Intro to Humanities Midterm

Which of the following is NOT among Tutankhamun's accomplishments?

1. moved the royal family to Memphis 2. made Thebes the national religion

During the action of the Iliad, who is considered the greatest warrior among the Greeks battling against the Trojans?

Achilles

Which of the following is not among Buddhism's Four Noble Truths?

Acquiring material things is the key to overcoming and eliminating ignorance.

Which of the following is the Arab word for God?

Allah

In ancient Egyptian religion, which of the following ruled the underworld and was god of the dead?

Anubis

Which of the following Greek terms can be translated as "virtue," and can be interpreted as "reaching one's highest potential"?

Aretè

Aristotle, realism (unity of real and ideal), as expressed in his ideas of "identity" (essence) and "change"

Aristotle was the student of Plate. Aristotle believed that the essences of things were inherent in those things. His disagreed with Plato in the idea that there was a split between the real and ideal. The inherent "essence" in a "material" was what shaped that material. Also, Aristotle saw all human activities toward "goodness" to be tied to their interactions with each other. Which resulted in the concept of "ethics." For Aristotle, any account of a thing must accommodate both aspects: We must be able to say what changes a thing undergoes while still retaining its essential nature (Sayre, 73). He approached all manner of things from politics to human condition with an eye toward determining what consisted of its essence (Sayre, 73).

Who served as bishop of Hippo and wrote Confessions and City of God?

Augustine

Who was among those who stabbed Gaius Julius Caesar on the floor of the Senate on March 15, 44 BCE?

Brutus

Who was the Roman rhetorician who recognized the power of the Latin language to communicate with the people?

Cicero

Explain pietas as it existed in ancient Rome and how the concept was expressed by Cicero in his essay "On Duty."

Cicero used the power of the Latin language to communicate with the people. Latin was the language of the people, rather than Greek, which was spoken by the upper classes. His writing is clear and precise, reflecting the theme of his great essay On Duty. Cicero states that the moral goodness in a high-minded spirit is secured by moral, not physical strength. That oral goodness depends completely on the thought and attention given by the mind. In this way, the men who in a civil capacity direct the affairs of the nation render no less important service than they who conduct its wars (Sayre 85). Philosophically, Cicero's writing relates to Plato and Aristotle, but rhetorically in the structure of his main point, Cicero's writing is purely Roman. It is purposefully deliberative in tone; its main concern is to give sage advice rather than to engage in a Socratic dialogue to elicit that advice

Which ancient Greek city-state built a towpath to drag ships over a series of rollers as an aid to those who traveled by sea?

Corinth

Discuss two or three major Roman architectural and/or engineering innovations, their purpose, and their impact on the civilization.

Emperor Vespasian built the Roman Colosseum. It was made of concrete and had three levels, each a different architectural order. Level 1 was Tuscan; Level 2 was Ionic; Level 3 was Corinthian. Each level had arches all around. The arch is a major Roman architectural innovation - much stronger and more versatile than the squared-off post and lintel construction. The interior corridors of the Colosseum in Rome make use of both barrel and groin vaulting (Sayre 91). Since the second century the Romans had started using concrete, which made the vaults in the Colosseum possible. The columns are decorative only, and serve no structural purpose. The facade thus moves from the heaviest and sturdiest elements at the base to the lightest, most decorative at the top, a logic that seems both structurally and visually satisfying (Sayre 92). Hadrian's Pantheon ranks as one of the most ambitious building projects undertaken by the Good emperors (Sayre 95). The Pantheon is a temple to "all the gods," and sculptures representing all the Roman gods were set in recesses around its interior (Sayre 95). The Pantheon dome is an amazing feat of engineering. Given the materials they had, the Romans showed expert skills in the laws of physics when they built the dome. To make the dome lighter so it wouldn't collapse, the Romans made beautiful receding coffers. At the very top of the dome is an oculus, a round opening, which presents an "eye to the heavens." The square shapes of the coffers are reflected in the square tiles on the floor. The circle shape of the oculus, and the circle shape of the dome itself, is reflected in the circular tiles in the floor.

Who is considered responsible for having introduced the principle of talion to Mesopotamian culture?

Hammurabi

Discuss the key differences between the religious beliefs and laws of the Hebrews and the Mesopotamians.

