Excavation of an archaeological site
A.involves the destruction of the place.
B.a technique to uncover buried remains from the past.
C.answers questions about prehistoric human activity.
D.all of the above
E.none of the above
The site of Knossos is located on
A.Cyprus.
B.Crete.
C.Malta.
D.Sicily.
The Inca road system did all of the following except
A.charge tolls for carts and other wheeled vehicles.
B.include suspension bridges.
C.cross deserts and mountains.
D.involve networks of roadside lodgings and storage places.
An Archaeological Problem
The following multiple choice questions refer to the paragraph below. Base your
answers on the information given below, your archaeological knowledge, and common
sense.
Recent excavations in the Levant have uncovered a small settlement of approximately
twenty houses. These structures were circular in shape and had rock-wall foundations. A
number of burials were found in a small cemetery adjacent to the settlement. Storage
pits and roasting areas for preparing plant foods also were found, but there was no
evidence for domesticated plants at the site. Animal bones from deer, gazelle, sheep,
and goat were common at the site. The investigators noticed that a high number of
young male animals were represented in the sheep bones. This difference was not noted
among the bones of the other species. Other materials from the site included sickle
blades, bone tools, charcoal, and grinding slabs.
Evidence from the animal bones suggests that the sheep were
A.hunted like the rest of the animal species.
B.scavenged.
C.traded.
D.herded.
A site is
A.a basic unit of archaeological analysis.
B.a place where people lived.
C.a place where people carried out activities.
D.all of the above.
E.none of the above.
Describe variations in ceremonial architecture in prehistoric North America. What
interpretations about social organization might you draw?
Answer:Answers will vary.
The Mesolithic and the __________ are similar in age.
A.late Paleolithic
B.formative
C.Archaic
D.early Neolithic
The first humans outside of Africa were
A.users of blade tools.
B.members of Homo erectus.
C.found about 5 million years ago.
D.dated to the Pliocene.
E.members of Homo habilis.
An Archaeological Problem
The following multiple choice questions refer to the paragraph below. Base your
answers on the information given below, your archaeological knowledge, and common
sense.
Recent excavations in the Levant have uncovered a small settlement of approximately
twenty houses. These structures were circular in shape and had rock-wall foundations. A
number of burials were found in a small cemetery adjacent to the settlement. Storage
pits and roasting areas for preparing plant foods also were found, but there was no
evidence for domesticated plants at the site. Animal bones from deer, gazelle, sheep,
and goat were common at the site. The investigators noticed that a high number of
young male animals were represented in the sheep bones. This difference was not noted
among the bones of the other species. Other materials from the site included sickle
blades, bone tools, charcoal, and grinding slabs.
The site is located in
A.Europe.
B.Africa.
C.Asia.
D.Mesoamerica.
“Tells” are
A.fossilized Neolithic wheat fields.
B.high mounds that accumulate from thousands of years of human garbage and debris,
often found in Southwest Asia.
C.beehive-shaped Natufian huts found in the Levant.
D.communal stone tombs found in Europe dating to the fifth millennium B.C.
Which of the following pairs is incorrectly matched?
A.Olduvai Gorge and pebble tools
B.Taung and A. africanus
C.A. afarensis and Laetoli
D.K/Ar and bone
Two key Neolithic sites in China are
A.Khok Phanom Di and Non Nok Tha.
B.Guil Naquitz and Jarmo.
C.Ban-po-ts’un and Ho-mu-tu.
D.Shang and Zhou.
Maize was not a key food source at
A.Ozette.
B.Moundville.
C.Chaco Canyon.
D.Cahokia.
The Inca road system
A.was constructed for wheeled vehicles.
B.included suspension bridges.
C.spanned more than 100,000 km.
D.was restricted to royal caravans.
The largest prehistoric structure built north of Mexico is located at
A.Snaketown.
B.Cahokia.
C.Moundville.
D.Etowah.
