Western Civilization Quiz: Egypt

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1.  Which of the following were permanent features of Egyptian civilization?

A. rulers who claimed to be divinities

B. the construction of elaborate royal tombs

C. the control of foreign trade by the rulers

D. All these answers are correct.

2.  Scholars think that the appearance of a female ruler in Egypt

A. represented a change in social attitudes toward women in society.

B. signaled a political crisis.

C. occurred during periods of prosperity and peace.

D. was a normal event, as men and women shared political power.

3.  During the New Kingdom, Egypt

A. tried a religious experiment.

B. underwent a short-lived revolution in the arts.

C. became a great power, dividing the Near East with the Assyrians and the Hittites.

D. experimented with new economic policies.

4. Egyptian religion was characterized by all of the following EXCEPT

A. the belief in immortality.

B. the worship of the ruler.

C. a single national deity for the state.

D. polytheism.

5.  Which pharaoh brought about the Amarna revolution?

A. Akhenaten

B. Menes

C. Hatshepsut

D. Amenemhat

6. Which of the following was an aspect of the Amarna revolution in Egypt?

A. Egyptian art became more rigid and formalized.

B. Egyptian religion took a permanent new direction.

C. A polytheistic system of religion emerged.

D. Aten was raised to a new level above the other deities.

7.  The most famous work of Egyptian literature is

A. The Epic of Gilgamesh.

B. An Argument Between a Man Contemplating Suicide and His Soul.

C. the Story of Sinuhe.

D. the Hymn to Aten.

8. The Instruction of Amenemope belongs to which literary genre?

A. tragedy

B. novel

C. philosophical treatise

D. wisdom literature

9. The model for the step pyramid of King Djoser was

A. an original Egyptian design.

B. borrowed from the Mesopotamian ziggurat.

C. a variation of the earlier pure pyramid design.

D. adopted from a Chinese design.

10. In Egypt, the building of pyramids occurred

A. throughout Egyptian history.

B. primarily in the Old Kingdom.

C. primarily in the New Kingdom.

D. only in the Middle Kingdom.

11. What was the cultural significance of the Egyptian pyramid?

A. It was a representation of the God Re.

B. It was a merely decorative device for the rulers.

C. It seemed to embody a constant and eternal order.

D. It was used as an administrative center by the ruler and his advisors.

12.  All of the following are aspects of Hatshepsut’s temple EXCEPT that

A. its central shrine is in the pure pyramid shape.

B. it is built with the post-and-lintel style of construction.

C. it uses both round columns and square pillars.

D. its colonnaded courtyards lead to a hidden sanctuary in a cliff.

13. The classical Egyptian style of sculpture did NOT include which of the following?

A. left leg forward

B. fists clenched

C. complete nudity

D. serene countenance

14.  Which female pharaoh built a temple at Deir el Bahri, near Luxor?

A. Hatshepsut

B. Nefertiti

C. Mykerinus

D. Akhenaten

15.  Egypt’s outstanding contribution in relief sculpture was the

A. ability to depict figures facing straight ahead.

B. development of the principles of perspective.

C. invention of a canon of proportions for depicting the human figure.

D. creation of a vast repertory of poses for portraying human actions.

16.  What new artistic style was introduced into Egyptian art during the Amarna revolution?

A. austere forms

B. naturalism

C. rigid lines

D. perspective

17.  Persian art was characterized by

A. violent and savage images.

B. abstract and nonfigurative shapes.

C. contemplative themes with less action.

D. All these answers are correct.

18. The Zoroastrian religion

A. taught that the universe was engaged in a cosmic struggle between good and evil.

B. advocated puritanical behavior as a way to gain favor in the afterlife.

C. had a profound impact on Western philosophy and religion.

D. All these answers are correct.

19.  Egypt’s legacy to the West did NOT include

A. a solar calendar of 360 days, divided into twelve 30-day months, plus five holidays.

B. the novel.

C. the decorated column.

D. medical learning and knowledge of drugs.

World History – Ancient China

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For this essay, you are asked to compare Confucian, Daoist [Taoist], and Legalist ideas about how people should be governed. To do so, review what happened in China during the long Zhou Dynasty and the Qin Dynasty (Chapter 3, pp. 122-134; Khan Academy, “The Philosophers of the Warring States”). As our textbook explains, during the later Zhou Dynasty (the Warring States Period), China fell into disarray as several states warred with one another for the right to rule the land. It was in this context that individuals engaged in philosophical reflection on what was needful to restore order and a good society. These individuals were later categorized as belonging to different schools of thought. Confucianism, Daoism, and Legalism were three of the most important.

