CHAPTER 19—AFRICA BEFORE 1800
MULTIPLE CHOICE
1. The earliest African sculpture in the round is from which of the following groups?
a.
Nok
b.
Ife
c.
Benin
d.
Sapi
2. A “horned headdress” on the running female from Tassili can signify which of the following?
a.
male power
b.
a mask
c.
ceremonial regalia
d.
combined male and animal powers
3. Tassili is in which of the following countries?
a.
Nigeria
b.
Sierra Leone
c.
Algeria
d.
South Africa
4. Facial striping is used as an indicator in African societies for which of the following?
a.
a thief
b.
a scorned woman
c.
only the chief
d.
titled status
5. The Ile-Ife figures from the Yoruba kingdom of Owo served mainly in rituals focused on which of the
following?
a.
funereal rites
b.
sacred kingship
c.
initiation ceremonies
d.
birth rituals
6. Which of the following would most likely be used by the leader as a badge of office in order to
magnify his gestures?
a.
shrine
b.
stool
c.
fly-whisk
d.
saltcellar
7. Considerable literature exists today which describes, analyses, and interprets the meaning of rock art.
Although precise meaning is still problematic, which of the following could be used to describe the
role of the running woman from Tassili?
a.
her size might indicate importance
b.
her painted skirt indicates her married status
c.
her horned helmet indicates she is a member of the royal Benin dynasty
d.
nothing can be gleaned from this image
8. Which of the following is the system the Benin use to record their history?
a.
complex oral recitations
b.
bronze relief tablets
c.
mounted wall plaques on the palace façade
d.
written documents
9. In which group are women the principal creators of ceramics and clay sculpture?
a.
Sapi
b.
Benin
c.
Nok
d.
Igbo-Ukwu
10. Which of the following is a characteristic of the Nok style in ceramic sculpture?
a.
inverted pot shape
b.
scarification
c.
double chevron motif
d.
large alert eyes
11. Which of the following possessions would suggest the user holds a position of leadership?
a.
umbrella
b.
canoe
c.
feathered cloak
d.
silver spoon
12. Where do the Yoruba legends place their origins?
a.
Ile-Ife
b.
Benin City
c.
Igbo-Ukwu
d.
Tassili
13. Who are considered the ancestors of the Shona-speaking people?
a.
the people of Benin
b.
the people of Ile-Ife
c.
the people of Great Zimbabwe
d.
the people of Lydenburg
14. The tower form found at Great Zimbabwe suggests a granary. Based on the African symbols found on
the tower, which of the following would explain the meaning for this tower form?
a.
suggests the ruler as he is the dispenser of grain
b.
suggests the queen as she is the hope of the future
c.
suggests the people as they harvest the fields
d.
suggests the Great Crocodile as he allows the grain to be harvested
15. The Benin Altar to the Hand and Arm is associated with the power of the ruler and power itself. Which
of the following animals would not appear in the iconography of this shrine?
a.
hyena
b.
ram
c.
crocodile
d.
elephant
16. The stone monolith found at Great Zimbabwe has two sculpted animals that are associated with the
ancestry of the rulers: the bird with the first wife’s ancestors and the crocodile with the wife’s elder
male ancestors. Based on this description where would the most likely location be for the placement of
this monolith?
a.
ruler’s compound
b.
outside the walls of Great Zimbabwe
c.
first wife’s compound
d.
in the great courtyard
17. African art serves to elevate and bring distinction to the leader. Which of the following art forms
would perform that function?
a.
stool
b.
staff
c.
spear
d.
sword
18. Recently, many Nok style works have left Nigeria through which of the following?
a.
a government export program
b.
a Benin export market
c.
an illegal market
d.
a United Nations sanctioned market
19. Which of the following items is a prestigious object that was excavated from a tomb in the Igbo-Ukwu
area?
a.
crocodile tooth
b.
monkey bone
c.
elephant tusk
d.
lion tail
20. The presence of Portuguese heads on the Benin belt mask of the Queen Mother indicates which of the
following?
a.
a victory of the Benin over the Portuguese
b.
a marriage between the Queen Mother and a Portuguese Lord
c.
an export item
d.
a diplomatic relationship
21. Which of the following is a unique hybrid of African and European cultures?
a.
