Humanities exam

1. In what year did the Great Fire of London destroy about 13,000 houses, 400 streets, and 90 churches (including old St. Paul's Cathedral)?

1666

To when does the Venus or Woman of Willendorf date?

25,000 bce

1. What are the dates for the Golden Age of Athens?

480-404 B.C.E.

1. To what does "acropolis" refer?

A high part of an Ancient Greek city

Describe the early Greek kouros figures?

A kouros is a statue of a standing nude youth that did not represent any one individual youth but the idea of youth.

1. Which features from Classical Greco-Roman architecture can be found in the Baroque church of St. Paul's Cathedral?

A large dome

1. What did the Romans construct in order to supply major urban centers, such as Nimes and Rome, with a vital natural resource?

Aqueducts

1. A relief on the interior passageway of which construction depicts the menorah taken from the temple of Jerusalem?

Arch of Titus

A sculpted figure appears with voluptuous contours including fleshy hips, large belly, huge bosoms, and other exaggerated sexual features. She has a rounded head, and, instead of eyes, nose, ears, mouth and other normal facial features, she has seven circular, horizontal, decorative bands. How is the sculpture interpreted? What does she represent?

As a mother earth goddess from an ancient cult that promoted fertility

In the scene from the back of Tutankhamon's throne, how does Amon appear?

As the sun, shedding its rays of blessings on the royal family

1. Which Greco-Roman deity of war and wisdom who sprang fully grown and armed from the head of Zeus?

Athena (Minerva)

1. What is indicative of the Baroque style and provides an accurate description of Bernini's David in contrast with the Renaissance Davids of Donatello and Michelangelo?

Bernini's David is depicted in action, in the midst of flinging the stone

1. Which architect solved the problem of the Cathedral of Santa Maria del Fiore in Florence?

Brunelleschi

1. Which architect, drawing from Roman and Gothic vaulting techniques to solve a major problem, created an internal domed vault to support an outer domed vault and pointed the vaulting in order to diminish lateral thrust?

Brunelleschi

The bronze statue of Poseidon or Zeus depicts a god as though he were causing destruction, either throwing his trident or a lightning bolt. What expression on the face of the god is more characteristic of the Hellenic or Classical period of Greece than of the later Hellenistic period?

Calm composure, poise, or self-control

Who earned an epitaph that refers to him as the builder of London and suggests that, if one seeks a monument, he/she should look around?

Christopher Wren

1. What is the name for the ancient Roman amphitheater that could seat as many as 50,000 spectators and was the site of gladiatorial combats, wild beast hunts, and even mock naval battles?

Colosseum

In the creation of his sculpted Boy, Kritios employed a technique in posing his subject, and this technique has been used throughout the remainder of sculptural history because it helps render a more believable or lifelike form. What is that technique or principle?

Contrapposto

1. The capital of which order, popular among the Romans, consists of a somewhat "V"-shaped arrangement of the buds, leaves, and fronds of the acanthus plant?

Corinthian Order

Demonstrating the Classical Greek concern for naturalism, Myron, in this sculpture, wanted his viewers to anticipate movement in a static medium, so he depicted an athlete pausing in the midst of motion

Discobolus

1. Who placed the left foot of David on the head of Goliath?

Donatello

1. In his Ten Books on Architecture, the Roman Vitruvius describes which order as strong, simple, grave, unadorned, and masculine?

Doric

1. The frieze of which order consists of alternating triglyphs and metopes?

Doric

1. What name did Michelangelo give to some of Ghiberti's work on the Baptistery of San Giovanni next to the Florence Cathedral?

Gates of Paradise

1. This artist occupied his life for more than fifty years with sculpting gilt bronze panels for two sets of doors in Florence.

Ghiberti

1. Which sculptor was able to relate complex stories in his panels by depicting scenes from the stories in differing levels of relief?

Ghiberti

A winged sculpted figure appears as though she were alighting on the prow of a war ship. A remarkably sculpted stretch of apparently saturated material across her stomach and open wings indicate that the wind and ocean mist are blowing up against her. Her open right hand may be held high. How is the sculpture interpreted? What does she represent?

Goddess of victory

1. What kind of vault may be described as an intersection of two tunnel or barrel vaults meeting at right angles and a vault that rests weight on four piers allowing space for windows or doors?

Groin or cross vault

1. What title indicates a Muslim who has undertaken the pilgrimage to Mecca?

Hajji

To what does Hellas (as in Hellenic and Hellenistic) refer?

Hellas is the Greek word for "Greece," and Hellenic sculpture is more rational and idealistic while Hellenistic or Classical sculpture is more emotional and realistic

1. In his Ten Books on Architecture, the Roman Vitruvius describes which order as light, delicate, fanciful, elegant and feminine?

Ionic

1. Which order features a colum with a capital that consists of twin volutes?

Ionic

Describe the Babylonian Stele of Hammurabi.