For this essay,

Part I-Read the historical background of the philosophies in your textbook and then read selections on governing from Confucius’s Analects, the Laozi (“Old Master”, also known as the Dao de jing), and the Han Feizi (Master Han Fei). These are, respectively, Confucian, Daoist, and Legalist texts, and the selections introduce the author or the person to whom the writing is rightly or wrongly attributed.

Part II–To write this essay using our textbook and the other resources provided above, to introduce the historical setting (time, place, events), these three texts and their authors (or putative authors), and the topic of the paper. The topic for this paper is Confucian, Daoist, and Legalist ideas about how people should be governed, and their similarities or differences. Explain these ideas based strictly on these three primary sources (be sure to read the entire selection), using Berger to better help you understand the philosophies. The previous highlighted point is important. Go to these ancient sources for yourself, and develop your insights based on them, and explain your reasoning based on them. That means quoting or paraphrasing them as necessary to explain your thinking. Then conclude. Remember that when you quote a source you must place it within quotation marks and cite it. You must also cite a source if you paraphrase it–that is a standard method in all research.

Part III-Lastly, argue which one of the philosophies you think would best govern a country and why–that is explain your reasoning using historical examples from your textbook.

Writing Guidelines:

  • Your completed essay for the assignment should be roughly 800-1000 words–not including your bibliography.
  • You must write in complete sentences and paragraphs. Bullet points or lists will not be accepted.
  • All essays must include the following components in the order you see listed:
    • An introduction
    • A thesis.
    • A methodology
    • A main body of evidence to support your thesis.
    • Concluding points
    • Throughout the essay and for each paragraph you need to include one or more footnotes–to insert footnotes into your essay refer to this instruction. Essays without footnotes will not be earning marks higher than a C-.https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xFnH1YZOK1c
    • A bibliography–this is to be alphabeted.
  • Please cite your sources internally using footnotes–no paranthetical references allowed.  Also, you must include a complete bibliography at the end of your paper.
  • Introducing materials from other sources outside of those allowed risks plagiarism and should be avoided. 
  • Use ONLY Turabian format for your footnotes and your  bibliography. NOTE: All paragraphs must have at least one footnote since all of your writing will be reliant on your understanding of our allowed sources.
  • Be original – This means the writing ought to be in your own words and not the words of other authors. All papers submitted in this class are reviewed via Turnitin.com, a proprietary software database that identifies unoriginal material in papers. Please review the syllabus statement regarding the penalty for plagiarism.
  • Refer to the Guidelines for Writing your Essay on the syllabus for additional writing assignment criteria.
  • Submit your citations and bibliography within your paper.  Everything should be saved and submitted in one document.

resources

  • BERGER, WORLD HISTORY, CHAPTER 4, “Philosophy in a Time of Turmoil: Confucianism and Daoism [Taoism[,” page 127-130
  • “The Philosophers of the Warring States,” World History, Khan Academy. https://www.khanacademy.org/humanities/world-history/ancient-medieval/zhou-qin-han-china/a/the-philosophers-of-the-warring-states
  • “Confucius,” Columbia University http://afe.easia.columbia.edu/ps/cup/confucius_govt.pdf
  • “Laozi,” Columbia University, http://afe.easia.columbia.edu/ps/cup/laozi_govt.pdf
  • “Hanfei: The Five Vermin,” Columbia University http://afe.easia.columbia.edu/ps/cup/hanfei_five_vermin.pdf

DUE IN 12 HOURS

HELLENISTIC EMPIRES: A CULTURAL CONFLUENCE

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July 08, XXXX

HIST 1111: Survey of World History to 1500, Section XXX

Instructor: Dr. William Simson

Following the Great Peloponnesian War between Sparta and Athens (431-404 BCE), the

Greek subcontinent saw a vacuum in imperial power for the first time in three centuries.1 As

Sparta and Athens began recuperating from the costly war, Thebes revealed its quietly cultivated

military prowess. Yet the Thebans made the mistake of freeing a young war hostage who would

rise and turn on them in 359 BCE as King Philip II of Macedon. King Philip’s conquests of

mainland Greece eventually included his teenage son Alexander (b. 356 BCE). It was Alexander

who expanded the Greek empire as far as the borders of India by his death in 323 BCE. He

adopted a policy of marital alliances wherever he went, creating a new power balance in his

territories.2 His empire, fragmented after his death, continued his legacy of bringing together his

