Classical Civilizations Exam

Base your answer to the question on the map below and on your knowledge of social studies.

Source: Charles F. Gritzner, Exploring Our World, Past and Present, D.C. Health and Company (adapted) from the NYS Global History and Geography Regents Exam.

1. The main purpose of this map is to illustrate the location of

(1) overseas trade routes

(2) early belief systems

(3) river valley civilizations

(4) burial sites of ancient rulers

2. Which innovation most contributed to the development of the civilizations depicted in the map?
   1. Paper
   2. Irrigation
   3. The compass
   4. Gunpowder

Base your answer to question 3 and 4 on the illustration below and on your knowledge of social studies.Source: Barry K. Beyer et al., The World Around Us: Eastern Hemisphere, MacMillan Publishing (adapted) from the NYS Global History and Geography Regents Exam.

3. Based on the information in this illustration, which statement about the society of ancient Egypt is accurate? 

a. Women had equal status to men.

b. The social structure was hierarchical. 

c. Social mobility was unrestricted. 

d. Soldiers outnumbered farmers.

4. The most appropriate use for this illustration would be to

1. Understand the daily lives of slaves in Ancient Egypt
2. Accurately count the number of people in each profession in Ancient Egypt
3. Recreate Ancient Egyptian architectural styles
4. Understand the social class system in Ancient Egypt

Base your answer to the question below on the illustration below and on your knowledge of social studies.

5. What caused the historical development depicted in this illustration?
   1. Fall of the Roman Empire
   2. The collapse of Greek civilization
   3. Spread of Buddhism
   4. The expansion of Alexander the Great’s empire

6. Which claim is supported by the illustration above?
   1. Persian and Greek civilization were isolated from one another
   2. Alexander the Great’s empire led to cultural diffusion between the civilizations he conquered
   3. Armed conflict between Indian and Egyptian civilizations led to the creation of Hellenistic civilization
   4. Greek, Persian, Egyptian, and Indian civilizations used Hellenistic irrigation to grow crops

Base your answer to the question on the images below and on your knowledge of social studies

Parthenon – Greek Structure

Jefferson Memorial – Building in the United States

7. Which of the following statements is most accurate based on the images above?
   1. Greek culture did not last long after the collapse of its empire 
   2. Many Greek societies were skilled in warfare and naval battle. 
   3. Greek achievements such as art and theater influenced civilizations hundreds of years in the future
   4. Greek advances in medicine were very advanced compared to the time period.
      
8. Which of the following historical events is most closely related to the images above?
   1. The spread of Hellenisitic culture throughout Africa, the Middle East and Asia 
   2. The of books to share information 
   3. The Persian empire invaded Ancient Greece in order to take over
   4. The creation of the Roman empire as a result of Julius Caesar taking power. 

Base your answer to the question on the map below and on your knowledge of social studies.

9. Which statement is best supported by the information on this map?
   1. The Roman Empire extended over three continents.
   2.  Rivers kept invaders out of the Roman Empire.
   3. Alexandria served as the eastern capital of the Roman Empire.
   4. Carthage was eventually destroyed by the Romans.
      
10. Based on the information provided by this map, which body of water was most likely the center of Roman trade?
    1. Red Sea 
    2.  Black Sea 
    3.  Atlantic Ocean
    4.  Mediterranean Sea

Base your answers to questions 9 and 10 on the passage below, the map above and your knowledge of social studies. 

Purposes and Kinds of Roman Roads

Why did the Romans build roads? The Romans considered a well-organized and efficient transportation system a basic element of proper administration; i.e. an indispensable element in creating and maintaining the Roman state. The earliest highways or main roads were constructed for the use of the military, and their economic benefit for civilians was a later byproduct and not the main reason for their creation. The military nature of the roads continued to be essential as Romans expanded into territory outside Italy. In the province of Arabia Petraea (which included what is now Jordan), the movement of troops and ease of communication for the army and Roman administration were the primary reasons for construction of the Via Nova, one of the many viae militares or military roads built in conquered provinces. However, smaller, shorter, and less well-constructed local roads (actus) or tracks (callis) also increased in territory after it was brought under Roman control. Nevertheless, the main public highways (viae publicae) normally began as military roads and only gradually evolved into civilian conduits [passageways].

11. In which region would an archaeologist be most likely to find evidence of Roman Roads?
    1. South Asia
    2. Western Europe
    3. Sub-Saharan Africa
    4. Mongolia

12. What is the point of view of the author of this excerpt?
    1. The Romans were the best road builders during the Classical period.
    2. Neglect of the Roman road system led to the collapse of the empire. 
    3. The Roman economy would not have prospered if it were not for the roads in the empire. 
    4. Roman roads were built primarily to keep order in the empire.
13.  How did the Roman roads help expand its empire?

      a. They aided in the movement and communication of troops 

      b. They allowed faster running by the soldiers in attack mode

      c.   The roads did not actually help expand the empire

      d.   The various configurations confused opponents

Part 2 – Constructed Response Question Use the two documents below to help answer the following question.  

Document 1 

Document 2

A silver coin (circa 200-185 BCE) from Bactria, a region of Central Asia that includes parts of modern-day Afghanistan, Uzbekistan and Tajikistan. The front depicts the Greco-Bactrian king Demetrius I (200-180 BCE) wearing an elephant headdress. The back shows the Greek god, Hercules holding a lion skin with a club resting over his arm.

Historical Context- refers to the historical circumstances that led to this event/idea/historical development

14. Explain the historical context for creating the silver coin pictured above.  (23 points)

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