Stone Age
prehistoric period characterized by the wide use of stone
Paleolithic
nomadic peoples on all continents
Neolithic
a new stone age; an agricultural revolution in Eastern Europe
Sculpture in the round
statues/busts that exist independent of architectural frame/setting; a free standing sculpture
Relief sculpture
the subjects project from the background but remain part of it
Composite Pose or Twisted Perspective
showing aspects of both frontal + profile view to clearly represent human + animal figures
Tell
an artificial mound created by the accumulated remains of ancient settlements
Post-and-Lintel
2 upright stones support a horizontal block (lintel/beam); building system where horizontal pieces are held up by vertical pieces
Wattle + Daub
sticks + twigs covered in clay + used for building
Corbeling
an artificial roofing technique used to make archways
Megalithic architecture
tombs creating passageways or Stonehenge; defined by its use of large rocks
Henge
an arrangement of megalithic stones in a circle, often surrounded by a ditch
Trilithons
3-stone constructions; two large vertical stones supporting one large horizontal stone
Cuneiform
writing developed from pictographs, usually written on tablet with stylus
Sumer
city-states with ruler, complex agricultural-trading society
Akkad
centralized government ruled by a divine dink, adopted Sumerian culture + valued war, power, beauty, + strength
Babylon
most famous for the ruler Hammurabi + his codification of laws
Assyria
very aggressive war-like culture (raids cities, decapitate enemies)
Persia
widespread empire that was very tolerant + integrated many cultures
Mud-bricks
bricks made of mud + baked in the sun
The Ziggurat
elevated platforms on which temples rest (higher to the gods)
Votive figures + objects = offering
figures representing piety/fair government
Hierarchic scale
the enlarging of elements considered to be the most important
Cylinder Seals
official stamps used for sealing/authenticating
Stele
a carved stone slab erected to commemorate a historical event/to mark a grave
Bitumen
wide variety of hydrocarbon substances that occur naturally or are obtained by fractional distillation of petroleum; Bitumens are used for paving, roofing, and waterproofing
Lamassu
Assyrian protective deity
Apadana
large hypostyle hall
Column (capital, shaft, base)
a component whose dimensions can be multiplied/divided to determine the size of the work's other parts; capital=top, shaft=middle, base=bottom
Hypostyle Hall
a hall with a roof resting on columns
Hieroglyphs
a stylized picture of an object representing a word, syllable, or sound, as found in ancient Egyptian writing systems
Rosetta Stone
a black basalt stone found in 1799 that bears an inscription in hieroglyphics, demotic characters, + Greek + is celebrated for having given the first clue to the decipherment of Egyptian hieroglyphics
Pharaoh
used to refer to Egyptian rulers of all periods; the common title of the monarchs of ancient Egypt from the First Dynasty until the Macedonian conquest
Sarcophagus
a stone coffin, typically adorned with a sculpture or inscription + associated with the ancient civilizations of Egypt, Rome, + Greece
Nemes headdress
the golden mask from the mummy of Tutankhamun wearing the nemes headdress; the nemes is the striped head cloth worn by pharaohs in ancient Egypt
Ka
a spiritual entity, an aspect of the individual, believed to live within the body during life + to survive after death
Osiris
the Egyptian od of the underworld + husband + brother of Isis
Horus
the falcon-headed Egyptian god of light + the son of Osiris + Isis
Canopic jars
a covered urn used in ancient Egyptian burials to hold the entrails from an embalmed body
Aten
the disk of the sun in ancient Egyptian mythology + originally an aspect of the god Ra
Papyrus
a material prepared in ancient Egypt form the pithy stem of a water plant used in sheets throughout the ancient Mediterranean world for writing or painting on + also for making rope, sandals, + boats
Palette
a somewhat flattish slate object of various shapes, carved with commemorative scenes/motifs or, especially in the smaller pieces, containing a recessed area probably for holding eye makeup + often used as votive offering
Mastaba
a rectangular brick or stone structure with sloping sides erected over an underground burial chamber
Burial chamber
a sepulchral vault or other structure having recesses in the walls to receive cinerary urns
Necropolis
city of the dead"; a cemetery, especially a large one belonging to an ancient city
Pyramid
a monumental structure with a square or triangular base + sloping sides that meet in a point at the top, especially ones built of stone as a royal tomb in ancient Egypt
Serdab
a small concealed chamber in an Egyptian mastaba for the statue of the deceased
Valley Temple
the temple closest to the Nile River; associated with each of the Old Kingdom pyramids at Gizeh in Ancient Egypt
Funerary Temple
temples that were erected adjacent to, or in the vicinity of, royal tombs in Ancient Egypt; they were designed to commemorate the reign of the pharaoh by whom they were constructed, as well as for the use by the pharaoh's cult after death
Canon of Proportions
Egyptian artists utilized this for the human figure; using a grid composed of 18 equal squares, this strict system of measurement divided the body into 18 equal parts from the hairline to the soles of the feet
Obelisk
tall monolithic pillars with pyramidal tops; a tall four-sided monolithic pillar with a pyramidal top-symbolic of the Egyptian sun god Re
Pylon
the wide entrance gateway of an Egyptian temple, characterized by its sloping walls
Peristyle court
a colonnade all around the cella + its porch(es); a peripteral colonnade consists of a single row of columns on all sides, a dipteral colonnade has a double row all around
Hypostyle Hall
a hall with a roof resting on columns
Raised relief
a sculpture with the impression that the sculpted material has been raised about the background plane
Sunken relief
chiseled deep outlines below the stone's surface instead of cutting back the stone around the figures to make them project from the surface
Niello
black compound of sulfur with silver, lead, or copper that was used for filling engraved designs in other metals
Gilding
process of applying gold leaf/paint