acropolis
the citadel of an ancient Greek city, located at its highest point and housing temples, a treasury, and sometimes a royal palace
amphora
an ancient Greek jar for storing oil or wine, with an egg-shaped body and two curved handles
caryatid
a sculpture of a draped female figure acting as a column supporting an entablature
contrapposto
an Italian term meaning "set against," used to describe the twisted pose resulting from parts of the body set in opposition to each other around a central axis
Kore
an Archaic Greek statue of a young women
Krater
an ancient Greek vessel for mixing wine and water, with many subtypes that each have a distinctive shape
Lekythos
a slim Greek oil vase with one handle and a narrow mouth
oinochoe
a Greek wine jug with a round mouth and a curved handle
Propylon
a large, often elaborate gateway to a temple or other important building or group of buildings
S-curve
the figure's body and posture is depicted like a sinuous or serpentine "S". It is related to and is an extension of the art term of contrapposto which is when a figure is depicted slouching or placing one's weight and thus center of gravity to one side. H
slip
a mixture of clay and water applied to a ceramic object as a final decorative coat; also: a solution that binds different parts of a vessel together, such as the handle and the main body
stelae
a stone slab placed vertically and decorated with inscriptions or reliefs; used as a grave marker or memorial
Tholos
a small, round building; sometimes built underground, as in a Mycenaean tomb
white ground
a type of ancient Greek pottery in which the background color of the object is painted with a slip that turns white in the firing process; figures and details were added by painting on or incising into this slip; were popular in the Classical period as fu
Agora
an open space in a Greek town used as a central gathering place or market
black figure
a style or technique of ancient Greek pottery in which black figures are painted on a red clay ground
cella
the principal interior room at the center of a Greek or Roman temple within which the cult statue was usually housed
entasis
a slight swelling of the shaft of a Greek column; this optical illusion makes the column appear from afar to be straight
Kouros
an Archaic Greek statue of a young man or boy
kylix
a shallow Greek vessel or cup, used for drinking, with a wide mouth and a small handle near the rim
lost wax process
a method of casting metal, such as bronze, by a process in which a wax mold is covered with clay and plaster, then fired, melting the wax and leaving a hollow form molten metal is then poured into the hollow space and slowly cooled; when the hardened clay
orthogonal city plan
any plan for a building or city that is based exclusively on right angles, such as the grid plan of many modern cities
red figure
a style and technique of ancient Greek vase painting characterized by red clay-colored figures on a black background; the figures are reversed against a painted grown and the details are drawn, not engraved
sanctuary
a sacred or holy enclosure used for worship; in ancient Greece and Rome, consisted of one or more temples an an altar
stadium
in ancient Greece, a race track with tiers of seats for spectators
stoa
in Greek architecture, a long roofed walkway, usually having columns on one long side and a wall on the other
treasury
a building or room for keeping valuable (and often holy) objects
Aphrodite/Venus
goddess of love
Poseidon/Neptune
God of the sea, holding 3-pronged spear
Demeter/Ceres
Goddess of Grain and agriculture
Zeus/Jupiter
Supreme God, holds scepter and lightning bolt
Dionysius/Bacchus
God of wine, grape harvest, inspiration
Athena/Minerva
Goddess of wisdom, war, virginity, victory
Persephone/Proserpina
Goddess of fertility, queen of the underworld
Apollo/Apollo
God of sun, light, truth and music
Cupid/Cupid
Young child or infant of god of love
Hermes/Mercury
messenger and herald of the gods
drum
one of the stacked cylindrical stones that form the shaft of a column; hole in center that has a rod pass through
stylobate
The uppermost step of the platform; supports the columns.
echinus
ovolo molding between the shaft and the abacus of a Doric column
abacus
a tablet placed horizontally on top of the capital of a column as an aid in supporting the architrave
capital
the upper part of a column that supports the entablature: distinguishes the order of the column
metope
panel between the triglyphs in a Doric frieze, often sculpted in relief
triglyph
a triple projecting, grooved member of a doric frieze that alternates with metopes
architrave
the lowest part of an entablature
frieze
an architectural ornament consisting of a horizontal sculptured band between the architrave and the cornice
cornice
the topmost projecting part of an entablature (right under the pediment)
pediment
a triangular gable between a horizontal entablature and a sloping roof
entablature
the structure consisting of the part of a classical temple above the columns between a capital and the roof
flute
the shallow concave groove on the shaft of a column
dentil
rectangular or square elements equally spaced along a piece of molding creating a "tooth" pattern
volute
ornament from Ionic capital resembling a rolled scroll
shaft
The tall, cylindrical part of a column between the capital and the base
column
a tall cylindrical vertical upright and used to support a structure: from the abacus to the stylobate
base
a support or foundation of a column
boss
knob or protrusion of stone or wood; at the top of a Corinthian capital
acanthus leaf
The capital of the Corinthian column is characterized by which motif?