Ch. 3 Art of Ancient Egypt

Ankh

A looped cross signifying life, used by ancient Egyptians.

Canon of proportions

A set of ideal mathematical ratios in art based on measurements in the proportional relationships between the basic elements of the human body.

Clerestory

in a basilica the topmost zone of a wall with windows, extending above the aisle roofs. Provides direct light into the nave.

Colonnade

A row of columns supporting a straight lintel (as in a porch or portico) or a series of arches ( an archade).

Conventions

A traditional way of representing forms.

Demotic

Another Egyptian writing style; for Egyptians who weren't skilled scholars, and couldn't read Hieroglyphics.

Encaustic

A painting medium using pigments mixed with hot wax.
Used when painting mummy portraits.

Hieroglyphs

Picture writing; words and ideas rendered in the form of pictorial symbols.

Hypostyle hall

A large interior room characterized by many closely spaced columns that support its roof.

Mastaba

A flat-topped, one-story structure with slanted walls built over an ancient Egyptian underground tomb.

Necropolis

City of the Dead"; A large cemetery or burial area

Peristyle

In Greek architecture, a surrounding colonnade. A peristyle building is surrounded on the exterior of a colonnade. Also; a peristyle court is an open colonnaded courtyard, often having a pool and garden.

Pylon

A massive gateway formed by a pair of tapering walls of oblong shape. Erected by ancient Egyptians to make the entrance to a temple complex.

Sarcophagus

A stone coffin; often rectangular and decorated with a relief sculpture.

Scarab

In ancient Egypt, a stylized dung beetle associated with the sun and the god Amun.

Serdab

The small room in an ancient Egyptian tomb in which the "ka" statue was placed.

Sunken relief

a type of sculpture in which the image is carved into a flat surface, instead of the images being projected from the background the images are "sunken" into the surface.

Thoth

the ibis headed god in Egyptian religion

royalty

Egyptian artistic conventions were followed most strictly when depicting

Khufu

the oldest and largest of the Giza pyramids

hypostyle

a hall that is filled with rows of columns is called what?

Amama Period

the time period when Akhenaten reigned over Egypt

Menes

he unified upper and lower eqypt into one empire

c. 2000 BCE

stele of amenhat, painted limestone

c. 2950 BCE

the pallette of Narmer, green schist