It depicts Moses receiving a code of law from King Hammurabi

1. Which structure is believed to have been rebuilt by Abraham and his son Ishmael to house a sacred black stone which, in turn, is believed to have come to earth as a gift of Allah during the days of Adam and Eve?

Kaaba

The second largest pyramid at Giza and the Great Sphinx are generally attributed to which pharaoh?

Khafre

This sculpture depicts a Trojan priest who is being punished by Apollo for his attempt to warn the Trojans against bringing the wooden horse, left behind by the Greeks, into their city.

Laocoon and His Sons

1. What is the formal name of the statue showing a woman with a star-like crown upon her head, the torch of Prometheus in her upraised right hand, and the tablet of independence in her left arm?

Liberty Enlightening the World

1. According to the story, for his pursuit of Medusa, Perseus acquired a sword, a helmet of invisibility, winged sandals, a magical purse/wallet, and a bronze shield. Cellini's Perseus is shown with all except which of those tools?

Magical purse/wallet

1. What term refers to a Muslim place of worship?

Masjid

What anicent land, the home of ancient Babylon, refers to "the land between two rivers" and is covered by the modern-day nation of Iraq?

Mesopotamia

1. Who designed the dome for St. Peter's Basilica?

Michelangelo

1. Who, from "the giant," created the David who overcame the giant?

Michelangelo

1. Whose David features strong but naturalistic musculature and serves as a symbol for the civic and cultural power of Florence?

Michelangelo's

1What sculpture stands as a powerful expression of victory -- as suggested by the sculpture's title?

Nike of Samothrace

1. Why was Santa Maria del Fiore still unfinished in 1418, even though the nave or central portion of the church had been completed by 1380?

No one could figure out how to construct the dome

1. Through its architecture, which very well preserved and extremely influential Roman temple brings the heavens or gods down to earth and presents the watchful eye (oculus) of "all the gods"?

Pantheon

1. Which very well preserved and extremely influential Roman temple provides a marvelous example of a hemispherical vault?

Pantheon

1. Which structure, demonstrating the classical Greek concern for visual perfection, was built to appear better, from a strict, consistent, mathematical standpoint, than it actually is?

Parthenon

1. From what is the name "Parthenon" derived? What does the name mean?

Parthenon meaning "virgins"

1. Which work or sculpture, considered by its creator to be miraculous in origin, may represent the artist's sarcastic revenge on the people of Florence; or, more seriously, it may represent a triumph over corruption, wickedness and evil, the "ugly" side of life?

Perseus

1. Who, according to the story, severed the head of a Gorgon and inadvertently killed his grandfather?

Perseus

1. To whom, according to a passage in the Christian gospel of Matthew, did Jesus say the following words: "Thou art ... and upon this rock I will build my church; and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it. And I will give unto thee the keys of the Kingdom of heaven; and whatsoever thou shalt bind on earth shall be bound in heaven; and whatsoever thou shalt loose on earth shall be loosed in heaven"?

Peter

1. According to Greek mythology, who gave humanity the gift of fire that became symbolic of enlightenment and freedom?

Prometheus

At Ramses II Temple at Abu Simbel who is featured in four large colossal statutes at the entrance and along with three other deities in the rear?

Ramses II

Why is the Woman of Willendorf also referred to as the Venus of Willendorf?

She, like Venus, is regarded as a goddess of fertility and love

1. Which of the following does not appear to be the themes/reasons lying behind the construction of the Acropolis in Athens? What messages did the Acropolis relay?

Showing concern for the needy outcasts of Athenian society.

1. Which church features the so-called "Whispering Gallery," a gallery on the interior of the dome's drum which carries sound very, very well?

St. Paul's Cathedral

1. A German bomb failed to explode after it crashed through both roof and floor to settle in the crypt of which structure?

St. Paul's Cathedral of London

1. What structure features three domes in one: an interior dome of light brick, a middle conical dome of brick to support the lantern tower atop, and an exterior dome of lead covered timber?

St. Paul's Cathedral of London

1. Baroque art (1600-1750) tends to be elaborate, monumental, or grand. As the second largest Christian church in Europe, which structure represents this Baroque characteristic?

St. Paul's cathedral of London

1. An indicator of the Baroque style, this was the largest Christian church in the world for several centuries and is still the largest Christian church in Europe.

St. Peter's Basilica in Rome, Italy

1. Mysticism was an influential religious force in the Baroque Era. Which sculpture was meant to relate the following mystical experience: "In his (an angel's) hands I saw a great golden spear.... This he plunged into my heart several times so that it penetrated my entrails. When he pulled it out, I felt he took them with it, and left me utterly consumed by the great love of God"?

St. Teresa in Ecstasy

1. Which structure, built in India by Shah Jahan to serve as a mausoleum for his favorite wife, illustrates several common features of Islamic architecture including pishtaqs, minarets, and bulbous domes?