Greek roots with the cultures he took over. This “Hellenization” (323-30 BCE) of the

Mediterranean and Middle East changed not only the culture of the Hellenistic peoples, but of

their Greek rulers as well. Through this essay, the impact of Alexander’s conquests and the

Hellenistic culture it spread is analyzed. The Hellenistic period resulted in the adoption of Greek

customs and language by the conquered peoples, with which many aspects of culture and religion

were merged. This confluence of cultures extended to the Hellenistic rulers as well. There is

evidence for this in the religious practices, developments in science and imperial customs of the

time. Since Greek culture remained an influence in the periods immediately after it across a huge

1 Eugene Berger et al, World History: Cultures, States and Societies, Chapter 5. 2 John J. Popovic. “Alexander the Great of Macedon: from history to eternity.” Accessed 5 July, 2019.

 

 

geographic area, its cultural development is essential to understanding Eurasian history. Further,

Greek philosophy shaped the European Renaissance (14th-17th century BCE)3, so the Hellenistic

period of immense philosophical development has great impact on modern history.

Based largely on “World History: Cultures, States and Societies to 1500”, this essay uses

religious and intellectual developments shown by written sources of the time to demonstrate the

confluence of cultures in the Hellenistic kingdoms.

Old religions took new forms in the Greek empire. Alexander’s campaigns shook the

political world from his ascension in 336 BCE, but he did not change local beliefs. Rather, he

allowed them to continue their worship, meticulously documenting them as he went.4 Yet the

growing use of Greek had its own religious consequences. For instance, although Jews still

retained belief in Old Testament, they no longer spoke Hebrew – it was instead translated to

Greek as the Septuagint. Greek was the lingua franca of the time, allowing easy trade and flow

of goods across Alexander’s vast empire. Even after his death, his four generals (the Diadochi)

continued to rule in this culture-embracing model. Ptolemy I, his successor in Egypt, created a

new god Serapis who blended Egyptian and Greek gods. The worship of Serapis was included as

a state religion- he even built the Alexandria Library to serve his temple of the Serapeum. But at

the same time local beliefs and practices enjoyed continued popularity.5

Alexander’s unification from West Europe to the Punjab produced a cohesive economic

and trade network across which ideas traveled fast, causing the prominent thinkers of the time to

become very influential. The Hellenistic period hence saw medicine and physical sciences

3 Greenblatt, Stephen. The Swerve: How the Renaissance Began. 4 Mark, Joshua J. “The Hellenistic World: The World of Alexander the Great.” Ancient History Encyclopedia, 01 Nov 2018. Accessed 07 Jul 2019. 5 Berger, Chapter 5.

 

 

develop in a way that is relevant to date. Thinkers such as Arisotle worked to link the world as

they saw it empirically with a theoretical understanding. Aristotle’s writings in Physics still have

meaning in the twenty-first century college physics class, because of the wide spread of ideas

across the vast Hellenistic territories. Archimedes’s Principle, used to understand flotation even

now, was developed by a scholar from Syracuse who studied in Alexandria.6 This spread of

ideas across territories made the scientific developments of the Hellenistic age consequential and

farreaching.

Some Hellenistic monarchs, in an attempt to reconcile with their non-Greek subjects,

picked up new ruling customs. Over time, these became the norm and a new image emerged for

a monarch. This royal merging often happened through marriage between a Greek military

official and a local ruler. Alexander himself followed this pattern in his lands, and his generals

continued its use. For instance, the Ptolemaic dynasty in Egypt initially married Egyptians, then

went on to adopt the Egyptian idea of royalty. They began to associate themselves with the

divine power imbued in pharaohs and picked up brother-sister marriages7, amongst other royal

rites. The new image of the ruler allowed Hellenistic kingdoms to balance the Greek culture they

saw as superior civilization, with their new subjects’ way of life.

Following Alexander’s conquests, the cultures of Eurasia became more and more hybrid,

joining their traditional practices with those of their Greek conquerors. This created new science,

royal customs and religious practices. The scientific spirit born in this period percolated through

history, birthing inventions, shaping the technologies of the Roman empire7 and influencing

6 BBC History. “Archimedes (c.287 – c.212 BC)”. http://www.bbc.co.uk/history/historic_figures/archimedes.shtml 7 Berger, Chapter 5. 7 Berger, Chapter 6.

