Neolithic Egypt (up to 8000-3000 BCE)

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Ancient History: Egypt › Neolithic Egypt (up to 8000-3000 BCE)

Questions 1 - 10
1

Which of these statements about the depiction of the Nile in ancient Egyptian art is most accurate?

The inundation of the Nile was never depicted.

The Nile was depicted as an angry and vengeful crocodile.

The Egyptians depicted the Nile as it if were always in the season of inundation.

None of these statements are accurate.

The Egyptians believed it was sacrilegious to depict the Nile.

Explanation

Ancient Egyptian art tended to conform to the notions of ancient Egyptian worldview. As such, order and harmony were constant themes. The inundation of the Nile, a precarious and uncertain time in Egyptian life, was never depicted. Instead, the Nile was always depicted as if it were orderly and constant.

2

Which of the following statements about the Ancient Egyptian numerical system is FALSE?

It is the first documented numerical system to represent the number zero

It was hieroglyphic in structure

It utilized a base ten system

Its format was very simple and easy to visually represent.

Addition and multiplication were possible but quite laborious to calculate

Explanation

The Ancient Egyptian numerical system first developed sometime around 3100 BCE and was in a continual state of evolution thereafter, until it fell out of use around 400 CE. It was hieroglyphic in nature, with each number represented and depicted in pictorial form, and relied upon a base ten system, in which symbols were designated in increments of ten. (For example, the symbol for the number one was a single stroke, number ten was represented by a cattle hobble, and one hundred was shown as a coil of rope.) The Ancient Egyptians had no concept of zero; in fact, they would not come to understand this numerical reality for many centuries. This knowledge was finally transmitted to Ancient Egypt sometime in the mid-eighteenth century BCE, through their frequent trade and travel contacts with Middle Eastern and Asian civilizations.

3

Which of the following best describes the Elephantine papyri?

A vast collection of documents, written primarily in Aramaic, which concern a Jewish community and military garrison stationed in the Nile fortress of Elephantine

Liturgical texts written in hieroglyphic Egyptian during the time of the Pharaoh Akhenaten that consist of a series of hymns to the sun disk Aten.

Funerary works written in hieratic Egyptian that consist of numerous spells and rituals that were used to aid the dead in their journey to the afterlife.

Diplomatic correspondences written in Akkadian cuneiform that illustrate the international relations between New Kingdom Egypt the other powers of the Fertile Crescent, including the Canaanites, Hittites and Mesopotamians.

Historical narratives commissioned by the Pharaoh Merneptah that recount his battles and campaigns against the Sea Peoples.

Explanation

The Elephantine papyri are a collection of brief papyri written in Aramaic by the Jewish community of Elephantine, on the Nile in Upper Egypt. They were written over a long period, but especially during the 5th century BCE, and it is likely that the Jewish community of Elephantine originated as an Israelite garrison which was sent centuries earlier by the King of Judah in order to assist its weak Egyptian ally against incursions from the Nubians. The papyri show that the Elephantine Jews worshiped the Israelite god Yahweh but within a polytheistic Egyptian setting and constructed their own temple to Yahweh at Elephantine, while still keeping in close contact with the Jews of the Land of Israel and sending contributions to the Jerusalem Temple. The other answers roughly correspond to the Great Hymn to the Aten (commissioned by Pharaoh Akhenaten), the Book of the Dead (the funerary texts), the Amarna letters (the diplomatic correspondence) and the Great Karnak Inscription (Merneptah's narration of his battles against the Sea Peoples).

4

Which variety of Egyptian writing is still used today in Christian churches throughout Egypt?

Coptic

Old Egyptian

Demotic

Hieroglyphics

Hieratic

Explanation

One of the four varieties of Egyptian writing scripts, Coptic initially emerged during the first century CE. It quickly rose in popularity due to its inclusion of Greek letters and its display of vowels, both of which made Coptic much more user-friendly than past scripts. Although it eventually fell out of use sometime between 1100 and 1500 CE, it is still used today in Christian churches throughout Egypt (this particular faith is otherwise known as Coptic Christianity).