E.The Hopewell site.
Jericho is
A.a site in the Levant that fits the Oasis Theory.
B.the focus of Robert Braidwood’s research on the origins of pottery production.
C.a site with evidence for early rice and millet domestication.
D.no longer occupied.
During the interglacial periods of the Pleistocene
A.the Bering Land Bridge was exposed.
B.sea levels dropped because it was hot and dry.
C.rhinoceros and elephants inhabited Europe.
D.ice sheets and glaciers advanced.
E.many hominin populations retreated from far northern areas.
To date, no ball court is known from the site of
A.Chichn Itz.
B.Monte Albn.
C.Tenochtitln.
D.Teotihuacn.
The world’s earliest ceramic vessels were probably made in
A.Southwest Asia.
B.Mesoamerica.
C.Japan.
D.Ecuador.
E.Southeast Asia.
The palace of Knossos contains evidence of all of the following except
A.monumental architecture.
B.substantial storage.
C.mural art.
D.ceremonial ball games.
In a series of papers, Raymond Dart proposed which of the following as a bloodthirsty
predator?
A.A. boisei
B.A. robustus
C.H. habilis
D.A. africanus
Which of the following prehistoric cultigens is NOT matched correctly with its
geographical area?
A.Japanmillet
B.Highland Mexicomaize
C.Southwest Asiawheat
D.Highland South Americapotato
During the second and third millennia B.C., the inhabitants of Mesopotamia were
A.dominated by a single empire centered at Uruk.
B.dependent on a diet of millet and pig.
C.practitioners of scapulimancy.
D.subdivided politically into a series of city-states.
The site of Borum Eshj is located in
A.Denmark.
B.Germany.
C.England.
D.Hungary.
The following term does not belong with Swartkrans
A.australopithecine.
B.Taung.
C.C.K. Brain.
D.breccia.
Carbon isotope evidence from human bone indicates that Mesolithic groups at Vedbk
were
A. hungry.
B. older than their Paleolithic neighbors.
C. getting most of their food from the sea.
D. getting most of their food from the land.
Key features of the Ubaid period in southern Mesopotamia were
A.large urban settlements and the establishment of the earliest states.
B.the development of the temple institution and the spread of canal irrigation.
C.beveled-rim bowls and other mold-made pottery vessels.
D.the world’s earliest known written documents.
The handaxe is all of the following except
A.the result of the percussion technique.
B.the first fusion of metal (bronze) and stone.
C.a characteristic tool of the Lower Paleolithic.
D.an indication of planning by Homo erectus.
Sedentism preceded plant domestication in which area?
A.The Levant
B.Highland South America
C.Highland Mesoamerica
D.Japan
One of the most important economic activities carried out at Teotihuacn was
A.obsidian working, as shown by the remains of possible obsidian workshops.
B.slash-and-burn agriculture, as shown by the remains of hundreds of chinampas.
C.the carving of jade ceremonial objects, as shown by jade debris and hundreds of
broken jade figurines.
D.the production and distribution of fine earthenware ceramics
The phenomenon of bioturbation would be studied by a(n)
A.geoarchaeologist.
B.paleobotanist.
C.lithic technologist.
D.ethnographer.
The art at Chav’n de Huantar includes
A.polychrome vases fashioned on the pottery wheel.
B.carved stone slabs covered with written texts.
C.anthropomorphic figures that combine the features of different animal forms.
D.posed human figures closely resembling those found in ancient Greece.
Venus figurines are probably
A.net weights used in fishing.
B.abstract female statuettes, part of a fertility cult.
C.good luck charms carried by hunters.
D.small sculptures with markings of calendrical significance.
The earliest Europeans are represented at the site of
A.Olorgesailie.
B.Atapuerca.
C.Terra Amata.
D.Torralba.
What are some of the major characteristics that first document the distinction between
apes and humans?
Answer:Answers will vary.