Hebraic and Mesopotamian laws are distinctly different, perhaps because Hebrews were once aliens and slaves themselves, they treat the lowest members of society ethically. Under the law, class distinctions, with the exception of slaves, did not exist in Hebrew society, and punishment was levied equally (Sayre, 24). Above all else, rich and poor alike were united for the common good in common enterprise, to follow instructions for living as God provided

Who is the author of an extensive History of the Persian Wars and is recognized as the first writer in the Western tradition who devoted himself to historical writing?

Herodotus

Which of the following is the English translation for Hagia Sophia?

Holy Wisdom

Who is considered the author of the Iliad and the Odyssey?

Homer

Discuss the Battle of Thermopylae - 300 Spartans' last stand against Xerxes and the Persians. Why does this battle still have symbolic meaning for our culture?

In 481 BC, Xerxes was planning to attack Greece. After a year of planning, Xerxes met the the Spartans at Thermopylae. King Leonidas led the Spartans to war against there enemy. The Persians consisted of an army of at least 150,000 men and although there were several Persian soldiers, the Greeks did not have as many. Their army consisted of 300 Spartans. The Persians sacked Athens, and, as Themistocles hoped, quickly pursued the Athenians out to sea (Sayre, 58). The Greeks lost only about 40 of their own fleet, and Xerxes was forced to retreat, never to threaten the Greek mainland again (Sayre, 58). The battle is a symbol for courage against overwhelming odds. There are many battles and conquests that are named after the Battle of Thermopylae to show the amount of bravery and sacrifices that went into each fight. It showed that although everything says that you won't be able to do it, you must risk it for what you believe in.

Discuss the ancient Greek concept of areté. Illustrate your answer with references to ancient Greek epics, plays, philosophers, or art.

In English, the word "arete" means virtue. For the ancient Greeks, the principle of arete meant that everyone should be the best they could be. It is the story Iliad that tells the story of two warriors, one whom is armed with a sword, the other has a spear and they are confronting each other. They are rejoicing and they are rejoicing because they find themselves somewhere they can demonstrate their arete. In the Iliad, Homer describes two warriors holding their own against one another, as "rejoicing in the joy of a battle." They rejoice because they find themselves in a place where they can demonstrate their "arete"

Explain Augustine's idea of "confession" and illustrate how it is a concept still at work in many Christian religions.

In his forties, Augustine decided he needed to come to terms with his past. He did this in the form of a prose work, the Confessions, the first Western autobiography He confesses that, like most young people, he hung around with the wrong crowd, he drank, he had meaningless affairs. H tells us his story to use himself as an example of a sinner who has fallen as low as he can get and yet still has access to the mercy of God. His confession, in other words, is both a cry of guilt and a song of praise. He is telling God and us how grateful he is to have been given the chance to be forgiven. He praises God for his mercy. Interestingly, the word "confession: also means "testament." You can see the important connection here to the covenant between God and his people. Augustine is showed how God cared for him and forgave him nad let him back into the fold.

Which of the following rivers is associated with ancient India?

Indus, Ganges

In ancient Greek architecture, which of the following orders featured scrolled capitals?

Ionic

Which of the following is translated as "surrender" or "submission"?

Islam

What is the modern name for Constantinople?

Istanbul

Who translated the Hebrew Bible and the Greek books of the New Testament into Latin to form the Vulgate?

Jerome

After the Hagia Sophia burned to the ground in 532, which of the following included a giant new Hagia Sophia in his massive campaign to rebuild Constantinople?

Justinian

Who instituted the first Athenian democracy in 508 BCE?

Kleisthenes

Which of the following ancient Egyptian leaders ruled circa 3,000 B.C.E. and is credited with unifying both Upper and Lower Egypt?

Narmer

Which of the following terms refers to the land-owning aristocrats who served as priests, magistrates, lawyers, and judges in ancient Rome?

Patricians

Which of the following terms refers to the "dutifulness"--a relationship that prescribed that a family and clients equally owed "total obedience" to the pater in ancient Rome?

Pietas

Which of the following terms refers to the poorer class who were the craftspeople, merchants, and laborers in ancient Rome?

Plebians

What is the name of the bronze statue known as the Spear bearer, which was celebrated throughout the ancient world as a demonstration of a treatise on proportions of the human body?

Polyclitus

Which of the following pairs correctly identifies the subjects illustrated in the two main panels of the rectangular box known as the Standard of Ur?