Benin whisks
b.
Sapi ivories
c.
Jenne figures
d.
Ife jewelry
22. The Niger River Delta has been likened to which of the following?
a.
Rome
b.
Greece
c.
Mesopotamia
d.
Aegean
23. The figural art of which culture is finely modeled with focused attention on naturalistic detail? Signs
of age or blemishes are also absent, and the sculpture is lifelike, but at the same time idealized.
a.
Ife
b.
Igbo-Ukwu
c.
Sapi
d.
Benin
24. Great Zimbabwe is unusual because it is made of which of the following materials?
a.
clay
b.
bronze
c.
stone
d.
wood
25. Which of the following was the walled town, c. 800 CE, that had a diverse population and many
specialist workshops?
a.
Lagos
b.
Jenne-Jeno
c.
Benin City
d.
Great Zimbabwe
26. The artist, Master of the Symbolic Execution, has been identified as a master workshop artist from
which of the following?
a.
Sapi
b.
Jenne
c.
Benin
d.
Igbo-Ukwu
27. What objects did Sapi artists create for export during the sixteenth century?
a.
gold statues
b.
brass altars
c.
ivory objects
d.
wooden masks
28. The Benin Altar of the Hand is cast by which of the following means?
a.
modeled wax
b.
clay
c.
lost-wax
d.
molded clay
29. Which of the following facial features would the Sapi associate with African adornment and use as a
component in their saltcellars?
a.
small round noses
b.
scarification
c.
small almond shaped eyes
d.
large pointed ears
30. The Sapi saltcellar, an export product, is attributed to which of the following artists?
a.
Master of the Ax
b.
Master of the Heads
c.
Master of the Seated Figures
d.
Master of the Symbolic Execution
31. Large groups of ceramic sculpture dating between 1000 and 1600 CE have been excavated from which
inland delta area?
a.
Congo
b.
Niger
c.
Tigris
d.
Nile
32. Which of the following European peoples established contact with the kingdom of Benin in the 1470s?
a.
Portuguese
b.
Spanish
c.
British
d.
French
33. Who or what does the leopard symbolize in Benin iconography?
a.
power
b.
Olokun
c.
sea
d.
the Benin people
34. The rock art of Tassili can be said to depict which of the following?
a.
people
b.
people and supernatural beings
c.
kings
d.
the god Olokun
35. One of the major problems impeding a precise African chronology is widespread illegal “treasure
hunting.” Which of the following is a consequence of this activity?
a.
nothing too harmful the artifacts are going into major collections
b.
artifacts not removed are destroyed
c.
removing artifacts disturbs or ruins context
d.
“treasure hunters” attribute artifacts to only certain cultures or groups
SLIDE IDENTIFICATION
Select the response that identifies or corresponds best to the image on the screen.
36. (Figure 19-13)
a.
sixteenth century
b.
nineteenth century
c.
seventeenth century
d.
fifteenth century
37. (Figure 19-11)
a.
Benin
b.
Jenne
c.
Jeno
d.
Great Zimbabwe
38. (Figure 19-12)
a.
Benin
b.
Jenne
c.
Great Zimbabwe
d.
Nok
39. (Figure 19-10)
a.
Ethiopia
b.
Nigeria
c.
Sierra Leone
d.
Great Zimbabwe
40. (Figure 19-6)
a.
brass
b.
terracotta
c.
ivory
d.
wood
41. (Figure 19-3)
a.
Ife
b.
Nok
c.
Igbo-Ukwu
d.
Benin
42. (Figure 19-4)
a.
Lydenburg
b.
Benin
c.
Nok
d.
Sapi
43. (Figure 19-2)
a.
Benin City
b.
Lagos
c.
Tassili
d.
Lalibela
44. (Figure 19-5)
a.
