Date: Monday Oct. 17.
Directions. Bring a blue book to class. Note: It must not contain any notes, scribbles or outlines, nor should it have any ripped-out pages. Your writing must be legible in order for you to receive proper credit!
Format.
Note: You will have a choice on every section except the chronology and map parts.
Material for which you are responsible. Lectures, discussion and all reading (WMP and ancient sources) through Friday, Oct. 14. Note: I will confirm this in lecture Wednesday Oct. 12 after seeing where we are by then and announce any changes.
Hints for Studying and Taking the Exam. Doing well on the exam depends on combining these elements successfully.
Before the exam:
During the exam:
HINTS AND HELP FOR EACH PART OF THE EXAM
A. SHORT IDENTIFICATION.
This is a short factual section, asking you to identify who, what, when, where, as appropriate. You will be asked to select 5 items and write 2-3 sentences on a name (of person, god, character in a source, etc.), event, period, geographical feature.
Here is a sample short ID and answer:
Minoans: a peoples who developed a palace civilization ca. 2000-1475 B.C. on Crete at sites such as Knossos, a substantial settlement. They had a redistributive economy, were polytheistic, are known for beautiful frescoes in the palaces, and for a form of writing not yet fully deciphered (Linear A).
B. LONGER IDENTIFICATION.
This section is intended to test your ability to talk about the historical significance of an event, person, etc. You will be asked to select three items. Your answer should consist of two parts: 1) in the first paragraph, identify and explain the term, name, etc., with relevant dates, location, people involved, etc. that will properly identify it. 2) In a second paragraph, discuss the significance of the ID: what is important about it for understanding the history of the period with which it is concerned? The best answers will combine material from both lecture and textbook, and, where relevant, cite examples from the ancient source readings and/or images shown.
To prepare for this part of the exam, come up with a list of possible IDs from the readings (textbook and course packet) and lecture notes and outlines. Use as a guide names, terms, etc. that either come up at least several times, or are stressed as particularly significant by WMP or by me.
Bear in mind that some of the IDs will be people, events or terms about which you could write a lengthy essay, but resist this. In these cases, you will want to be selective: discuss points you think are especially significant. You can always come back at the end and add things if desired and if there is time.
Here is a sample longer ID and answer:
Delphic Oracle
The Delphic Oracle was located in the sanctuary of Apollo at Delphi in west central Greece. The oracle was the word of Apollo as transmitted through the Pythia, Apollo's priestess, who sat in the adyton (back room) of the temple of Apollo and received Apollo's message. The Delphic oracle was believed to be the most authoritative of the oracular shrines of Apollo. Communities from all over the Greek (and non-Greek,e.g. the Lydians Gyges and Croesus) world consulted the oracle on important matters such as founding a colony, initiating war or peace, making an alliance, while individuals might consult the oracle on issues like childbirth and marriage. The Pythia would deliver either a yes/no response, or a longer, usually ambiguous, reply in verse. Herodotus in his Histories tells many stories about people consulting the god for an oracle, as well as showing that people who received an oracle from the god were supposed to send dedications in thanks, as, for example, did Croesus. The stories in Herodotus also reveal the role of human intelligence (or not) in interpreting Apollo's word: Apollo gives his oracular response, but it is up to humans to determine its correct interpretation.
The importance of the Delphic oracle for Greek history is clear from the extent to which individuals and communities had to consult it. This shows the significance of religion in the public and private lives of Greeks. Moreover, that non-Greeks consulted it as well shows its fame and significance beyond the Greek world. The presence of dedications and the number of treasuries that states constructed in the sanctuary to house their dedications to Apollo also signifies the importance of the oracle. Finally, the emphasis on correct interpretation shows that Greeks thought a lot about the relationship between human intelligence and the divine sphere.
Note: you could just as easily have been given the Delphic Oracle as a short ID and the Minoans as a longer one, and would have to adjust your answer accordingly. You might try switching them around and coming up with your own answers!
C. CHRONOLOGY. Consult timeline. You are responsible for dates up to 399 B.C. (Note: except for items in the far right column.) You will be asked to match 5 dates with their correct event, name, etc.
D. MAP. Here is a list of the places from which the map section will be drawn. You will be asked to identify 5 places on a map.
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Mesopotamia Sumer Akkad Babylon Ur Uruk Assyria Euphrates river Tigris river Syria Ugarit Israel Jerusalem Al Mina Phoenicia Egypt Memphis Thebes Nile river Naucratis Cyprus Lydia Sardis |
Persia Asia Minor Ionia Troy Aegean Sea Hellespont Delos Crete Athens and Attica Marathon Salamis Plataea Delphi Corinth Thebes and Boeotia Argos Sparta and Laconia Messenia Mycenae Pylos Macedon Thrace Carthage Sicily |