Prehistory Quiz

__________________ coined the phrase “Father of History” in reference to Herodotus, the first historian of the ancient world.

cicero

Herodotus is best known for covering the historical conflict of the __________________, a series of wars fought in the 5th century B.C.

greco-persian wars

The Greek word historia literally translates to mean __________________ in English.

to inquiry

Africa is often referred to as the “Cradle of _______________”, the continent where early humans and their cultures developed millions of years ago.

Humankind

The Beatles’ song "Lucy in the Sky with Diamonds" inspired the nickname for the early hominin fossil known scientifically as __________________, which was discovered by Donald Johanson.

Australopithecus

Many early human fossils have been found in the Great Rift Valley, a region that spans modern-day East Africa from around the nation of ____________, to Kenya, and Tanzania.

Ethiopia

The most complete Homo erectus skeleton ever discovered, called __________________, was found by Kamoya Kimeu and Richard Leakey in the 1980s.

Turkana Boy

Which of these early Humans (Hominids) was a big game hunter, famous for its heavy brow ridges and the largest skull cranium of any human; they eventually went extinct due to various scientific theories?

Neanderthal Man (Homo neanderthalensis)

The chronological order of the major periods in the Stone Age that lasts close to 2.5 million years is: __________________, Mesolithic (Middle Stone), and Neolithic (New Stone).

Paleolithic Age (Old Stone)

The ancient site of __________________, located in the West Bank, is one of the oldest Neolithic villages known, and it is mentioned in the Bible as an early city with ancient walls.

Jericho (Tell es-Sultan)

__________________ was a famous paleoanthropologist who, alongside his wife Mary, helped pioneer the study of early human evolution in East Africa and discovered some of the first Homo habilis fossils.

Louis Leakey

This early human species called ______________ was first found in Africa (such as Olduvai Gorge in Tanzania) and for using simple stone tools to eat meat referred to as “Pebble Choppers”.

Homo habilis

At the beginning of the _________________, the Lascaux cave was discovered in France which depicted various cave art by early human culture from the Upper Paleolithic Age.

Second World War (World War II)

At Catal Huyuk, a Neolithic site in Turkey, how did the residents of the village enter and re-enter their mud brick huts? 

Through a type of doorway in the roof

In geological time, the ___________ epoch was the main historical time that early humans developed in during the Paleolithic Age when the Earth went through its last main ice age.

Pleistocene

In the Three Age System created by C.J. Thomsen in the 19th Century, the three chronological cultural periods of human development are:

Stone Age, Bronze Age, Iron Age

What was the "Neolithic Revolution" that caused humans to become more civilized, urbanize as a culture at the end of the Stone Age?

Agriculture (Farming) along with animal husbandry and settlements

At ‘Ain Ghazal, a Neolithic site in the modern state of _______________, famous statues made from plaster and reed were discovered that date back to 7,000 B.C. 

Jordan

Which of the Four "River Valley Civilizations" began around such rivers as the Yellow River in Asia? 

China

Which of these Civilizations below was not one of the original four River Valley Civilizations?

Greece