AP Art History Test Prep Questions & Vocab
promontory
a high point of land or rick projecting in the sea or other water beyond the line of coast
drum
base of which a dome rests
oculus
circular opening especially one at the apex of a dome
cupid
god of love, desire, and affection
tinia
god of the sky in etruscan mythology
uni
goddess of protection in etruscan mythology
menvra
goddess of wisdom and strategic warfare in etruscan mythology
mosaic
picture made of small usually colored pieces of stone, glass, etc.
genre scene
scene of everyday people
Why do modern people use Classical Greek style architecture in government buildings?
stemmed from american admiration of ancient greek democracy and their struggle for independence from the ottoman empire, visually evoke strength and majesty of ancient greece
Archaic Greek style
stiff Egyptian stance with slightly more muscle and the archaic smile
verisimilitude
the appearance of the truth
spandrels
the area between 2 adjoining arches
dome
vault having a circular plan and constructed so as to exert an equal thrust in all directions
triglyphs
vertical channeled tablets of the doric frieze
pax romana
200 year span relative peace from the time of augustus to marcus aurelius
dacian wars
2campaigns of conquest ordered by emperor trajan against dacians who lived across the danube in current romania
red figure technique
3 stage firing process that allows more modeling and detailing to be painted on figures than the black figure technique
necropolis
a cemetery, usually of an ancient city, city of the dead
tholos
a circular structure in ancient greece and rome
engaged columns
a column embedded in a wall and partly projecting from the surface of the wall
apse
a covered semicircular or polygonal recess, also an exedra
triclinium
a dining room usually containing couches for reclining on at meals, a dining table used in ancient rome
travertine
a form of limestone used in italy for building
slipe
a liquid mixture of clay
elliptical
a plane curve, circle extended
peplos
a rich outer robe or shawl worn in ancient greece
attic
a story or slow wall above the cornice of a classical facade
epheboi
a youth of ancient greece just entering manhood or commencing training for full athenian citizenship
niches
aka exedre, hold statues of the gods
adlocutio
an address given by a general, usually an emperor to his army
nabataeans
an arab people who inhabited northern arabia and the southern levant, trajan conquered the nabataean kingdom and linked it to the roman empire
incense
an aromatic substance producing a sweet odor when burned, often used in religious ceremonies
contrapposto
an asymmetrical arrangement of the human figure in which the line of the arms and shoulders contrasts with while balancing those of the hips and legs, weight shift
kore
archaic greek statue of a young woman, standing and clothed in long loose robes
verism
belief in true representation in art, including the ugly
Why do we have so many marble Greek statues instead of bronze originals?
bronze is valuable and so it was stolen or melted down and reused for weapons, Romans copy the statues in marble
bronze
brown metal consisting primarily of copper and tin
metopes
carved pictorial panels on the frieze
herakles
celebrated greek hero, son of zeus, possessing exceptional strength; also known as hercules
agora
central public space in ancient greek city states
How did Augustus promote himself as the first emperor?
claimed descendants from gods venus and julius caesar, used propaganda through art to promote his image
cliens
client or person protected by a roman patron in a hierarchical relationship
concrete
composite material made of coarse aggregate that hardens over time, allows for large spaces to be enclosed is relatively fireproof and inexpensive
peristyle
continuous rows of columns surrounding a building or courtyard on all 4 sides
stoa
covered walkway or portico, commonly for public use
high relief
deep carving that almost breaks away from the background
What are the form, function, and innovations shown on the Niobides Krater?
depicts scene of Apollo and Artemis killing Niobe's children as punishment for her hubris, another scene shows Athena and Heracles surrounded by heroes - unclear meaning this krater was used to mix water and wine for all-male celebrations, drinks are ladled out innovations- 1st attempts at 3/4 view and no isocephalism (showing heads and figures on the same level)
isophalism
equal height of heads in a row of figures
horror vacui
fear of empty space, filling of an entire artwork with detail
augustus
formerly octavian, the first roman emperor, restored outward facade of the free republic but in reality retained his autocratic power over the republic as a military dictator
flavian dynasty
from 69 to 96 ce rule by flavians that encompassed vespasian, titus, and domitian
Who was Pericles and why is he important?
funded huge projects in athens including the parthenon and the acropolis which were built to the highest standards by the greatest sculptors of the era, dies during the greek plague
kiln
furnace or oven for drying clay
peristyle court
garden surrounded by a greek style colonnade
gigantomachy
giants known for their battles with the olympian gods
Nike
greek goddess who personifies victory
Compare the statues of women in the Greek vs. Etruscan cultures
greek- woman bad etruscan- woman ok (im tired this is the best i can do)
terracotta
hard, fired clay, brownish red in color
doric order
heavy columns consisting of fluted shafts, round capitals, and no base
What were the attributes inside the Pantheon?
huge hemispherical dome created from the intersection of 2 circles to represent the center of the world, the thickness decreases as it reaches the oculus at the top creates a reverse sundial effect through the day and highlights 1 of the 7 god statues that sit in exedrae (niches) at different times in the day has coffers (sunken panels) to lessen the weight of the dome pediment
pentheus
in greek mythology, resisted the cult of dionysos and was torn to pieces as punishment, depicted in wall painting at house of vettii
Classical Greek style
increasing emphasis on realism and naturalism
sensuality
indulgence in sensual pleasures, unchastity
What is a kouros or a kore, and how and where would they have appeared in Ancient Greek times?
kouros=nude male youth statue kore=clothed female youth statue would have been used to replace vases as grave markers or votive figures and as a competition driven practice to see who the best sculptures were. showed a naturalistic more rounded figure portraying motion.
