Deck 3: Prehistoric Western Europe

Question 1

A pair of stone posts supporting a single stone lintel is called a

A) trilithon.
B) menhir
C) cromlech.
D) dolmen.

Answer 1

A

Question 2

The megaliths of Neolithic Western Europe likely served as all of the following EXCEPT

A) sites of religious rituals.
B) royal residences.
C) astronomical observatories.
D) burial places.

Answer 2

B

Question 3

The Paleolithic period ended in approximately what year

A) 2000
B) 4000
B)C.?
C) 6000
D) 8000

Answer 3

D

Question 4

The Lion Panel is part of

A) Stonehenge.
B) the cave paintings at Chauvet.
C) the cave paintings at Lascaux.
D) the rock paintings of Australia.

Question 5

What type of monolith consists of unhewn or slightly shaped single stones, usually standing upright?

A) dolmen
B) cromlech
C) menhir
D) trilithon

Question 6

The Chauvet Cave has been dated to a time

A) about 10,000 years later than Lascaux.
B) within 1000 years of Lascaux.
C) about 60,000 years earlier than Lascaux.
D) about 15,000 years earlier than Lascaux.

Question 7

"Stone Age" refers to the material a culture uses to create

A) tools.
B) works of art.
C) residential buildings.
D) monumental buildings.

Question 8

Which of the following statements about known European Paleolithic paintings is most accurate?

A) They appear in caves that were clearly used as residences.
B) They exclusively depict animals that humans of the time hunted.
C) They have deteriorated rapidly since their modern discoveries.
D) The caves that contain them were mostly limestone.

Question 9

From the Celtic word for a circular place, what term is used to identify groups of megaliths arranged in circular or semicircular patterns?

A) dolmen
B) cromlech
C) menhir
D) trilithon

Question 10

What type of megalith, taking its name from the Celtic word for table, is a chamber or enclosure consisting of two or more vertical stones supporting a large single stone?

A) dolmen
B) cromlech
C) menhir
D) trilithon

Question 11

The cave paintings at Chauvet are generally outlined with pigments of what colors?

A) red and yellow
B) green and brown
C) yellow and green
D) red and black

Question 12

Where is the Chauvet Cave located?

A) northeastern Germany
B) southeastern Germany
C) northwestern France
D) southeastern France

Question 13

Surviving European Paleolithic paintings are found primarily in caves in France and

A) Spain.
B) Germany.
C) Italy.
D) Greece.

Question 14

After what are the Beaker People, who may have completed Stonehenge, named?

A) their language
B) their regional origin
C) their pottery
D) the shape of their houses

Question 15

Tools and paintings discovered at what site suggest that humans may have lived in Australia for more than a hundred thousand years longer than previously thought?

A) Dordogne
B) Jinmium
C) Ardèche
D) Périgord

Question 16

The Chauvet Cave paintings depict all of the following animals EXCEPT

A) lions.
B) kangaroos.
C) mammoths.
D) rhinoceroses.

Question 17

What feature is at the center of Stonehenge?

A) the altar stone
B) the Aubrey Holes
C) the Heel Stone
D) the Lion Panel

Question 18

Which of the following colors was NOT one of the pigments frequently used for the Lascaux cave paintings?

A) brown
B) red
C) yellow
D) blue

Question 19

Paleolithic burials exhibited all of the following characteristics EXCEPT

A) the ritualistic coloring of corpses.
B) the burial of the body in a fetal position.
C) the marking of burial sites with elaborately carved stones.
D) the adorning of the body with personal objects such as necklaces.

Question 20

The pigment used to paint the walls of the caves of Lascaux was stored in

A) gourds.
B) leather bags.
C) hollow bones.
D) cured deer bladders.

Question 21

Surfaces of paintings-such as paper, canvas, and pottery-are referred to technically as

A) media.
B) supports.
C) binders.
D) vehicles.

Question 22

The Venus of Willendorf was carved out of

A) limestone.
B) ivory.
C) marble.
D) clay.

Question 23

Describe the evolution of Stonehenge. What architectural features does it exhibit? What functions did it likely serve?

Question 24

Archaeological evidence suggests that before the Neolithic period, humans had no conception of an afterlife.

Question 25

Like most Paleolithic sculptures, the Venus of Willendorf was polished after it was carved.

Question 26

Another word for cave explorer is speleologist.

Question 27

The greatest accomplishment of the Paleolithic period was the invention of writing.

Question 28

The Venus of Willendorf and the Venus of Laussel both show traces of pigment of which color, possibly associated with childbirth?

A) blue
B) yellow
C) green
D) red

Question 29

The Chauvet Cave is named after the region of Europe in which it is located.

Question 30

The "Chinese Horse" at Lascaux provides strong evidence that the peoples of prehistoric China and Western Europe maintained frequent enough contact to influence each others' cultures.

Question 31

Surviving prehistoric sculptures are LEAST likely to represent which of the following animals?

A) wolves
B) horses
C) bison
D) oxen

Question 32

The term megalithic literally means "big stone."

Question 33

In painting, the technical term vehicle is often used interchangeably with what other term?

A) support
B) medium
C) pigment
D) relief

Question 34

The Mesolithic period ended sooner in southeastern Europe than in the rest of the continent.

Question 35

A sculpture in relief in which the image stands out relatively far from the background place is an example of

A) bas-relief.
B) low relief.
C) high relief.
D) sunken relief.

Question 36

Which of the following features of the Venus of Willendorf is NOT emphasized?

A) head
B) arms
C) breasts
D) thighs

Question 37

The Venus of Laussel differs from most other prehistoric sculptures in that it

A) is a relief sculpture.
B) is a sculpture in the round.
C) is life-size.
D) depicts a woman of slender build.

Question 38

A kiln for firing clay statues that dates back to the Paleolithic period has been found in Eastern Europe.

Question 39

The term bas-relief is synonymous with low relief.

Question 40

Compare the Lascaux cave paintings with those from Chauvet and those from Australia. What do they share and how do they differ?

Question 41

What do we know about Paleolithic burial practices? What evidence do we have of them, and what do they suggest about Paleolithic cultures?

Question 42

How have scholars interpreted the Venus of Willendorf? Upon what evidence do they base their interpretations?

Question 43

Describe the various categories of sculpture. What characteristics are associated with each type? Which type of sculpture was more prevalent in the prehistoric period?

Question 44

Compare European cave paintings with prehistoric sculptures. Do they depict similar subject matter? Do they evidence similar views and values?

Question 45

What were the most common objects sculpted by prehistoric sculptors? What purposes might these sculptures have served?