Compare and contrast two models for the origins of the state.
Answer:Answers will vary.
The emergence of Homo sapiens is one of the big questions in archaeology at present.
Discuss the primary evidence for this transition and the major positions involved in the
argument.
Answer:Answers will vary.
Inca society was socially stratified. Describe three indicators of these differences.
Answer:Answers will vary.
The site of Stonehenge is one of the most intriguing places in the world. Describe the
growth and development of this monument including dates and periods in your
discussion.
Answer:Answers will vary.
Discuss the evidence for the earliest human occupation of Europe, including at least
three important sites.
Answer:Answers will vary.
What are some of the more important ethical responsibilities for an archaeologist? Are
there others you would recommend?
Answer:Answers will vary.
Please write 2-3 sentences identifying the person, place, or thing in terms of age,
location, and significance.
1) Oppidum
2) La Tne
3) Megalith
4) Stonehenge
5) Sickle polish
6) Status differentiation
7) Bandkeramik
8) Dolmen
9) Aegean
10) Bronze
11) Maiden Castle
Answer:Answers will vary.
What kinds of jobs do archaeologists have? What kind of education is required to be an
archaeologist?
Answer:Answers will vary.
Discuss some of the recent evidence for the peopling of the New World and the primary
route of the first colonists.
Answer:Answers will vary.
Discuss and critique the Maritime Hypothesis.
Answer:Answers will vary.
Discuss the evolution of the hominins through the Pliocene and the Pleistocene.
Answer:Answers will vary.
Compare the economic practices of redistribution and reciprocity.
Answer:Answers will vary.
An Archaeological Problem
The following multiple choice questions refer to the paragraph below. Base your
answers on the information given below, your archaeological knowledge, and common
sense.
Recent excavations in the Levant have uncovered a small settlement of approximately
twenty houses. These structures were circular in shape and had rock-wall foundations. A
number of burials were found in a small cemetery adjacent to the settlement. Storage
pits and roasting areas for preparing plant foods also were found, but there was no
evidence for domesticated plants at the site. Animal bones from deer, gazelle, sheep,
and goat were common at the site. The investigators noticed that a high number of
young male animals were represented in the sheep bones. This difference was not noted
among the bones of the other species. Other materials from the site included sickle
blades, bone tools, charcoal, and grinding slabs.
Discuss at least three important sites that are important in discussions of the origins of
agriculture. Why are they important?
Answer:Answers will vary.
Discuss and evaluate the role of population pressure in the origins of the state.
Answer:Answers will vary.
An Archaeological Problem
The following multiple choice questions refer to the paragraph below. Base your
answers on the information given below, your archaeological knowledge, and common
sense.
Recent excavations in the Levant have uncovered a small settlement of approximately
twenty houses. These structures were circular in shape and had rock-wall foundations. A
number of burials were found in a small cemetery adjacent to the settlement. Storage
pits and roasting areas for preparing plant foods also were found, but there was no
evidence for domesticated plants at the site. Animal bones from deer, gazelle, sheep,
and goat were common at the site. The investigators noticed that a high number of
young male animals were represented in the sheep bones. This difference was not noted
among the bones of the other species. Other materials from the site included sickle
blades, bone tools, charcoal, and grinding slabs.
Describe the nature of the transition to food production in Southwest Asia with a
comparison of the Natufian and the early Neolithic.
Answer:Answers will vary.
Discuss the importance of systematic settlement pattern survey for highland
Mesoamerican archaeology. Would this methodology be useful in other regions of the
world?
Answer:Answers will vary
Archaeologists have a number of techniques for determining the season of occupation
at a site. Describe some of these methods using examples from the sites of Holocene
hunter-gatherers.
Answer:Answers will vary.
Compare and contrast the Minoan and Mycenaean civilizations.
Answer:Answers will vary.
Discuss the importance of cloth for prehispanic Andean societies.
Answer:Answers will vary.