Historical Knowledge Test

Procedure: Use a scantron Form no. 882-E to mark your answers. Submit the test to me by 12 PM (afternoon) of the day indicated on the syllabus.

1. Identify the two view of how ancient Greece as settled.

1. Romantic view - Classic view
2. Revised Ancient view - Conventional View
3. True view - False view
4. Liberal view - Conservative view

2. What is the name of the ancient Greek tribe that was native to the mainland of Greece?

1. Mycenaeans
2. Kurgans
3. Dorians
4. Pelasgians

3. What is the name of the nomadic tribe that moved into Greece from the area north of the Black Sea?

1. Mycenaeans
2. Kurgans
3. Dorians
4. Pelagians

4. What is the way in which the two views of the origin of ancient Greece most significantly differ?

1. They differ on the issue of whether the tribe native to mainland Greece had its own language.
2. They differ on whether the tribe native to mainland Greece had some African-Semitic blood.
3. They differ on whether the tribe native to mainland Greece migrated to the area north of the Black Sea.
4. They differ on what evidence should be used to settle the question of origins.

5. According to the 5^th century BC historian Herodotus the origin of Greek civilization was:

1. entirely European
2. partially African
3. unknown
4. Cretan

6. On both of the two competing views of the origin of ancient Greek civilization, where does the dialect of Indo-Hittite first emerge?

1. In Greece
2. North of the Black Sea
3. In the Arabian Peninsula
4. In Egypt

7. On both of the competing views of the origin of ancient Greece, where does the dialect of Indo-European first emerge?

1. In Greece
2. North of the Black Sea
3. In the Arabian Peninsula
4. In Egypt

8. How does the conventional view of the origins of ancient Greek civilization explain the fact that Indo-Hittite and Indo-European have some linguistic elements in common?

1. Indo-Hittite comes from Indo-European.
2. Indo-European comes from Indo-Hittite

9. How does the revised Ancient view of the origins of ancient Greek civilization explain the fact that Indo-Hittite and Indo-European have some linguistic elements in common?

1. Indo-Hittite comes from Indo-European
2. Indo-European comes from Indo-Hittite

10. What is a reason for thinking that the revised Ancient view of the relationship between Indo-European and Indo-Hittite is more plausible?

1. On the revised Ancient view, there is a longer time for the differences between the two dialects to emerge.
2. On the revised Ancient view, there is a shorter time for the differences between the two dialects to emerge.

11. How does the conventional view of the origins of ancient Greek civilization explain the fact that the Indo-European and Afro-Asiatic both have linguistic terms similar to our definite article "the."

1. Indo-European evolved into Afro-Asiatic.
2. Indo-European borrowed this linguistic feature from Indo-Hittite.
3. Afro-Asiatic evolved into Indo-European.
4. Both Afro-Asiatic and Indo-European evolved from Indo-Hittite.

12. In addition to the linguistic evidence in support of the revised Ancient view, what other kind of evidence is there for the view?

1. 25% of the vocabulary of ancient Greece can be traced back to Egyptian roots.
2. Egyptian artifacts, such as swords, have been found in gravesites on the Greek mainland.
3. Ancient historians, such as Herodotus, have written that the Egyptians conquered the Greek mainland around 1720 BC.
4. all of the above

13. Which of the following reflects the correct order of conquest in the Mediterranean between roughly 1,450 BC and 1,100 BC?

1. Crete conquered first Mycenae and then Troy.
2. Dorians conquered first Crete and then Mycenae.
3. Mycenaeans conquered first Crete and then Troy.
4. Troy conquered first Mycenae and then Crete.

14. Where did the earliest ancient Greek philosophers reside?

1. Athens
2. Asia Minor
3. Mycenae
4. Troy

15. Solon’s political accomplishments in Athens include:

1. abolition of debt slavery
2. reorganization of the social classes on the basis of wealth rather than birth
3. requirement that the laws be written down and posted
4. all of the above

16. Cleisthenes, the Athenian Archon 503/502 BC, is historically important because:

1. He instituted full democracy (for male citizens) in Athens.
2. He led Athens to victory against the Persians.
3. He distributed lands of the aristocracy to members of the lower classes.
4. He made it a law that parents teach their male children a trade.

17. The wars between Athens and Persia, known as the Persians Wars, are historically significant because:

1. They made Athens the most powerful city-state in Greece.
2. They were the first wars in which commanders used both military and naval tactics.
3. They immortalized the legion of Spartans soldiers who fought and died at Thermopylae.
4. all of the above

18. What features distinguish the Golden Age of Greece?

1. Pericles ruled Athens.
2. The Athenian Parthenon (temple to Zeus) was rebuilt.
3. The playwrights, Sophocles, Euripides, Aristophanes, and the philosophers, Socrates, Protagoras, Gorgias flourished during this period.
4. all of the above

19. The main cause of Athen’s defeat in the Peloponnesian Wars was:

1. A plague devastated Athens.
2. The Athenian attacked Syracuse while it was also fighting Sparta.
3. Alcibiades betrayed the Athenians to the Syracuseans.
4. All of the above

20. Who ultimately conquered Athens?

1. Leon of Sparta
2. Philip of Macedonia
3. Alexander the Great
4. Julius Caesar