Art History Honors 5H - Chapter 1-4 Test

"Ka"

(soul or life force)

canon of proportions

a set of ideal mathematical ratios in are based on measurements as in the proportional relationships of the human body

Heel Stone

a single large blorck of sarsen stone at the entrance of stonehenge

atl atl

a spear-thrower used to help hunters throw projectiles with more force and accuracy. A key technological development for Paleolithic society.

crenellation

alternating hight and low sections of a wall. Gives a notched appearance. Creates permanent defensive shields on top of buildings

tell

an archeological mound of debris that has accumulated over time

post-and-lintel

an architectural construction method of placing a horizontal element/beam (the lintel) atop vertical posts. Lintels could support a roof to enclose a building. One of the earliest post-and-lintel structures was the Neolithic cromlech at Stonehenge, England.

cuneiform writing

an ealry form of writing with created by impressing wedge shaped marks with a stylus. Developed by the Sumerians.

votive

an image / sculpture created as a

parietal art

art created on rock surfaces either through paint or incised in relief

glazed ceramics

ceramic object, covered in decorative coating, the

Bird-Headed Man, Lascaux Cave, France, Paint on limestone

e

visual narrative

A visual narrative (also visual storytelling) is a story told primarily through the use of visual media. Reliefs, paintings, etc.

hieroglyphics

egyptian pictographical writing

citadel

fortress, typically on high ground. Protects or dominates a city.

*Seated Scribe

found near tomb of Kai, Saqqara. Painted limestone, with inlaid eyes of rock crystal, calcite, and magnesite, mounted in copper

Human Figure, Ain Ghazal, Jordan 35"

Lime plaster with cowrie shell, bitumen & paint over a frame of reed bundles

Limestone and granite, khafre was the the tallest Pyramid of Khafre & Great Pyramids of Giza

Limestone and granite, khafre was the the tallest

*Narmer Palette

Made of siltstone, low relief, 16x24

Lion-Human Figure

Mammoth Ivory, 11 5/8 in

abstraction

freedom from representational qualities in art

Ma'at

goddes of harmony, justice, and truth. represented by woman holding a scepter: symbol of power in one hand, ankh in the other hand.

Anthromorphic

having human-like features or characteristics, but not fully human

Imhotep

high priest of the sun god, designer of Djoser's funerary complex, long revered after death.

clerestory

in a basilica, the topmost zone of a wall with windows, extending above the aisle roofs.

ziggurat

in ancient mesopotamia, a tall stepped tower of earthen materials. Often supporting a shrine.

groundline

in painting and reliefs a line drawn to signify the ground itself. helps reference their actual spacial relationship

canopic jars

jars that hold the organs after mummification. each bearing the head of the Egyptian god Anubis

Amun

one of the most powerful egyptian gods, called the King of the gods.

increase ceremonies

performing the relevant rituals, species of animals and plants, important for survival, will increase and be abundant

radiocarbon-14 dating

precise method of dating, measures an isotope radiocarbon-14 which is constantly replenished.

*Wall Painting with Animals, Chauvet Cave, France

Paint on limestone

Bison Wall Painting, Altamira Cave, Spain

Paint on limestone

henge

prehistoric monument consisting of a circle or stone or wooden uprights.

totemistic

refers to the belief that humans are connected through kinship or a mystical relationship to an animal or natural entity. Totems are symbolic images or objects created to make the connection visible.

relief sculpture

sculptural technique where the sculpted elements remain attached to a solid background of the same material. Sculpture in relief gives the impression that the sculpted material has been raised above the background plane.

sarcophagus

stone coffin, often rectangular and covered with relief sculpture

stele

stone slab, placed verticallly and decorated with inscriptions and/or reliefs. Used as a grave marker or commemorative monument.

menhir

tall upright stone, erected in prehistoric times

naturalistic forms

the depiction of realistic objects in a natural setting

Ahura-Mazda

the god of the universe, added to many reiefs in symbol of round sphere with wings

Figures of Man & a Woman, Cernavoda, Romania,

Plastered covered twig cores with laters of plaster, 3ft tall

pharaoh

Ruler of Egypt, thought of as a "living deity"

iconography

the study of the subject matter and conventional symbol in works of art

sculpture-in-the-round

Sculpture free from any background and free standing.

megalithic architecture

type of construction

mortise & tenon joint

type of securing building mechanism in which a "notch" is place on side to fit a groove on the adjacent side. to secure it in place

hieratic scale

use of differences in size to indicate relative importance,

totemistic ceremonies

which humans are said to have kinship or a mystical relationship with a spirit-being, such as an animal or plant. The entity, or totem, is thought to interact with a given kin group or an individual and to serve as their emblem or symbol.

stylus

writing tool used in creating cuneiform writing.

Bison Relief, Tuc d'Audoubert, France

Unbaked clay

register

a device used to define spacial definition. Painting: use of differing groundlines to differentiate layers of space in an image. Relief: placing self contained bands in vertical arrangement.

mastaba

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

obelisk

a four-sided tapering shaft with a pyramidal top, originally erected in pairs at the entrances of ancient Egyptian temples. The Egyptian obelisk was carved from a single piece of stone, usually red granite

necropolis

a large cemetery or burial area; literally a "city of the dead"

hypostyle hall

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

pylon

a massive gateway formed by a pair of tapering walls of obolong shape. Erected by ancient Egyptians to mark the entrance of a temple

cromlech

a megalithic tomb consisting of a large flat stone laid on upright ones.

geomancy

a method of divination,

bitumen

a natural tar-like substance that ancient people used to paint with. Example: the Neolithic figures at Ain Ghazal have bitumen around the eyes. The Romans also used bitumen as a road pavement.

shaman

a person who is believed to have spiritual powers; often serves as a religious leader or spiritual guide. In many pre-modern societies, shaman are believed to have the ability to heal due to their connection with the spirit world. They may undergo ritual ceremonies of transformation that connect them to another realm.

cairn

a pile of stones or earth and stones that served as a prehistoric burial site and as a marker for underground tombs.

trilithons

a post and lintel construction, with 2 posts and a 3rd stone topping the structure vertically. (stonehenge)

dolmen

a prehistoric structure made up of two or more large upright stones supporting a large, flat, horizontal slab.

passage grave

a prehistoric tomb under a cairn reached by a long, narrow slab line passage way.

colonnade

a row of columns supportiung a straight lintel or a series of arches.

*Hall of Bulls, Lascaux Cave, Dordogne, France. Paint on limestone, length of largest bull 18' (5.5 m)

D

Jean-François Champollion

Deciphered the Rosetta Stone,

Sir Howard Carter

British Egyptologist, discovered King Tutankhamen

Osiris

Egyptian deity of the dead, ruler of the underworld. Father of horus. God of Resurrection and fertility

ankh

Egyptian symbol for life

Aten

Egyptian symbol for the sun, also associated with the sun god RA

papyrus scroll

Egyptian writing media, made by grinding papyrus to a pulp, then smashing and flattening out the papyrus, and later drying it.

Menkaure and Queen (Khamerernebty)

From Giza, greywacke, with traces of red paint