Aegean / Greek / Etruscan / Roman Civilization

Palace of Knossos

A spreading palace of stone and wood for the king, with so many chambers above and below the ground. Also known as "Palace of Minos".

Cyclopean Architecture

Term used by the Ancient Greeks to describe the architecture of the Ancient Aegean/Mycenaean civilization due to the enormous size of the stones used in the construction.

Megaron

Means "big room"; a prehistoric throne room.

Tholos tomb

A beehive-shaped burial structure with a false dome created by corbelling

Polis

Independent city-states which composed Greece

eidolon

Spirit image of a living or dead person made usually of marble.

Minoan

Period relating to King Minos

Sir Arthur Evans

Discovered Minoan culture.

snake goddess

Small scultpures during Minoan period.

cyclopean masonry

Large, rough cut and irregular stones.

corbelling

Made of layers called courses.

Kouros

Greek word for 'male youth.' An Archaic Greek statue of a standing, nude youth.

Kore

Greek statue of a young woman, standing and clothed in long loose robes.

Severe Style

A style of sculpture characterized by movement; towards increasing naturalness and freedom of form; use of lost wax method and bronze casting.

Cassical Style

The art of Greece's Golden Age. Idealized representations with perfect bodily proportion.

Contrapposto

a pose in which a figure's weight is shifted to one leg, creating an S-shaped curve.

Hellenic Art

Pertaining to ancient Greek history, culture and art before the time of Alexander the Great

Geometric Style

Style of Greek pottery characterized by rectilinear meander patterns.

Orientalizing Style

Style of Greek pottery characterized by assimilation of Eastern iconography.

Black-figure pottery

A style during Archaic period; characterized by black silhouettes of figures and designs painted on clay vessels; a black slip was applied to the clay, which turned black during firing 

Black and red figure techniques

A style or technique of ancient Greek to decorate fine pottery

Ezekias

Famous painter of black figure.

White-ground technique

A style during Classical period; refers to the application of a white clay slip on the surface of a vessel before adding figure decoration

stylobate

Topmost step of three steps

shaft

Column itself composed of individual sections (drums) and concave groove (flutes), with a base and capital.

drum

Individual section of a column

flute

Concave grooves in a column

necking

Snug band at the top of the shaft

echinus

Flat, curved element like a plate with rounded sides

abacus

Flat square above the echinus

entablature

Forms the lintel in an order

architrave

Part of entablature; plain, horizontal member above a capital

frieze

Part of entablature; a band above the architrave consisting of metopes and triglyphs

metope

Part of frieze; Slabs of stone either plane or with relief sculpture on an entablature

regula

Part of frieze; short band under the triglyph

cornice

Part of entablature; projects above the frieze to protect it from weather

raking cornice

type of cornice that is low and slanting

pediment

a triangular gable with raked cornices on each side

entasis

Technique applied on columns which do not taper in a straight line but bulge outward

fillet

(Moulding) Small, flat and plain surface used to separate other moldings

fascia

(Moulding) Wide, straight surface

ovolo

(Moulding) Convex curved surface, quarter circle, egg and dart motif

cavetto

(Moulding) Concave curved surface, quarter circle

cyma recta

(Moulding) S-shaped curved surface that starts and ends horizontally; Honeysuckle motif

cyma reversa

(Moulding) S-shaped curved surface that stars and ends vertically; Waterleaf motif

torus

(Moulding) Convex surface; semi-circle; with guilloche

bead

(Moulding) Small torus

scotia

(Moulding) Deep, hollow, concave moulding on the column base

Telamon

Male figure as columns; also called an atlas

Agora

(Greek architecture) plaza/court, meeting place, platform for speaker

stoa

(Greek architecture) Long, colonnaded multi-purpose building

acropolis

(Greek architecture) city upon a hill

temple

(Greek architecture) Built to house the deity

theatre

(Greek architecture) For plays and performances; consist of stone seat wrapped around the orchestra and face the skene (stage building)

auditorium

(Type of Greek Theater) Semi-circular form hollowed out of a hill

odeon

(Type of Greek Theater) Covered smaller theaters

stadium

(Type of Greek Theater) Elongated theater for foot races

orchestra

(Part of Greek Theater) "Dancing place"; Large, circular area with a slightly raised stone for the deity

proscenium

(Part of Greek Theater) Acting area behind the orchestra

skene

(Part of Greek Theater) a structure serving as backdrop or dressing room

parodos

(Part of Greek Theater) Entrance or Exit (exodus) on each side of the orchestra

exodus

(Part of Greek Theater) Exit

prytaneion

(Greek architecture) Senate house for elected officials

bouleterion

(Greek architecture) Council house; covered meeting place for elected officials

palestra

(Greek architecture) Gymnasium

Parthenon

Temple devoted to Athena composed of Doric columns

Ictinus and Callicrates

Architects of the Parthenon

portrait sculpture

(Roman) Sculpture that depicted non-idealized versions of people

relief sculpture

(Roman) Sculpture that depicted narratives. Usually appeared on arches, altars and tombs

Roman fresco technique

fresco technique involving painting directly on a plaster wall

buon fresco

(Roman art) good or true fresco; painting on wet plaster

fresco secco

(Roman art) Dry fresco

mosaic

A picture or pattern made of many small colored pieces of stone or glass

vault

Arched masonry that forms the ceiling of a building. An extended arch.

dome

Extended round arch

Vitruvius

A Roman architect who established certain rules for standardizing Greek orders for architecture

module

Measuring unit for each order

composite order

A Roman order which has a combination of Ionic shaft and Corinthian capital.

tuscan order

A Roman order that resembles the Doric order but without a fluted shaft.

forum

(Forms of Roman architecture) Counterpart of the agora composed of temples, triumphal arches, pillars of victories, basilica, senate and shops

domus

(Roman architecture) Middle class house

insulae

(Roman architecture) Blocks of flats used as a shop and apartment.

villa

(Roman architecture) Upper class house

amphitheater

(Roman architecture) Smaller than a colosseum

aqueducts

(Roman architecture) Large reservoir for lead pipes to transport water to towns

basilica

(Roman architecture) Roman law court which eventually became a hall of justice and commercial exchange

thermae

(Roman architecture) Public bath. Example: Baths of Caracalla

caldarium

(Part of a thermae) hot room

tepidarium

(Part of a thermae) warm room

frigidarium

(Part of a thermae) cold room

lanconicum

(Part of a thermae) dry sweating room

unctuaria

(Part of a thermae) oiling and shampooing

apodyteria

(Part of a thermae) dressing room

Pantheon

(Roman architecture) A building built in Rome as a temple to all the gods of ancient Rome. Commissioned by Marcus Agrippa during the reign of Augustus (27 BC - 14 AD) and rebuilt by Emperor Hadrian in about 120 AD.

oculus

Hole in the center to admit light in the Pantheon

colosseum

(Roman architecture) Also called a Flavian amphitheater built for games.

triumphal arch

(Roman architecture) a large, free-standing archway built to commemorate military triumphs designed with relief

column of victory

(Roman architecture) a monument in the form of column erected in memory of a victorious battle

Ara pacis

(Roman architecture) Great marble monument during the reign of Augustus

Krater

A large vessel with two handles for mixing wine and water.