 

 

Eurasia through rule or trade. Rebirthed in the Renaissance, it is this very spirit that shaped the

way this paper was written.

BIBLIOGRAPHY

BBC History. “Archimedes (c.287 – c.212 BC)”. http://www.bbc.co.uk/history/historic_figures/archimedes.shtml. Accessed 08 July 2019.

Berger, Eugene, George Israel, Charlotte Miller, Brian Parkinson, Andrew Reeves and Nadejda Williams. World History: Cultures, States and Societies to 1500. Chapters 5 and 6. University of North Georgia Press, Dahlonega, GA: 2019.

Greenblatt, Stephen. The Swerve: How the Renaissance Began. W. W. Norton & Company, UK, 2012:

Mark, Joshua J. “The Hellenistic World: The World of Alexander the Great.” Ancient History Encyclopedia, 01 Nov 2018. Accessed 07 Jul 2019.

Popovic, John J. “Alexander the Great of Macedon: from history to eternity.” Accessed 5 July, 2019. http://1stmuse.com/frames/index.html.

Western Civilization Quiz: Classical Greece

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1. During the Hellenic Age, a dominant feature of Greek society was

A. equality between men and women.

B. an increasingly urban lifestyle.

C. cooperation among the Greek poleis.

D. the building of walls around the Aegean.

2. One of the ideals the Greeks strived for was a

A. recognition in life that all human beings are equal.

B. uniform religion with one major deity.

C. balance or moderation in life.

D. unified Greek state.

3. To the Greeks, which two gods manifested the extremes of moderation and excess?

A. Mars and Aphrodite

B. Apollo and Dionysus

C. Apollo and Athena

D. Zeus and Hera

4. In a famous speech, Pericles boasted that Athens

A. had the best theater in Greece.

B. was the model for Greece.

C. had the best Olympic team in Greece.

D. dominated the rest of Greece.

5. The primary cause of the Peloponnesian War was

A. the threat from Philip of Macedonia.

B. the rise of Sparta.

C. the emergence of Thebes.

D. Athens’s growing domination over the other city-states.

6. The dream of Alexander the Great was to

A. fuse African and Macedonian civilizations.

B. set up an international league of city-states.

C. create a united world based on Greek and Persian culture.

D. destroy all cultures except the Greek culture.

7. The essence of classicism is to

A. preserve the best of the past.

B. have everyone conform to a uniform way of thinking.

C. strive toward a perfection, an ideal form.

D. have a balanced view of public and private life.

8. Aristotle’s Poetics claims that the purpose of tragedy is to

A. supplement religious rites.

B. bring about catharsis.

C. entertain.

D. provide civic spectacle.

9. Euripides wrote plays that can be described as

A. often skeptical about religion.

B. always having a happy ending.

C. dealing with the lives of ordinary Greek citizens.

D. satiric studies of Greek manners.

10. The most famous and most successful comic playwright was

A. Aeschylus.

B. Aristophanes.

C. Agisthenes.

D. Aristotle.

11. In the play Lysistrata, Aristophanes has the women of Athens and Sparta withold sex from their husbands

A. to protest the absurdity of war.

B. as a means of birth control.

C. because they feared sexually transmitted diseases in time of war.

D. to protect their cities against the ravages of the Persian armies.

12. The Greeks believed that music

A. was simply the product of human creativity and innovation.

B. was entertaining and fun.

C. served ethical and educational functions.

D. was basically expressive and emotional.

13. The two founders of Greek historical writing were

A. Plattus and Matthedides.

B. Sophocles and Euripides.

C. Empedocles and Pythagoras.

D. Herodotus and Thucydides.

14. Protagoras is famous for saying

A. “Man is the measure of all things.”

B. “Eat, drink, and be merry, for tomorrow we die.”

C. “No man is an island to himself.”

D. “Man’s life is but a dream.”

15. Socrates criticized the Sophists for their

A. All these answers are correct.

B. belief in the Olympian deities.

C. inability to present a reasoned argument.

D. rejection of an enduring moral order in the universe.

16. Socrates was accused of

A. not paying his debts.

B. aiding Athens’s enemies during the Peloponnesian War.

C. refusing to swear loyalty to the Athenian government.

D. corrupting the youth of Athens.

17. The life of Socrates is known mainly through

A. Plutarch’s Lives.

B. Thucydides’ History of the Peloponnesian War.

C. his autobiography.

D. Plato’s dialogues.

18. Plato’s most important contribution to Western philosophy was his

A. atomic theory.

B. founding of the school of idealism.

C. establishment of the Academy.

D. theory of numbers.

19. In the Republic, Plato created