Taj Mahal

1. What Muslim structure was built on the spot where Muhammad ascended into the heavens to speak with Allah?

The Dome of the Rock

That large sculpture is located in front of (to the east of) the Pyramid of Khafre outside of Cairo Egypt?

The Great Sphinx

Describe the Great Sphinx

The Great Sphinx is a large human-headed lion that was carved from a mound of natural rock

1. Who destroyed the Acropolis of Athens in 480 B.C.E.?

The Persians

1. What is the primary message of Bernini's Piazza San Pietro?

The Roman Catholic Church is the door to heaven and welcomes all

1. What people/culture developed, not created, the arch and vault system of architecture?

The ancient romans

What structure is more formally known as Santa Maria del Fiore?

The cathedral of Florence

1. Describe the Parthenon?

The crowning achievement of Athens' Acropolis in Greece

From what, likely, stems the conception of Siddhartha Gautama, the Buddha, as an overweight or fat figure?

The influence of Chinese religion, with its hefty kitchen gods, and the mistake of confusing Siddhartha with another Buddha whose name was Budai

To what does the Tutankhamon striptease refer?

The many layers of coffins archaeologists had to remove in order to get to Tutankhamon's body

1. What marked the climax of the Greater Panathenaic Festival?

The presentation of a new robe for Athena

1. What kind of vault may be described as a series of arches placed one behind the other?

Tunnel or barrel

Who was the "boy king," the "living image of [the sun god] Amon," who succeeded his "heretical" father-in-law to the throne of Egypt at about the age of nine and then died within ten years?

Tutankhamon

Whose un-robbed tomb in Egypt's Valley of the Kings did Howard Carter discover in 1922?

Tutankhamon

1. St. Peter's Basilica is officially a part of which 108.5-acre nation?

Vatican City

What was begun under Shihuangdi, the first Ch'in emperor, in order to discourage the invasion of China from the north?

Wall of China

Which term refers to a movement (1350-1600) during which there was a "rebirth" of interest in the classical civilizations of Greece and Rome?

Who place the left foot of David on the head of Goliath

In ancient Greek architecture to what does "frieze" refer?

a band of sculpture running around the top of the naps or cella wall and/or around the top of the peristylon or colonnade

1. To what does "pediment" refer?

a lengthened triangular area at the top of both ends of a greek temple area in which sculpture was often placed

1. To what does the Greek word polis refer?

ancient Greek city-state

1. How was Prometheus punished for stealing fire from Mt. Olympus and giving it to humanity?

chained to a rock and had his liver eaten out on a daily basis by zeus' eagle

1. To what do the Greek word pronaos and the Latin portico refer?

entrance porch

The Statue of Khafre features an component that was intended to indicate Khafre's union or oneness with an Egyptian god. What is that component?

falcon-shaped figure behind his headdress

According to some Buddhists, both Siddhartha Gautama and Budai are Buddhas, and the two are often mistaken for one another. What, according to folklore, will result from rubbing Budai's large, round belly?

good fortune, happiness, prosperity

1. The builder of St. Paul's Cathedral compromised his own classical taste in architecture with what architectural taste of the English people and clergy? What architectural style did the English people and clergy prefer?

gothic

1. What is Cellini's Perseus doing?

holding up the head of Medusa for all to behold

Which ancient Greek sculpture marks a figurative turning point, because the figure demonstrates great improvement, and a literal turning point, because for the first time in Greek sculpture one sees a slight turn of the hips?

kritios or critain boy

What ideals might the Venus/Woman of Willendorf represent for the people who created it?

plentifulness, prosperity, fruitfulness, fertility

To what do the Greek word peristylon and the Latin colonande refer?

series of columns running around the temple

Whose tomb consisted of twenty-one square miles that included a subterranean palace under a huge mound of earth and pits containing some 6,000 clay (terra cotta) soldiers?

shihuangdi

1. All except this are components indicative of Donatello's David and its Renaissance style?

shown with the armor of Saul and a psalter at his feet

What term refers to the expression of self-control or calm, confident composure that may be found in the facial expressions of figures from Classical Greek culture?

sophrosune

When construction began on the High Dam at Aswan in the 1960s, which mountain relief temple, representing Egyptian culture, was sawed into over 1,000 transportable pieces, some weighing as much as fifteen tons, and eventually reassembled at a new site 192 feet higher on the mountain side?

temple of abu simbel

1. To what do the Greek word naos and the Latin cella refer?

the innermost part of the temple housing the cult statue, the statue used in worship of the edit, and limited access to the priests or priestesses in the service of the deity

What did the Great Sphinx face in the ancient world, and what does the Great Sphinx face in the modern world?

the rising sun, a pizza hut, and a Kentucky fried chicken

1. To what does contrapposto refer?

the sculptural practice of resting a figure's weight more on one side than the other

Why did Egyptian pharaohs begin constructing their tombs in the so-called "Valley of the Kings"?

to protect their tombs from theft and desecration