Right side of top: "peace" side: musician plays a lyre, behind him is a female singing. The king is at the left side. "War" side: the king stands in the middle of the register, chariots trample the enemy on the bottom register

Which of the following leaders guided the Akkadians to conquer virtually all other cities in Mesopotamia and named himself "King of the Four Quarters of the World"?

Sargon

Which of the following structures is associated with the oculus?

The Pantheon

On the Athenian Acropolis, which of the following was considered the centerpiece?

The Parthenon

Which of the following was NOT a symbol for Christ in the early Christian church?

The Symbols: ichthys: fish chi and ro: c and h alpha and omega

Explain why calligraphy is the only religious art form allowed in Islamic culture and how it is turned into works of art.

The importance of writing in spreading the new faith suggests one reason that Muslim calligraphers were held in such high esteem. The Muslim's calligrapher's style has a much more important role: to attract the attention of the reader, eliciting admiration for the beauty of the script, and in turn reflecting the beauty of the Muslim faith. The more beautiful the calligraphic script, the more fully Allah's beauty is realized (Sayre 134). Therefore over time many styles elaborate cursive script developed, and at the same time, everyday affairs required the development of simpler, less artistic forms. Mastering the art of calligraphy was a form of prayer, and it was practiced with total dedication.

Discuss why the Pantheon is considered to be one of the most architecturally perfect buildings in the world.

The interior of the Pantheon has a cylindrical space topped by a dome, the largest built in Europe before the twentieth century. The whole is a perfect hemisphere. The weight of the dome rests on eight massive supports, and the dome itself is 20 feet thick at the bottom but narrows to only 6 feet thick at the circular opening at the top. In the vast openness of its interior, the Pantheon mirrors the cosmos, the vault of the heavens (Sayre 96). The Romans architecture concentrated on sheer size, including the vastness of interior shape (Sayre 96). Like Roman architecture, the empire was built up of parts that were meant to harmonize in a unified whole, governed by rules of proportion and order

Discuss how the idea of maintaining a balance or harmony between life and death, male and female, creation and destruction, etc. has a similar importance in the beliefs of ancient Egyptian religion, Hinduism, and Daoism.

They each teach that death is a path to renewal. That life is a pass through to the afterlife. Balance and harmony in all things are necessary to achieve a good life.In order to keep the Universal equilibrium balanced it was essential to uphold the cosmic laws, through correct and moral behavior.

Which of the following rivers is associated with ancient Mesopotamia?

Tigris and Euphrates

The Christian Old Testament is known to the Judaic Culture as the

Torah

Who is the author of the Aeneid?

Virgil

Which of the following terms translates as "top of the city" and refers to the portion of an ancient Greek city-state that functioned as its religious center?

acropolis

Which of the following terms refers to the sand that covered the floor of the Colosseum?

arena

Which of the following terms refers to the art of producing artistic, stylized writing?

calligraphy

Ravenna's church of San Vitale includes a celebrated mosaic that features Empress Theodora with courtiers and ladies of her court. What is the empress carrying in her hand?

chalice of wine for the Eucharist

On an ancient Greek temple, the columns swell about one-third of the way up and contract again near the top. Which of the following terms refers to this characteristic?

entasis

Which Christian symbol is derived from the Greek word ichthys?

fish

Which of the following terms refers to the pictorial convention in which the most important figures are represented in a larger size than the others?

hieractic scale

Which of the following terms refers to the practice of destroying religious images?

iconoclasm

In ancient Egyptian religion, which of the following was comparable to an enduring "soul" or "life force," a concept shared by many other religions?

ka

Which of the following ancient structures was known as the "House of the Double Axes"?

labrinyth

Which of the following terms refers to a place or state free from worry, pain, and the external world?

nirvana

Ravenna's church of San Vitale includes a celebrated mosaic that features Emperor Justinian, Maximian, clergy, courtiers, and soldiers. What is the emperor carrying in his hand?

paten: the plate that holds the bread for the eucharist

Which of the following terms refers to a religion that includes many gods and goddesses often associated with natural forces and realms?

polytheistic

Which of the following terms refers to a type of burial mound which were erected by the emperor Ashoka and which served as reliquaries for the Buddha's remains?

stupa

Which of the following terms refers to the portion of an ancient Greek city-state that served as public meeting place, marketplace, and civic center?

symposium

Which of the following terms refers to a state ruled by a god or by the god's representative?

theocracy