Benin
b.
Nok
c.
Igbo-Ukwu
d.
Ife
45. (Figure 19-3)
a.
wood
b.
terracotta
c.
copper-bronze
d.
ivory
46. (Figure 19-13)
a.
wood
b.
terracotta
c.
copper-bronze
d.
ivory
47. (Figure 19-14)
a.
Sapi-Portuguese
b.
Benin
c.
Ife
d.
Nok
48. (Figure 19-12)
a.
copper-bronze
b.
terracotta
c.
soapstone
d.
wood
49. (Figure 19-13)
a.
Oba
b.
First Ancestor
c.
Great Goddess
d.
Queen Mother
50. (Figure 19-6)
a.
Ife
b.
Jenne
c.
Benin
d.
Sapi
51. (Figure 19-13A)
a.
copper
b.
bronze
c.
brass
d.
gold
52. (Figure 19-4A)
a.
Ethiopia
b.
Nigeria
c.
Sierra Leone
d.
Great Zimbabwe
53. (Figure 19-6A)
a.
lead
b.
gold
c.
bronze
d.
Zinc brass
54. (Figure 19-7)
a.
water-bearer
b.
Scribe
c.
seated man
d.
King Ubwe
SHORT ANSWER
1. Who were the Ife kings, and in what style were they represented?
2. How is Beta Medhane Alem, Lalibela significant to Ethiopia?
3. What is the significance of Jenne-Jeno?
4. How is scarification suggested on the Lydenburg Head?
5. What interpretation has been made for the buildings of Great Zimbabwe?
6. What has been suggested as the reason for the durability of the art forms of early African history?
7. What is one interpretation for the conical towers at Great Zimbabwe?
8. What interpretation has been made regarding the seated bird on top of the soapstone monolith from
Great Zimbabwe?
9. What is the speculation regarding the seated bird on top of the crocodile from the soapstone monolith
at Great Zimbabwe?
10. What are the European components of the Sapi saltcellar?
11. What is the significance of tame leopards flanking the Benin Oba?
12. What is distinctly African about the Sapi saltcellar?
13. Briefly describe the Benin Kingdom.
14. Briefly describe the Nok.
15. What is the earliest archaeologically documented example of an equestrian figure in African sculpture?
16. What explanation has been suggested for the shift from wooden sculpture to terracotta in Nok culture?
ESSAY
1. Explain the use of art to indicate social status in Africa. Use examples to support your essay.
2. Describe the interplay of realism and abstraction in African art. Use examples to support your essay
3. Describe the Nok culture. How did it shape early African societies and their visual arts? Use examples
to support your essay.
4. Explain the role of the Portuguese in early Benin society. Use examples to support your essay
5. Explain the function of the ivory waist pendant of the Benin Queen Mother. Consider the political
implications as well as the sculptural qualities of the work.
6. Compare the statue of the Ife King and the Benin Ivory waist pendant. How does each work exemplify
royalty? How does each work indicate status?
7. Compare the Igbo-Ukwu Fly-Whisk and the Ife King statue. How does each work personify status
within its society? Examine the purpose and function of each work as well.
8. Explain the importance of Great Zimbabwe to its location. What was its function and purpose?
9. Discuss the use of animals as iconographic symbols in early African visual arts. Consider their
meanings and purposes. Use examples to support your essay.
OTHER
SLIDE QUESTIONS
1. How does this image represent their contact with peoples outside Africa?
2. How does this mosque differ from typical Middle Eastern mosques?
3. How does this present a striking contrast to figures from Ile-Ife and Tada?
4. Contrast these two works.
5. Who does this object represent, and what material was used to make it? What does it express?
6. Describe the purpose of this work.
7. How do the alternating heads and mudfish represent the Oba?
8. Explain the size differential on the top and side of this work.
9. What does the crocodile represent on this monolith and what interpretations can be drawn from this
motif?
10. What is a possible interpretation for this work?
11. How does this figure represent Ife kingship?
12. Why is this image significant?