5

The Pyramid Texts, Coffin Texts, and the Egyptian Book of the Dead all emerged to counteract __________.

the complex and hazardous nature of the afterlife

hostile and malignant spirits

famine and food shortage

the seasonal inundation of the Nile

disease and widespread infant and maternal mortality

Explanation

The Pyramid Texts (Old Kingdom), Coffin Texts (Middle Kingdom), and the Egyptian Book of the Dead (New Kingdom) were all important aspects of Egyptian funerary literature. The Egyptians believed that the afterlife was incredibly complex and dangerous, and that any individual who died with an insufficient understanding of the underworld would not be able to proceed to heaven. The Pyramid Texts, Coffin Texts, and the Book of the Dead were all designed to educate Egyptians about the afterlife and provide protection on their journey through the underworld.

6

The archaeological site at Merimde Beni Salama is important because __________.

it presents the earliest known evidence of ancient Egyptian agriculture

it provides evidence suggesting that the predynastic ancient Egyptians were monotheistic

it demonstrates the absolute authority of predynastic rulers in ancient Egypt

it highlights the importance of animal sacrifice in predynastic Egyptian worship

it shows the distinct cultural practices of Lower Egypt during the predynastic period

Explanation

The archaeological site at Merimde Beni Salama is important because it provides evidence used to date the formation of agricultural settlements in ancient Egypt. The ruins at Merimde Beni Salama date to approximately 5,000 BCE. Merimde Beni Salama is the earliest known agricultural settlement in ancient Egypt, so it tells us that the ancient Egyptians began practicing agriculture at least as early as 5,000 BCE.

7

The Book of Kemyt was primarily used __________.

in Egyptian government training

to enforce religious norms

to reinforce the divinity of the Pharaoh

by Egyptian soldiers and generals

in religious ceremonies

Explanation

The Book of Kemyt was a collection of funerary texts and accounts of the lives of previous rulers. It was used, during the New Kingdom period and later, in Egyptian government training. Would-be scribes and young upper class males were educated to read and write Egyptian through rote memorization. They would copy out classic texts like the Book of Kemyt over and over again until they had learned to write.

8

Why were most major Ancient Egyptian structures built in close proximity to the Nile River?

The Nile was the main means of transportation for building materials.

The Nile was considered the central life-force of all important religious and social activities.

The hearty and fertile soil around the Nile provided the ideal foundation for large structures.

The majority of Ancient Egyptians lived within a few miles of the Nile’s banks on either side.

Proximity to the Nile gave the surrounding buildings and their population a strong defensive position.

Explanation

Most major Ancient Egyptian structures—from pyramids and temples to courthouses and palaces—were built in close proximity to the Nile River. While at first glance, this structural clustering might seem arbitrary or random, this phenomenon was not at all accidental. The Ancient Egyptians wisely turned the Nile’s immense length and steady current to their advantage by using the River as their primary means of transporting building materials. Not only was this method much faster than any of the other contemporary options, but it also allowed for the relatively easy transport of especially heavy materials, including the limestone, granite, and sandstone used to construct pyramids, temples, and sculptures.

9

Meroe was a powerful city in __________.

the Kush Kingdom

the Assyrian Empire

Upper Egypt, during the First Intermediate Period

Lower Egypt, during the Third Intermediate Period

Canaan

Explanation

Meroe was a powerful city in the Kush Kingdom of the Nubians during the Late Period of Egyptian history. It rivalled Egyptian power from about 800 BCE until the fall of the Ptolemaic Kingdom in 30 BCE.

10

Which Fourth Dynasty Pharaoh is credited with commissioning the Great Pyramid of Giza?

Khufu

Sneferu

Djedefra

Khafra

Shepseskaf

Explanation

The second Pharaoh of the Fourth Dynasty, Sneferu's son Khufu, built the Great Pyramid of Giza as his tomb. The Fourth Dynasty featured the prolific building of pyramids and other grand monuments, as Sneferu was responsible for the Bent Pyramid and the Red Pyramid, both at Dahshur. The Giza Sphinx is traditionally believed to have been built by Khafra, though some alternatively hold that it was constructed by his brother Djedefra (while there are also separate pyramids for both pharaohs), and Shepseskaf's tomb is the Mastabat al-Fir'aun at Saqqara.

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