First Hourly Exam - Format and Study Guide:

Format:
8% map
20% identifications
10% dates
12% chronologies
50% essay

Map:
The maps to study are in Van De Mieroop, pages 70, 100, 203, 254. You will be asked to identify cities and natural features such as rivers, mountain ranges, etc. Focus on places that have been mentioned in lecture. You will be asked to locate 4 places/features.

Dates:
Focus on those given at the start of chapters assigned, those mentioned in lecture, and those that mark the reigns of the kings listed below. You will be given a list of dates (or a range of years) and asked to identify a significant event that took place for 2 of them. You will also be given a list of events and asked to provide the year or period in which 2 took place.

Identifications:

These will consist of names, locations, etc., that relate to significant topics in the course. They will not include dates. Focus on terms mentioned in lecture, particularly the ones referred to in the questions at the beginning of class. You will be asked to identify 10 total from a list.

Here is a short sample:
bevel-rimmed bowls
Standard of Ur
Kalhu
bala
cuneiform
alphabet
Kassite
Urartu
Early Dynastic Period

Here is a sample answer:
bevel-rimmed bowls: a bowl characteristic of Uruk culture of the late 4th –early 3rd millennia BCE. Its standard sizing may indicate the use of standard measures, trade, and a redistributive economy.

Chronologies:

You will be given three terms, rulers, dynasties, developments, etc. per set. You must indicate the correct chronological order, going from earliest to latest.

Sample: _3__ Bill Clinton  __1_ Richard Nixon  _2__ Ronald Reagan

You will be given a list of sets and asked to arrange 4.

Kings and Dynasties:

These will be listed in the following sections: terms to identify, dates, and chronologies.

Know the dynasties listed below. The pages refer to Van De Mieroop.

• Akkad Dynasty (p. 281)
• Third Dynasty of Ur (p. 282)
• First Dynasty of Isin (p. 282)
  know Ishbi Erra and the date of conquest by Larsa
• Larsa Dynasty (p. 283)
  • know Naplanum, Rim-Sin I, and the date of conquest by Babylon
• Mari (p. 284)
• First Dynasty of Babylon (p. 285)
  • know Sumuabum, Hammurabi, Samsuiluna, and Samsuditana
• Kassite Dynasty (p. 288)
  • know Kadashman-Enlil I, Kashtiliashu IV
• Neo-Babylonian Dynasty (p. 292)
  • know Nebuchadnezzar II, Evil-Merodach, Nabonidus
• Persian Empire (p. 293)
  • know Cyrus II (Cyrus the Great), Darius I, Xerxes II
• Assyria (pp. 294-5)
  • know Shamshi-Adad I, Ishme-Dagan, Assur-uballit I, Tukulti-Ninurta I, Assur-dan II, Assurnasirpal II, Shalmaneser III, Tiglath-Pileser III, Sargon II, Sennacherib, Esarhaddon, Assurbanipal

Essay:

You will be given 3 essay topics and asked to write on one. All will test your knowledge and understanding of the important themes covered in this segment of the course. You will be graded according to organization, accuracy, and understanding of the material. Topics will be drawn from the following:

1. The Early Dynastic period and the transition to regional powers such as the Akkad dynasty and Third Dynasty of Ur

2. The causes of the collapse of the “Club of Great Powers”

3. Urbanism, social and cultural identity, and political power in the ancient Near East

4. The Neo-Assyrian empire - reasons for expansion and the consequences of expansion for Assyria and the surrounding region

5. The Persian empire - conquest and political organization.