they symbolize and did they
have similar functions?
35. Choose one artwork from the chapter and explain how it reflects cultural
developments occurring at the time it was created.