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 (vuossoirs) taht transmit the downward pressure laterally.
arcuated
arch- shaped
blind arcade
an arcade having no actual opneings, applied as decoration to a wall surface
cella
the chamber at the center of an ancient temple; in a classic temple, the room (greek, naos) in which teh cult statue usually stood
city-state
an independent, self-governing city
conceptual representation
the representation of the fundamental distinguishing of a person or object, not the way a figure or object appears in space at a specific moment
cuneiform
Latin, "wedge-shaped". A system of writing used in ancient Mesopotamia, in whcih wedge-shaped characters were produced by pressing a stylus into a soft clay tablet, which was then baked or otherwise allowed to harden
cylinder seal
a cylindrical piece of stone, usually about an inch or so in height, decorated with an incised design, so that a raised pattern was left when the seal was rolled over soft clay. In the ancient Near East, documents, storage jars, and other important posses
foreshortening
the use of perspective to represent in art the apparent visual contraction of an object that extends back in space at an angle to the perpendicular plane of sight
frieze
any sculptured or painted band in a building
ground line
in paintings and reliefs, a pianted or carved baseline on which figures appear to stand
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
iwan
in islamic architecture, a vaulted rectangular recess opening into a courtyard
Lamassu
assyrian guardian in the form of a man-headed winged bull
pictograph
a picture, usually stylized, that represents an idea; also, writing using such means; also painting on rock
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
votive offering
a gift of gratitude to a deity
ziggurat
Ancient Mesopotamian architecture, a monumental platform for a temple
amulet
an object worn to ward off evil or to aid the wearer
ashlar masonry
carefully cut and regularly shaped blocks of stone used in construction, fitted together without mortar (used on pyramids of Gizeh)
atlantid
a male figure that functions as a supporting column
axial plan
the horizontal arrangement of the parts of a building or of the buildings and streets of a city or town, or a drawing or diagram showing such an arrangement. Parts of a building are organized longitudinally; in a central plan, the parts of the structure a
ben-ben
a pyramidal stone; a fetish of the Egyptian god Re
bilateral symmetry
having the same forms on either side of a central axis
block statue
in ancient Egyptian sculpture, a cubic stone image with simplified body parts
canon
a rule, for example, of proportion. Ideal proportions that were used in most Egyptian sculptures and painting
canopic jar
Egypt- the container in which the organs of the deceased were placed for later burial with the mummy
capital
the uppermost member of a column, serving as a transition from teh shaft to the lintel. In classical architecture, the form of the capital varies with the order
caryatid
a female figure that functions as a supporting column
chamfer
the surface formed by cutting off a corner of a board or post; a bevel
clerestory
the fenestrated part of a building taht rises above the roofs of the other parts. Egyptian.
colonnade
a series or row of columns, usually spanned by lintels
engaged column
a half-round column attached to a wall
facade
the front of a building; the other sides when they are emphasized architecturally
fluted
ridged columns
fresco secco
painting on limestone plaster after it has already dried. Different than regular frescoes that are painted while still wet because the pigments in the paint are mixed with water and become chemically bound tot eh freshly laid lime plaster
hieroglyphic
Egyptian system of writing that used symbols and pictures
hypostle hall
a hall with a roof supported by columns
Ka
Egyptian- the immortal human life force
mastaba
bench". An Egyptian rectangular brick or stone structure with sloping sides erected over a subterranean tomb chamber connected with the outside by a shaft
necropolis
Greed, "city of the dead"; a large burial area or cemetary
nemes
the linen headdress worn by the pharaoh in ancient Egypt. With the uraeus cobra of kingship on the front
palette
a slate slab used for preparing makeup in Ancient Egypt
pylon
wide entrance gateway of an Egyptian temple; characterized by its sloping walls
serdab
small concealed chamber in an Egyptian mastaba for the statue of the deceased
sphinx
mythical Egyptian beast with the body of a lion and the head of a human
stucco
type of plaster used as a coating on exterior and interior walls
subtractive sculpture
kind of sculpture technique in which materials are taken away from the original mass; carving
sunken relief
a relief where the artist cuts the design deep into the surface so that the highest projecting parts of the image are no higher than the image itself
uraeus
Egyptian cobra- emblem of pharaonic kingship