Art History Exam 2 Study Guide: Early Asian, Greek, and Roman Art

Vocabulary practice flashcards covering Early Asian, Ancient Greek, and Ancient Roman art and architecture, including terms, periods, artists, and specific works from the Exam 2 Study Guide.

Great Stupa at Sanchi

A major Buddhist stupa monument located in India

Buddha & Attendants

An Indian high relief sculpture depicting the Buddha displaying a mudra alongside attendants.

High Relief

A sculptural relief technique in which figures project significantly from the background surface, exemplified by the Buddha & Attendants sculpture.

Bodhisattva Seated in Meditation

A Korean cast bronze freestanding sculpture dating to the 3 Kingdoms Period

Ushnisha

A symbolic mark of the Buddha represented as a mound of wisdom or topknot on the head.

Urna

A symbol of the Buddha defined as a tuft of hair between the eyes.

Mudras

Symbolic and ritual hand gestures in Buddhist art and iconography.

Chakras

Symbols of the Buddha depicted as wheels, often found on the soles of the feet.

Stretched Earlobes

A physical sign and symbol of the Buddha denoting detachment from wealth.

Shiva Nataraga

A Hindu sculpture from India dating to c. 7th century portraying the deity Shiva.

Main Hall, Inner Shrine, Ise

A sacred Japanese Shinto shrine dating from 690 CE that was last rebuilt in 2013.

Kami

Spirits or divine powers in the Japanese Shinto religious tradition associated with shrines such as the Inner Shrine at Ise.

Woman (Cycladic Greek)

A Cycladic Greek marble sculpture of a female figure dating to c. 2,4000 BCE.

Octopus Flask

A Minoan Greek ceramic vessel decorated with marine motifs

Funerary Krater

An Attic Greek vessel from the Geometric period

Achilles and Ajax Playing a Game

An Archaic Greek amphora featuring black figure decoration made by Exekias

Exekias

The Greek artist who created the black figure amphora depicting Achilles and Ajax Playing a Game c. 540-530 BCE.

Anavysos Kouros

An Archaic Greek sculpture of a freestanding standing youth displaying the Archaic smile.

Archaic Smile

The characteristic stylized, closed-lip smile found on Greek sculptures of the Archaic period, such as the Anavysos Kouros.

Polykleitos

The Classical Greek sculptor who sculpted the Spear Bearer (Doryphoros) and developed a canon of proportions.

Spear Bearer (Doryphoros)

A Classical Greek sculpture by Polykleitos that embodies contrapposto and the canon of proportions.

Contrapposto

A classical sculptural pose where body weight is shifted onto one supporting leg, creating an asymmetrical balance between the hips and shoulders.

Canon

A system of theoretical and mathematical proportions used to determine the ideal human form, formulated by Polykleitos.

Grave Stele Of a Little Girl

A Classical Greek funerary relief stele.

Aphrodite of Knidos

A Greek sculpture by Praxiteles categorized under Hellenistic Greek art.

Praxiteles

The sculptor who created the famous Hellenistic Greek sculpture Aphrodite of Knidos

Nike of Samothrace

A monumental Hellenistic Greek marble sculpture of the winged goddess Nike

Seated Boxer

A Hellenistic Greek bronze sculpture attributed to Apollonius

Pont du Gard

A Roman aqueduct constructed with rounded arches, voussoirs, and keystones.

Keystone

The central stone at the apex of a rounded arch that locks all the voussoirs in place.

Voussoirs

The wedge-shaped masonry stones that form the curvature of a rounded arch.

Augustus of Primaporta

A Roman imperial portrait statue dating to the early 1st century CE depicting Emperor Augustus with themes of apotheosis.

Apotheosis

The elevation or deification of an individual to divine rank, exemplified in Roman art by the Augustus of Primaporta.

Equestrian portrait of Marcus Aurelius

A Roman bronze equestrian statue of Emperor Marcus Aurelius dating to c. 176 CE.

Pantheon

A Roman architectural monument dating to 110-128 CE comprising a portico, facade, rotunda, interior ceiling coffers, and an oculus.

Oculus

The central round opening situated at the apex of the dome of the Roman Pantheon.

Coffers

Recessed decorative panels situated inside the ceiling of a dome or vault, as seen in the Roman Pantheon.

Rotunda

A round building or large circular hall covered by a dome, forming the primary body of the Roman Pantheon.