Art 100 Test 1
Name two materials used in Prehistoric sculpture
-Clay -Stone -Bone -Ivory -Bronze
Name five characteristics of the Amarna period of Ancient Egyptian history
-Elongated body features -High waist -Protruding bellies -Voluptuous thighs -Naturalistic style
How many languages were inscribed on the Rosetta Stone?
-Hieroglyphs (Ancient Egyptian form of writing) -Demotic (Egyptian script used for daily, mundane purposes) -Ancient Greek
What were two tools used by the Prehistoric artist to apply paint to walls?
-Hollowed-out bone (to blow the pigment material through like an airbrush) -Reed/fingers (to paint the pigment that was mixed with saliv directly on surface)
Name three characteristics of ancient Egyptian art that can be seen on the Palette of King Narmer
-Low relief -Twisted Perspective -Monumental -hierarchy
What is a ziggurat?
A monumental step platform used to elevate Mesopotamian temples
Why was the discovery of the Rosetta Stone important to understanding the Ancient Egyptian civilization?
A stone containing inscriptions in Greek, demotic, and hieroglyphics. It enabled scholars to decipher the meanings of the hieroglyphic symbols and subsequently read the language of the ancient Egyptians which was everywhere on tombs, temples, and papyrus scrolls.
Was the additive or the subtractive sculptural technique used to create the "Bison Tuc D 'Audoubert" ?
additive
Name the cave where the first Prehistoric paintings were discovered.
Altamira• Cantabria, Spain
What are the 4 most common subject matter used in cave paintings?
Animals, Geometric signs, handprints, and Humans
Name a reason why few Mesopotamian buildings survive today.
Because of the non-durable materials used in construction such as alabaster, limestone, clay and mud brick. (they lacked timber)
Why is Assyrian art history well documented?
Because they used stone which is much more durable than mud bricks
Why are Sumerian cemeteries great sources for discovering the art of the period?
Because throughout history, it has been customary to bury important items with the deceased, and the items are buried in underground pits protecting them from harsh weather conditions.
Which king changed the religion of Egypt from polytheistic to monotheistic during the Amarna Period?
King Akhenaten
Name the Assyrian creature that had a winged lion or bull body with a human head, used to intimidate and humble the visitor to the Palace of Sargon II.
Lamassu
Name the subject matter seen on both sides of the Standard of Ur.
military scenes, peace scenes, and animal scenes.
Was Jericho an unfortified town?
No, it was heavily fortified. In the Old Testament, the walls of Jericho fell down from the sounds of the Jewish army trumpets
What does the term Paleolithic mean
Old Stone Age
What does the term post and lintel mean?
refers to a construction consisting of vertical (post) and horizontal (lintel) members.
The Apadana Hall is part of which palace?
Persepolis
Why is Persian architecture much better preserved in comparison with Mesopotamian?
Persian architecture used stone, metals, ivory, bone, and clay and Mesopotamian use mud bricks.
Who was the first queen to reign over Egypt?
Queen Hatshepsut
What is a Mastaba?
Rectangular structure, flat roof, sloping sides. Used as a tomb for Kings in the Early Dynastic period (1-2)
Name the historical event that is depicted on the Palette of King Narmer
the unification of Lower and Upper Egypt around 3100BC
Name four factors that influence Egyptian architectural design
−Natural Resources: stone (used for temples and tombs) and clay to build houses −Eternal life- durable stone in construction represented immortality and desire for permanence −The climate: hot an dryness of weather affected how Egyptians build everything (flat roofs prevail because there was no rainfall as opposed to places with more rainfall with their pitched roof construction for drainage) −Religion: buildings built to represent their gods and afterlife
What are two factors that contributed to the preservation of the ancient Egyptian tombs and temples?
Stone/rock and dry climate
Which three architectural terms can you use to describe the features of Stonehenge?
Stonehenge possesses: Menhir, Cromlech/Henge (Menhir arranged in a circle), Post and Lintel construction
In sculpture: interconnected eyebrows in the shape of a wide V, large eyes are typical characteristics of what culture?
Sumerian culture
Which building from Ancient Near East was considered one of the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World?
The Hanging Gardens of Babylon. It is mentioned in the writings of several famous ancient historians such as Herodotus and Diodorus and was built by King Nebuchadnezzar II for his wife.
Name the ancient Egyptian building that is similar to the Ziggurat.
