CLEP Western Civ I

Answer: A - The ancient period of the Near East lasted from approximately 3300 BCE to 539 BCE, which encompassed the Bronze Age and Iron Age, respectively. Earliest human history is divided into the “three-age system,” which includes the Stone Age (prehistory), then the Bronze and Iron Ages. While various ancient cultures, like Mesopotamia and Sumer, often dominated the Near East for periods of time during their heights of power, historical periods were not named for them. (Also, Sumer was a region within Mesopotamia and would, therefore, not be considered separate from it.) The Old and New Kingdoms were historical periods exclusive to Egypt and did not apply to the whole Near East region. Prehistory refers to a time before recorded history began. It technically describes all of history prior to the beginning of the Ancient Near East because the Sumerians developed cuneiform- the earliest known form of writing. Written language allowed for record keeping, and, more specifically, the beginning of recorded history. Antiquity is the period of history that included the beginning of Western Civilization in the Greco-Roman world. The Iron Age occurred during antiquity, but the Bronze Age did not.