limestone
a sedimentary rock consisting mainly of calcium that was deposited by the remains of marine animals
mural
a wall painting
incising
cutting into a surface with a sharp instrument; also a method of decoration, especially on metal and pottery
neolithic
the "new" stone age
post and lintel
a system of construction in which two posts support a lintel (beam) going across them.
low relief
Figures projecting from the background of which they are part. In low relief, the projection is slight.
landscape
a picture showing natural scenery without narrative content
Iron age
the period following the Bronze Age; characterized by rapid spread of iron tools and weapons
silhouette
a 2D reprentation of the outline of an object, as a cutout or configurational drawing, uniformly filled in with black
twisted perspective
a convention of representation in which part of a figure is shown in profile and another part of the same figure is shown frontally (a composite view)
paleolithic
the "old" stone age, during which humankind produced the first sculptures and painting
menhirs
upright monumental stones standing either alone or with others, as in an alignment
henge
a circle of monoliths; also called a cromlech
high relief
Figures projecting from a background of which they are part. High relief images project boldly, sometimes to the point where they cast shadows on the background and some parts are actually fully detached from the background (in the round).
free standing
carved or molded in 3D (aka sculpture in the round)
bronze age
a period of human culture between the Stone Age and the Iron Age, characterized by the use of weapons and implements made of bronze
strict profile
regular profile or side view
Stonehenge
a prehistoric monument on Salisbury Plain, Wiltshire, England, consisting of a large circle of megaliths surrounding a smaller circle and four massive trilithons(3 stone construction); dating to late Neolithic and early Bronze Age. The stones are made sarsen (a type of limestone) and bluestones (various volcanic rocks)
burin
A pointed tool used for engraving or incising.
megalith (adj., megalithic)
Greek, "great stone" A large, roughly hewn stone used in the construction of monumental prehistoric structures.
monolith
A column shaft that is all in one piece; a large, single block or piece of stone used in megalithic structures.
radiocarbon dating
Method of measuring the decay rate of carbon isotopes in organic matter to provide dates for organic materials such as wood and fiber.
sculpture in the round
freestanding figures, carved or modeled in three dimensions.
trilithons
A a pair of monoliths topped with a lintel; found in magalithic structures.
composite view
See twisted perspective.
ground line
In paintings and reliefs, a painted or carved baseline on which figures appear to stand.
incise
To cut into a surface with a sharp instrument; also, a method of decoration, especially on metal and pottery.
lintel
A beam used to span an opening.
mesolithic
The "middle" Stone Age, between the Paleolithic and the Neolithic ages.
apadana
The great audience hall in ancient Persian palaces.
arch
A curved structural member that spans an opening and is generally composed of wedge-shaped blocks (voussoirs) that transmit the downward pressure laterally. See also thrust.
blind arcade
An arcade having no actual openings, applied as decoration to a wall surface.
crenellation
Alternating high and low sections of a wall which provide protection for archers.
cuneiform
Latin, "wedgeshaped." A system of writing used in ancient Mesopotamia, in which wedge-shaped characters were produced by pressing a stylus into a soft clay tablet, which was then baked or otherwise allowed to harden.
fa�ade
Usually, the front of a building; also, the other sides when they are emphasized architecturally.
glaze
A vitreous coating applied to pottery to seal and decorate the surface; it may be colored, transparent, or opaque, and glossy or matte. In oil painting, a thin, transparent, or semitransparent layer put over a color to alter it slightly.
glazed brick
Bricks painted and then kiln fired to fuse the color with the baked clay.
heraldic composition
A composition that is symmetrical on either side of a central figure.
hierarchy of scale
An artistic convention in which greater size indicates greater importance.
lamassu
Assyrian guardian in the form of a man-headed winged bull.
register
One of a series of superimposed bands or friezes in a pictorial narrative, or the particular levels on which motifs are placed.
stele
A carved stone slab used to mark graves or to commemorate historical events.
stylus
A needlelike tool used in engraving and incising; also, an ancient writing instrument used to inscribe clay or wax tablets.
tribute
A symbolic gesture of loyalty
vault
A masonry roof or ceiling constructed on the arch principle. A barrel or tunnel vault, semi-cylindrical in cross-section, is in effect a deep arch or an uninterrupted series of arches, one behind the other, over an oblong space. A quadrant vault is a half-barrel vault. A groin or cross vault is formed at the point at which two barrel vaults intersect at right angles. In a ribbed vault, there is a framework of ribs or arches under the intersections of the vaulting sections. A sexpartite vault is a vault whose ribs divide the vault into six compartments. A fan vault is a vault characteristic of English Perpendicular Gothic, in which radiating ribs form a fanlike pattern.
votive offering
A gift of gratitude to a deity.
ziggurat
In ancient Mesopotamian architecture, a monumental platform for a temple.
amulet
An object worn to ward off evil or to aid the wearer.
block statue
In ancient Egyptian sculpture, a cubic stone image with simplified body parts.
capital
The uppermost member of a column, serving as a transition from the shaft to the lintel. In classical architecture, the form of the capital varies with the order.
clerestory
The fenestrated part of a building that rises above the roofs of the other parts. The oldest known clerestories are Egyptian. In Roman basilicas and medieval churches, clerestories are the windows that form the nave's uppermost level below the timber ceiling or the vaults.
engaged column
A half-round column attached to a wall. See also pilaster.
fresco
Painting on lime plaster, either dry (dry fresco or fresco secco) or wet (true or buon fresco). In the latter method, the pigments are mixed with water and become chemically bound to the freshly laid lime plaster. Also, a painting executed in either method.
hieroglyphic
A system of writing using symbols or pictures.
hypostyle hall
A hall with a roof supported by columns.
ka
In ancient Egypt, the immortal human life force.
lapis lazuli
A rich ultramarine semiprecious stone used for carving and as a source for pigment.
mastaba
Arabic, "bench." An ancient Egyptian rectangular brick or stone structure with sloping sides erected over a subterranean tomb chamber connected with the outside by a shaft.
mummification
A technique used by ancient Egyptians to preserve human bodies so that they may serve as the eternal home of the immortal ka.
palette
In ancient Egypt, a slate slab used for preparing makeup. A thin board with a thumb hole at one end on which an artist lays and mixes colors; any surface so used. Also, the colors or kinds of colors characteristically used by an artist.
papyrus
A plant native to Egypt and adjacent lands used to make paperlike writing material; also, the material or any writing on it.
pictograph
A picture, usually stylized, that represents an idea; also, writing using such means; also painting on rock.
sarcophagus
(pl. sarcophagi) Latin, "consumer of flesh." A coffin, usually of stone.
serdab
A small concealed chamber in an Egyptian mastaba for the statue of the deceased.
sphinx
A mythical Egyptian beast with the body of a lion and the head of a human.