The ancient Egyptian Step Pyramid of King Djoser.
Name two materials used on the skulls found in Jericho.
The skulls in Jericho were reassembled using plaster with seashells for the eyes.
What happens at the Mjnadra temple during an equinox?
The sunlight floods the temple through the entrance, because it is astronomically aligned
What does the term dolmen mean
The term dolmen comes from the Celtic word meaning "table". It is a burial site comprised of two standing stones, topped by a horizontal slab, all of which are covered by earth to form a mound. Some 50,000 dolmen exist in various parts of Europe. common in korea. burial site
Name the material that the Neo-Babylonian builders used to decorate the Ishtar Gate.
They decorated it with glazed bricks. The glaze on the brick was made of ash and immanakku (type of sandstone), and crushed minerals for color.
What materials did the builders of Skara Brae use to build their houses?
They used mainly stone due to the lack of trees in the area (Orkney Islands, Scotland)
Indicate two reasons why the Ancient Egyptians used clerestory windows in their temples.
To let light in, as well as let hot air escape in order to keep building cool
Many Gudea statues have been found in Mesopotamia. Who was Gudea?
Was a powerful Sumerian ruler over the city-state Lagash, modern Telloh, Iraq.
Did prehistoric people of Skara Brae use furniture in their houses?
Yes. They had flagstone furniture: beds, dressers, cupboards, shelves. The dresser was built of granite in a post and lintel construction, appearing to be the most important furniture since it is always located across from the entrance of the home.
What does the term megalithic mean
Derived from the Greek words for "big" and "stone" and refers to structures constructed from massive stones. These structures are found throughout Europe.
Who discovered the tomb of Tutankhamen?
Howard Carter
Name the famous gate at the city of Babylon.
Ishtar gate
Who deciphered the Ancient Egyptian hieroglyphs?
Jean Francois Champollion
Name five characteristics of ancient Egypt temples.
-Monumental in size: huge, intimidating effect -Inward effect: artistic and religious emphasis was placed on the inside of the temple -Clerestory windows: windows placed on the upper section of a wall -Hypostyle halls: pillared halls with flat roofs supported by columns -Peristyles: open spaces surrounded by columns -Pylons: monumental gateways consisting of a pair of structures that had slanting walls flanking the entrance portal -Obelisks: tall, tapering structures, square in plan, that are capped with a pyramid, often placed in front of the pylons -flat roofs with ramps lead from one level to another -walls covered with hieroglyphs -statues of king that built temple were placed in front of the pylons
Name six characteristics of Near Eastern Sculpture.
-Rigid, with no movement -Twisted perspective: side views and frontal views are seen simultaneously -Figures were presented in Registers -Hierarchy, where size indicates social status -Large staring eyes with continuous eyebrows -Stylized hair and beard -Cylindrical Shapes -Nature was stylized: ex) a series of wavy lines might be used to represent water
Name two unique features of the Catal Hoyuk settlement in Anatolia, Turkey.
-community of doorless houses did not have streets, they were clustered together right next to each other and you had to get in and out of the houses through the roof using a ladder. -They also had built-in benches made of clay on the walls (first evidence of built-in furniture) -They also buried their dead beneath the floors.
Name four characteristics of Ancient Egyptian sculpture
-twisted perspective -monumental -rigid -painted -hierarchy
Where did the colors used by the Prehistoric artist come from
Black (charcoal), Red (manganese dioxide), Yellow (ochre)
What three colors were primarily used in cave painting
Black, red and yellow
Music was important to the Sumerians. Name an art object which supports this statement.
Bull-headed Lyre
What does the term menhir mean?
Celtic word meaning, "standing stone,"a large vertical stone found in what is believed to be ritual centers.
Name the element in the houses of the Skara Brae people that was used as the center of social and domestic life.
Central stone hearth
What are some of the theories / purposeses of cave painting
Ceremonial, improve hunting, record legends, local magic or ensure fertility.
Name the most common material used by the Mesopotamian architects.
Clay, Mud, Glazed bricks, limestone, alabaster, and stone.
Name the great contribution to civilization by King Hammurabi.
Established written laws.
What is the Woman/Venus of Willendorf believed to represent?
Fertility
Which two countries currently have the most examples of Prehistoric paintings
France and Spain
Name five characteristics found in Prehistoric paintings?
Handprints and hand stencils, Twisted Perspective ,Super-positioning, Figures, Naturalism