Terms and Periods of Greece and Rome

Geometric Period

900-700 BC, dark ages over, economy better, cities are being formed, trade is good, art, poetry, and writing are back, interest back in the human figure with painted pottery

Archaic Period

600-480 BC, flourishing period, growth, change, monumental stone sculpture is back

Early Classical Period

480-450 BC, characterized by solemnity, strength, and simplicity of a form.

High Classical Period

450-400 BC, fully developed concept of contrapposto stance, Intense study of human figure, Detail, Idealism, "High" Classical given by art historians due to unsurpassed excellence, Explore relationship between actual and ideal

Late Classical Period

400-320 BC, Alexander the Great, New canon of proportions, S curve, More natural texture, Slightly more narrative

Hellenistic Period

320-30 BC, culture associated with the spread of Greek influence as a result of Macedonian conquests; often seen as the combination of Greek culture with eastern political forms

Etruscan Art

700-200 BC, known for its stiff figures, formal smiles, and almond-shaped eyes

Republican Period

509-27 BC, the Roman period lasting from the victories over the Etruscans to the death of Julius Caesar

Early Empire

27 BC- 192 CE, glorified emperors and the Roman state, blending Greek aesthetic influences with Roman realism to produce a distinct style in sculpture, frescoes, mosaics, and architecture, characterized by idealized portraiture and propaganda

Late Empire

192-395 CE, a style characterized by a move away from classical realism towards abstraction, symbolism, and stylized figures, reflecting a society in transformation due to the rise of Christianity, the decline of the empire, and increased spiritual and cultural diversity.

Early Christian Art

100-476 CE, works produced by and for Christians during the first five centuries of the Common Era, will tend to focus on Spiritual not Naturalism.

Early Byzantine Art

400-726 CE, characterized by abstract, flat figures, bold lines, religious subjects, and the extensive use of mosaics in churches, notably the Hagia Sophia

black-figure technique

refined, controlled means of creating the effects on the decorated vases

red-figure technique

In later Greek pottery, the silhouetting of red figures against a black background, with painted linear details; the reverse of the black-figure technique.

Kouros/Kore

Young man/woman in Archaic Greek Statues

encaustic

mixing pigment with hot wax, apply pigment when its warm, slick and shiny, sheen to it

naos (cella)

large open area with the statue of deity

pronaos

little front porch area

peripteral

single row of columns, go all around the temple

frieze

a broad horizontal band of sculpted or painted decoration, especially on a wall near the ceiling.

entablature

a horizontal, continuous lintel on a classical building supported by columns or a wall, comprising the architrave, frieze, and cornice.

architrave

a main beam resting across the tops of columns, specifically the lower third entablature.

triglyph

a triple projecting, grooved member of a Doric frieze that alternates with metopes

metope

panel between the triglyphs in a Doric frieze, often sculpted in relief

pediment

the triangular top of a temple that contains sculpture

cornice

projecting molding on building (usually above columns or pillars)

stylobate

The uppermost course of the platform of a Greek temple, which supports the columns.

column (base, shaft, capital)

A vertical, weight-carrying architectural member, circular in cross-section and consisting of a base (sometimes omitted), a shaft, and a capital.

entasis

a slight convex curve in the shaft of a column, introduced to correct the visual illusion of concavity produced by a straight shaft.

Classical Orders (Doric, Ionic, Corinthian)

The orders describe the form and decoration of Greek and later Roman columns, and continue to be widely used in architecture today

caryatid

a female figure that functions as a supporting column

contrapposto

A style of Greek sculpture where people are depicted standing and leaning so that the person's weight is being put on one side. People are depicted with their bodies curved like an "S"

Golden Ratio

approximately 1.618 and is believed to be aesthetically pleasing in art and architecture

terracotta

Hard-baked clay, used for sculpture and as a building material. It may be glazed or painted.

concrete

building material made by mixing small stones and sand with limestone, clay, and water

round arch construction

a curved architectural structure, often forming a semicircle, that spans an opening, such as a doorway or window, and supports weight by transferring loads through compression to its abutments

keystone

a central stone at the summit of an arch, locking the whole together.

voussoirs

wedge shaped blocks holding the curve of the arch

barrel vault

the simplest form of vault consisting of an unbroken series of arches; it forms a tunnel like shape

groin vault

formed at the point at which 2 barrel vaults intersect at right angles

arcade

A series of arches supported by piers or columns.

podium

raised platform

Tuscan Order

an order of ancient architecture featuring slender, smooth columns that sit on simple bases; no carvings on the frieze or in the capitals

Composite Order

a Roman order that combines the Corinthian acanthus leaves with the spiral scrolls of the Ionic order

engaged columns

a column embedded in a wall and partly projecting from the surface of the wall

pseudoperipteral

In Roman architecture, a pseudoperipteral temple has a series of engaged columns all around the sides and back of the cella to give the appearance of a peripteral colonnade.

oculus

the round central opening of a dome

coffers

A recessed decorative panel that is used to reduce the weight of and to decorate ceilings or vaults.

intuitive perspective

A method of giving the impression of recession by visual instinct, not by the use of an overall system or program.

basilica/basilica plan

an ancient Roman public building for legal and commercial functions and a Christian church architecture characterized by a rectangular plan with a central nave, side aisles, and an apse at one end, designed for worship and community gatherings

central plan

a church having a circular plan with the altar in the middle

nave

the central part of a church building, intended to accommodate most of the congregation

apse

A recess, usually semicircular, in the wall of a Roman basilica or at the east end of a church.

transept

The part of a church with an axis that crosses the nave at a right angle.

narthex

A porch or vestibule of a church, generally colonnaded or arcaded and preceding the nave

ambulatory

a covered walkway or processional passageway that goes around the apse or choir of a church, behind the main altar

central core

compositional technique of placing the most important figure, usually the emperor, prominently in the center of the scene to emphasize their power and authority.

mosaic

Art consisting of a design made of small pieces of colored stone or glass

tesserae

the small piece of stone, glass, or other object that is pieced together with many others to create a mosaic

catacombs

An underground cemetery, esp. one consisting of tunnels and rooms with recesses dug out for coffins and tombs.

pendentives

a curved triangle of vaulting formed by the intersection of a dome with its supporting arches.

codex

an unbound manuscript of some ancient classic (as distinguished from a scroll)

vellum

Calfskin prepared as a surface for writing or painting.