ANTH EXAM

Short Answers- Answer 3 of the following 6 questions (5 points each). Each answer should be about 1-2

paragraphs long. Do not answer extra questions, you will not get extra credit.

Slide option and extra credit- The starred(*) questions gives you the option of compiling one slide

(powerpoint or some equivalent), instead of writing an answer. If you choose this option, upload your

slide as separate PPT or PDF files to the assignment folder, along with your written answers. For full

credit, slides must cover all the information required by the question.

1. Why is the Taramsa Hill child an important discovery? What three methods were used to determine when (approximately), the Taramsa Hill child was buried?

2. Summarize an example of evidence showing there was some division of labor/occupational specialization from archaeological materials recovered from Nabta Playa ca 9000-8000 years ago.

3. *What climatic event initiates the Nile flood? In what geographic region does this climatic event take place? How far away from Egypt (approximately) is this region? (PPT / PDF slide option).

4. Summarize the characteristics of the “African Aqualithic.” Where do we find material culture typical of the African Aqualithic and what is the time frame (approximately) associated with this

material culture? What environmental conditions supported the African Aqualithic?

5. *Three populations coexist in the Nile Valley and Delta ca 6000-4000 BC; Merimde, the Fayum and the Badari region. Describe two examples of material culture (artifacts) associated with these

populations indicates trade/shared ideas. Be sure to indicate why you think these examples reflect

shared ideas (PPT / PDF slide option).

6. Were the early hunter-gatherer populations of the Nile Valley in the Wadi Halfa region, ca. 12,000 years ago peaceful? Why or why not? Summarize evidence that supports your answer.

Short Essays- Answer 2 of the following 4 questions (10 points each). Each answer should be about 3-4

paragraphs long.

1. We’ve discussed the site of Hierakonpolis in class as a Predynastic “city,” during the Amaratian/Nagada I period. Why is this population center unique for the time, in terms of

economic activities and evidence of social differentiation?

2. What do the three levels of occupation at Merimde tell us about the relationship between the Nile Delta and Syro-Palestine?

3. Describe how archaeological and geological techniques combine to give us an estimate of when hominins first appeared in Egypt. What species of hominin was likely the first to appear? What

evidence did these hominins leave of their presence? How has this evidence been dated?

4. Who was Manetho? Why was his work foundational to understanding Dynastic Egypt?

Long Essays- Answer 1 of the following 2 questions (15 points each). Each answer should be 1-1.5

pages, double-spaced. Do not answer extra questions, you will not get extra credit.

1. Briefly outline the steps by which domestication can happen as we’ve covered in class. What is (possibly) the earliest animal domesticate in Egypt? How does this domesticate reflect this

process? What are some of the earliest plant domesticates and where do they come from? How do

these plants reflect this process?

2. We’ve explored two kinds of analytic archaeological techniques to better understand the past; Anderson 1992 and Petrie 1901. Summarize each technique. Is the information gained from this

kind of study preferable to what we can learn from written history? Why or why not?