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