Ancient History: Egypt › Settlement
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
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.
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.
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.
Which Fourth Dynasty Pharaoh is credited with commissioning the Great Pyramid of Giza?
Khufu
Sneferu
Djedefra
Khafra
Shepseskaf
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.
The rise of __________, in the early dynastic period, led to the irrevocable decline of __________.
Memphis, Hierakonpolis
Thebes, Memphis
Hermopolis, Heliopolis
Heliopolis, Thebes
Hierakonpolis, Pi-Ramesses
Hierakonpolis (also called Nekhen) was a regional capital of Upper Egypt during the predynastic period. Along with other notable Upper-Egyptian city-states, it started to decline in influence and importance in the early dynastic period. The rise of Memphis (in Lower Egypt) led to an irrevocable decline in early Upper Egyptian settlements like Nekhen and Naqara.
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.
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).
Which of these battles is commemorated by the Abu Simbel temples?
Battle of Kadesh
Battle of Megiddo
Battle of Salamis
Battle of Carchemish
Battle of the Delta
The Abu Simbel temples were built in Lower Nubia during the reign of Ramesses II. They were constructed partially to commemorate Ramesses’ great victory over the Hittites at the Battle of Kadesh.
The ancient city of Elephantine was __________.
an important border city between Egypt and Nubia
the capital city of Hyksos’ Egypt
the capital city of the Middle Kingdom of Egypt
an important port city on the Red Sea
an important port city on the Mediterranean
The ancient city of Elephantine was located on an island in the middle of the Nile River. It was situated right at the border between Egypt and Nubia and so was an important center of trade, as well as a notable Egyptian military fortification.
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
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.
Small urban centers built during the Middle Kingdom, like Kahun, were organized around/on a(n) __________________.
gridded plan/system
the Rivers
wells
central ceremonial centers
solar cycles
Towns built during this time were organized into a grid system, dividing land into square blocks for buildings etc.
The Great Sphinx can be found in close proximity to __________.
the pyramids of Giza
the Valley of Kings
the Temple of Karnak
the Temple of Luxor
the Step Pyramids
The Great Sphinx can be found in close proximity to the Pyramids of Giza. Much of our understanding of the Sphinx is surrounded in myth and legend, but it is generally believed to have been built during the Old Kingdom, as part of the mortuary complex of a powerful Pharaoh (Khafre, Khufu, and Sneferu are most often claimed to have been associated with the construction of the Sphinx).