A. a utopian land of peace and plenty.

B. a capitalist economic system.

C. an ideal society run by philosopher-kings.

D. an ideal society under a government run by soldiers.

20. Xenophon reasoned that married women’s responsibilities included all of the following EXCEPT

A. carrying out domestic chores.

B. managing the husband’s estate.

C. bearing children.

D. submitting to the husband’s will in all things.

21. Unlike Plato, Aristotle

A. was not interested in politics.

B. thought that the senses were to be ignored.

C. argued that knowledge is derived from studying the material world.

D. ignored the way that the world operated.

22. Aristotle has influenced Western thought in all of the following ways EXCEPT that

A. his ideas were later accepted as authoritative by the Catholic church.

B. he was considered to have the most comprehensive mind of the ancient world.

C. his writings formed the core of much of classical learning.

D. his ethical writings became the prevailing moral code of the West.

23. Who is known as the “father of medicine”?

A. Herodotus

B. Aristotle

C. Hippocrates

D. Socrates

24. Athens’s major religious shrines were located

A. around the city’s burial grounds.

B. outside the city’s walls.

C. on the Acropolis.

D. in the agora.

25. A comparison of the Doric and Ionic orders of columns reveals that

A. All these answers are correct.

B. most of the early temples were built with Doric columns.

C. the Ionic column has a capital that looks like a double scroll or the horns of a ram.

D. the Ionic is more decorated than the Doric.

26. Greek sculptors carved the human form in a graceful pose known as the

A. flat-footed pose.

B. sfumato.

C. three-point stance.

D. contrapposto.

27. Perhaps the most important contribution of Hellenic Greece to the Western tradition was

A. None of these answers is correct.

B. the unquestioning obedience to the state.

C. the skeptical spirit rooted in democracy.

D. the sharp distinction between science and philosophy.

· Theory of Justice – Rawls (deontological) …

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Reflection1

Write a short reflection statement (350-500 words). Use complete sentences and correct academic writing to complete this assignment.

Respond in writing to these items:

· Carefully examine the seven essential moral theories Virtue Ethics – Aristotle (teleological) – Maintain a virtuous disposition. …

· Natural Law – Aquinas (teleological) – Base judgements on reason and logic. …

· Categorical Imperative – Kant (deontological) …

· Utilitarianism – Mill (teleological) …

· Theory of Justice – Rawls (deontological) …

· Prima Facie Duties –

1.  and then pick the theory you think best aligns with your own moral compass.

2. Describe your chosen moral theory in some detail. Explain why you think your theory is a better source of moral guidance than some of the competing theories discussed in the chapter.

3. Think of an experience in your life in which you applied your chosen theory. Was the outcome the one you expected?

4. Lastly, have your thoughts changed since reading the first chapter? If so, how?

Reflection 2

Write a short reflection statement (350-500 words). Use complete sentences and correct academic writing to complete this assignment.

Respond in writing to these items:

1. How, according to Gill, do some philosophers argue that the moral foundations of the medical profession prohibit physicians from assisting in a patient’s suicide? How does Gill respond?

2. What are the social attitudes toward suicide that Callahan mentions? Do you think these attitudes are appropriate? Even if they are, do you think that would show that something is wrong with suicide? Explain your answers.

3. Callahan worries that legalized PAS gives physicians too much power to kill patients, including influencing patient decisions in wrongful ways. What reasons can you think of that a physician might have for doing this? Do you think it is plausible that this could be a widespread concern? Explain.

Reflection 3

Write a short reflection statement (350-500 words). Use complete sentences and correct academic writing to complete this assignment.

Respond in writing to these items:

1. Describe a few proposed approaches to global warming that Lomborg believes are problematic and explain why he thinks they’re problematic. Do you agree with Lomborg that these approaches are in fact problematic? Why or why not? Lastly, which approach do you consider the most viable and effective, and why?

2. What are the four goals Baxter proposes in order to develop a solution to the problems of human organization? Which of these goals do you find most compelling, and which do you find least compelling. Why?