What is Phidian drapery and where is it seen?
looks as if its wet and transparent, used to show movement under clothing thin and heavy clothing folds create motion and appearance of light and shadow
spoils
loot or plunder in war or robbers
What does the relief on Trajan's Column depict and why?
low relief that gradually gets wider as it goes up so the viewer can see from the ground
pontifex maximus
meaning greatest pontiff or greatest bridge builder, most important position in ancient rome religion, title assumed by augustus who had both religious and political authority
repousse
metalwork hammered into relief from the reverse side
krater
mixing bowl used to mix wine and water
corinthian columns
most ornate with slender fluted columns and a capital decorate with ancanthus leaves and scrolls
mithras
mystery religion of roman empire from 1-4 century CE inspired by worship of persian god mithra, followers met in underground temples and had a secret handshake
5 good emperors
nerva, trajan, hadrian, antoninus, and marcus aurelius
How are Hellenistic sculptures different from earlier Greek sculptures?
no archaic smile, more emotional, diagonal lines, and chaos war and conflict depicted
What is the Polykleitan canon?
nude figures with chiasmatic balance (symmetry in tense and relaxed limbs) showing a harmony of opposites as well as sophrosyre (balance and humility), head is 1/7th of the body
kouros
nude male youth
tablinum
office
goths
one of a teutonic people who in the 3-5 centuries invaded and settled in parts of the roman empire
amphitheatre
open air venue for sports entertainment and performances
pergamene kingdom
outpose of the greek empire in asia minor
Athena
patron goddess of athens, goddess of wisdom and war
patronus
patron who would help or do favors for the client
parthians
persians
patrician
person of noble rank
portico
porch leading to the entrance of a building
tufa
porous limestone that can be carved out
casting
process using clay and wax, when the wax is melted out by bronze a hollow bronze cast sculpture results also known as lost-wax
Niobe
provoked apollo and artemis to vengeance by taunting their mother leto with the number and beauty of her own children; her weeping turned her to stone
pathos
quality of evoking pity, sorrow, or compassion
sophrosyne
quality of moderation, discretion, prudence
forum
rectangular plaza surrounded by several important government buildings in rome, originally a marketplace akin to the greek agora
julian-claudian dynasty
refers to 1st 5 emperors; augustus, tiberius, caligula, claudius, and nero
Panathenaic way
road where the great procession of the athenians to the acropolis took place every 4 years
What is unique about the Treasury at Petra?
rock cut building that combines hellenistic and egyptian styles pediments, central tholos (circular building), corinthian columns, egyptian obelisks, greek god statues
Who invented concrete and where is it used?
romans invented concrete placed mixture in wooden molds which were then removed, marble facing was added on top advantages: 1. inexpensive 2. could be made into huge vaulted/domed rooms without internal supports 3. allowed architecture to be "spatial envelopes" 4. fireproof
impulvium
shallow rectangular sunken portion of the atrium to a=gather rainwater, which drained into an underground cistern
tuscan order
simplified doric order with unfluted columns and a simpler entablature
ionic order
slender, fluted columns with a large base and two opposed volutes
archaic smile
slight smile of greek sculptures in the archaic time period
tesserae
small pieces used in mosaic work
coffers
sunken panels in a dome or vault ceiling
fresco
technique of painting on a moist plaster surface
canon
the body of rules, principles, or standards
facade
the front of a building, especially an imposing or decorative one
Etruscans
the inhabitants of Etruria (modern tuscany) before the roman empire
pediment
the triangular shape of a roofs gable, often decorated with relief sculpture and above the horizontal entablature
Hellenistic Greek style
time period characterized by increasing naturalism, expression, and extremes of emotion, no longer idealized
Why did the Etruscan temple have three cellas?
to honor 3 gods - uni (juno/hera), tiria (zeus), and menvral (minerva, athena)
foreshortening
to reduce or distort parts of an object in order to convey the illusion of 3d space
How did the Romans adapt the Greek column orders?
took greek ionic, doric, and corinthian column types but started using arches and vaults
aeneas
trojan hero of virigls aenid
castor and pollux
twin brothers in roman mythology, transformed into the constellation gemini
basilica
type of building with a central nave and aisles and usually an apse at one or both ends
domus
type of house occupied by the upper class and wealthy freedmen
What is important about the grave stele of Hegeso?
unusual because of depiction of 2 females - one wealthy athenian and one slave. we can tell their social differences from hegeso's elaborate dress, jewlery, hairstyle, and footstool. even still it depicts men's prominence in greek culture even when not shown - the jewlery box is probably a dowry from her father and a citation in the epitaph (tombstone inscription)
pilasters
used to give the appearance of a supporting column but with only ornamental function, has a flat surface
What are the features and functions of busts and statues of Roman patricians and emperors?
uses verism (realism) to add as much detail as possible, wrinkles and signs of old age were more ideal because it showed wisdom later on statues of roman emperors were almost the opposite with totally idealized athletic figures to depict strength and youth
