Art History 100 EXAM 1

Post and lintel

The posts for stonehenge, and the top pieces.

Mummification

to make (a dead body) into a mummy, as by embalming and drying

Cuneiform

denoting or relating to the wedge-shaped characters used in the ancient writing systems of Mesopotamia, Persia, and Ugarit, surviving mainly impressed on clay tablets.

fertility figurine

symbolizes regeneration, when a piece looks pregnant.

hypostyle hall

In architecture, a hypostyle hall has a flat ceiling which is supported by columns, as in the Great Hypostyle Hall at Karnak. ..

fresco

a painting done rapidly in watercolor on wet plaster on a wall or ceiling, so that the colors penetrate the plaster and become fixed as it dries.

Megalithic

A very large stone used in various prehistoric architectures or monumental styles, notably in western Europe during the second millennium b.c.

clerestory

It is clear of the roofs of the aisles and admits light to the central parts of the building

theocracy

a system of government in which priests rule in the name of God or a god

pharaoh

a ruler in ancient Egypt.

mastaba

an ancient Egyptian tomb rectangular in shape with sloping sides and a flat roof, standing to a height of 17-20 feet (5-6 m), consisting of an underground burial chamber with rooms above it (at ground level) in which to store offerings

sarcophagus

a stone coffin, typically adorned with a sculpture or inscription and associated with the ancient civilizations of Egypt, Rome, and Greece.

inlay

ornament (an object) by embedding pieces of a different material in it, flush with its surface.

mud brick

a brick made from baked mud.

megaron

The megaron (plural megara) (???????) is the great hall of the Mycenaean palace complexes. It was a rectangular hall, fronted by an open, two-columned porch, and a more or less central, open hearth vented though an oculus in the roof above it and surround

votive

offered or consecrated in fulfillment of a vow.

labyrinth

complex system of paths or tunnels in which it is easy to get lost

stele

an ancient upright stone slab bearing markings

hieroglyphs

a writing system using picture symbols

homer

ancient Greek epic poet who is believed to have written the Iliad and the Odyssey (circa 850 BC)

tholos

A beehive-shaped stone tomb of Mycenaean Greece, roofed by corbeling and usually built into the side of a hill

relief

sculpture consisting of shapes carved on a surface so as to stand out from the surrounding background

ziggurat

a rectangular tiered temple or terraced mound erected by the ancient Assyrians and Babylonians

pylon

The wide entrance gateway of an Egyptian temple, characterized by its sloping walls

obelisk

a stone pillar having a rectangular cross section tapering towards a pyramidal top

faience

glazed earthenware decorated with opaque colors

mortuary/ valley temples

Mortuary temples (or memorial temples) were temples constructed adjacent to, or in the vicinity of, royal tombs in the Ancient Egypt. The temples were designed to commemorate the reign of the pharaoh by whom they were built, as well as for use by the phar

mortise and tenon joint

This type of joint is similar to post and beam construction where there is an opening and a pin that goes through the opening. There is only one example of this type of joint and that is the atlas with the dens of the axis. This type of joint allows for r

cyclopean masonry

very big rounded stones

relieving triangle

a three-sided polygon

canon of proportions

The ratio between a figure's height and all of its component parts. The Egyptian canon was an 18 unit grid based on the width of the fist.

Post and lintel

The posts for stonehenge, and the top pieces.

Mummification

to make (a dead body) into a mummy, as by embalming and drying

Cuneiform

denoting or relating to the wedge-shaped characters used in the ancient writing systems of Mesopotamia, Persia, and Ugarit, surviving mainly impressed on clay tablets.

fertility figurine

symbolizes regeneration, when a piece looks pregnant.

hypostyle hall

In architecture, a hypostyle hall has a flat ceiling which is supported by columns, as in the Great Hypostyle Hall at Karnak. ..

fresco

a painting done rapidly in watercolor on wet plaster on a wall or ceiling, so that the colors penetrate the plaster and become fixed as it dries.

Megalithic

A very large stone used in various prehistoric architectures or monumental styles, notably in western Europe during the second millennium b.c.

clerestory

It is clear of the roofs of the aisles and admits light to the central parts of the building

theocracy

a system of government in which priests rule in the name of God or a god

pharaoh

a ruler in ancient Egypt.

mastaba

an ancient Egyptian tomb rectangular in shape with sloping sides and a flat roof, standing to a height of 17-20 feet (5-6 m), consisting of an underground burial chamber with rooms above it (at ground level) in which to store offerings

sarcophagus

a stone coffin, typically adorned with a sculpture or inscription and associated with the ancient civilizations of Egypt, Rome, and Greece.

inlay

ornament (an object) by embedding pieces of a different material in it, flush with its surface.

mud brick

a brick made from baked mud.

megaron

The megaron (plural megara) (???????) is the great hall of the Mycenaean palace complexes. It was a rectangular hall, fronted by an open, two-columned porch, and a more or less central, open hearth vented though an oculus in the roof above it and surround

votive

offered or consecrated in fulfillment of a vow.

labyrinth

complex system of paths or tunnels in which it is easy to get lost

stele

an ancient upright stone slab bearing markings

hieroglyphs

a writing system using picture symbols

homer

ancient Greek epic poet who is believed to have written the Iliad and the Odyssey (circa 850 BC)

tholos

A beehive-shaped stone tomb of Mycenaean Greece, roofed by corbeling and usually built into the side of a hill

relief

sculpture consisting of shapes carved on a surface so as to stand out from the surrounding background

ziggurat

a rectangular tiered temple or terraced mound erected by the ancient Assyrians and Babylonians

pylon

The wide entrance gateway of an Egyptian temple, characterized by its sloping walls

obelisk

a stone pillar having a rectangular cross section tapering towards a pyramidal top

faience

glazed earthenware decorated with opaque colors

mortuary/ valley temples

Mortuary temples (or memorial temples) were temples constructed adjacent to, or in the vicinity of, royal tombs in the Ancient Egypt. The temples were designed to commemorate the reign of the pharaoh by whom they were built, as well as for use by the phar

mortise and tenon joint

This type of joint is similar to post and beam construction where there is an opening and a pin that goes through the opening. There is only one example of this type of joint and that is the atlas with the dens of the axis. This type of joint allows for r

cyclopean masonry

very big rounded stones

relieving triangle

a three-sided polygon

canon of proportions

The ratio between a figure's height and all of its component parts. The Egyptian canon was an 18 unit grid based on the width of the fist.