Ancient History: Egypt : Ancient History: Egypt

Study concepts, example questions & explanations for Ancient History: Egypt

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Example Questions

Example Question #1 : The New Kingdom (1550 1077 Bce)

The Abu Simbel temples were built during the reign of __________.

Possible Answers:

Ramesses II

Thutmose IV

Thutmose I

Akhenaten

Senusret I

Correct answer:

Ramesses II

Explanation:

The Abu Simbel temples were built during the reign of Ramesses II, during the nineteenth dynasty. The Abu Simbel temples were built in Nubia to commemorate the reign of Ramesses II and for the worship of his divinity.

Example Question #2 : The New Kingdom (1550 1077 Bce)

Which of these statements about Deir el-Medina is most accurate?

Possible Answers:

It was a border town, established during the reign of Ramesses II, to discourage Nubian invasion.

It was constructed during the reign of Hatshepsut and destroyed during the campaign to desecrate her memory after her death.

It was a border town, established during the reign of Thutmose IV, to discourage Hittite invasion.

It was established for people working on the pyramids of the Old and Middle Kingdom Pharaohs.

It was established for people working on the monuments in the Valley of the Kings.

Correct answer:

It was established for people working on the monuments in the Valley of the Kings.

Explanation:

Deir el-Medina is an important archaeological site. It was discovered in the early twentieth century by Jaroslav Cerny. Most archaeologists agree that Deir el-Medina was established as a planned settlement for people working on the monuments in the Valley of the Kings.

Example Question #2 : The New Kingdom (1550 1077 Bce)

Which of these battles is commemorated by the Abu Simbel temples?

Possible Answers:

Battle of Salamis

Battle of the Delta

Battle of Carchemish

Battle of Megiddo

Battle of Kadesh

Correct answer:

Battle of Kadesh

Explanation:

The Abu Simbel temples were built in Lower Nubia during the reign of Ramesses II. They were constructed partially to commemorate Ramesses’ great victory over the Hittites at the Battle of Kadesh.

Example Question #3 : The New Kingdom (1550 1077 Bce)

Which of these towns is the best preserved archaeological site?

Possible Answers:

Elephantine

Memphis

Thebes

Pi-Ramesses

El-Amarna

Correct answer:

El-Amarna

Explanation:

El-Amarna (often called Akhetaten) is the best preserved town that modern archaeologists have to work with. El-Amarna was built during the reign of Akhenaten, to serve as his new capital. The reign of Akhenaten was defined by his unusual religious reforms and El-Amarna was only inhabited briefly. As such, Egyptologists have to be skeptical about any conclusions they draw about Egyptian society based on evidence found at El-Amarna.

Example Question #4 : The New Kingdom (1550 1077 Bce)

Which of these rulers lived in the North Riverside Palace?

Possible Answers:

Ramesses III

Hatshepsut

Khufu

Thutmose IV

Akhenaten

Correct answer:

Akhenaten

Explanation:

The North Riverside Palace is part of the archaeological record found at El-Amarna. It was most likely built to house Akhenaten and his family during the turbulent “Amarna Period.”

Example Question #5 : The New Kingdom (1550 1077 Bce)

In the New Kingdom of Egypt, papyrus was NOT used to make which of the following?

Possible Answers:

Boats

Paper

Food

Houses

Correct answer:

Houses

Explanation:

Papyrus was an extremely versatile and stable crop for Egyptians living in the New Kingdom. The crop was used as food (the roots are edible and nutritious), while the stems were used to make numerous industrial products, like boats, household mats and coverings, and paper. Papyrus is not, however, a strong enough substance out of which to build houses.

Example Question #5 : The New Kingdom (1550 1077 Bce)

Most Egyptian houses were built from __________.

Possible Answers:

timber imported from Nubia

stone and marble

timber imported from Mesopotamia

mud-baked bricks

reeds

Correct answer:

mud-baked bricks

Explanation:

Most Egyptian houses were built using mud-baked bricks. These houses were common throughout the span of ancient Egyptian history.

Example Question #6 : The New Kingdom (1550 1077 Bce)

The Berlin Medical Papyrus provides evidence that the ancient Egyptians understood __________.

Possible Answers:

the primary causes of infertility in women

the dangers of childbirth

the function of the heart and the vascular system

the function of the brain and skeletal structure

the importance of nutrition on human development

Correct answer:

the function of the heart and the vascular system

Explanation:

The Berlin Medical Papyrus most likely dates from the New Kingdom period. It provides evidence that the ancient Egyptians understood the function of the heart and the vascular system. The ancient Egyptians, when compared to other ancient civilizations, had an extremely advanced medical understanding.

Example Question #7 : The New Kingdom (1550 1077 Bce)

The Turin Papyrus Map is the earliest known example of a(n) __________.

Possible Answers:

surgical handbook

statewide census

Pyramid Text

gynecological study

topographical survey

Correct answer:

topographical survey

Explanation:

The Turin Papyrus Map is the earliest known example of a topographical survey found anywhere in the world. It shows the location of various metal mines in the Wadi Hammamat. It was used during a quarrying expedition of Ramasses IV to locate gold reserves.

Example Question #4 : The New Kingdom (1550 1077 Bce)

Which nation did the Egyptians under Ramesses II (of the Nineteenth Dynasty and the New Kingdom) fight against during the Battle of Kadesh, which was the largest and perhaps most quintessential chariot battle?

Possible Answers:

The Hittite Empire.

The Achaemenid Persian Empire.

The United Monarchy of Israel and Judah.

The Assyrian Empire.

The Babylonian Empire.

Correct answer:

The Hittite Empire.

Explanation:

The Hittites, an Indo-European people originating in Anatolia, created an emerging empire as a result of rapid chariot-based conquests. The inevitable showdown with New Kingdom Egypt, secure in its internal situation as a result of the expulsion of the Hyksos by the Eighteenth Dynasty, culminated in the Battle of Kadesh in modern-day Syria (near the Lebanese border). While Ramesses won a tactical victory, he was forced to withdraw, resulting in a war of attrition lasting many more years until a peace treaty was signed. While the Battle of Kadesh represents Egypt at perhaps the height of its power, with spheres of influence in the Levant and Nubia, Egyptian power and influence declined precipitously during the Iron Age (the Third Intermediate Period and the Late Period). While Egypt had essentially ruled Canaan as a satellite during the period of the New Kingdom, the weakening of Egyptian power as a result of the Bronze Age collapse and the invasions of the Sea Peoples allowed independent kingdoms of Israel and Judah to fill this vacuum. The Assyrian, Babylonian and Persian Empires all succeeded in ending Egyptian independence by conquering Egypt, followed by the Alexandrian Macedonian, Hellenistic and Roman Empires. 

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