apah vocab list 2

Alignments

The arrangement of monuments, structures, or objects along a particular line, often connected to astronomical events or geographic features.

Anthropomorphic

Having human characteristics or a humanlike form.

Axis Mundi

A sacred center or “world axis” believed to connect heaven, Earth, and the underworld.

Bas Relief

A low

Cong

An ancient Chinese jade object shaped like a square tube with a circular opening, often used in burials.

Corbeling

A construction technique in which each successive layer of stone projects inward until an opening is covered.

Dentate/Dentate Stamping

A decorative technique that creates toothlike or notched patterns by pressing a carved tool into a surface.

Dolmen

A megalithic tomb formed by placing a large horizontal stone on top of upright stones.

Duality

The combination or contrast of two opposing but interconnected ideas, forces, or qualities.

Engraving

A technique in which lines are cut into a hard surface such as metal, stone, or wood.

Greywacke

A hard, dark

Henge

A prehistoric circular earthwork consisting of a bank and ditch, sometimes containing stones or wooden posts.

Hunter-Gatherer

A person or society that survives by hunting animals and gathering wild plants rather than farming.

In Situ

Remaining in or displayed at its original location.

In-the-round

A freestanding, fully three-dimensional sculpture intended to be viewed from multiple sides.

Incising

Cutting or scratching lines into a surface to create a design.

Megalithic

Made from or relating to very large stones used to construct prehistoric monuments.

Memory Image

An image based on a general mental understanding or memory of a subject rather than direct observation.

Mesolithic

The “Middle Stone Age,” a transitional period between the Paleolithic and Neolithic periods.

Mortise and Tenon Joints

A construction method in which a projecting piece, the tenon, fits into a corresponding opening, the mortise.

Neolithic

The “New Stone Age,” characterized by agriculture, permanent settlements, domesticated animals, pottery, and polished stone tools.

Nephrite/Jade

A hard and durable mineral used to make valuable ritual and decorative objects.

Paleolithic

The “Old Stone Age,” characterized by hunting and gathering, chipped

Post and Lintel

A construction system in which two vertical supports hold up a horizontal beam.

Potsherds

Broken fragments of pottery that provide information about past cultures.

Radiocarbon Dating

A scientific method used to estimate the age of organic materials by measuring their remaining carbon

Shaman/Shamanism

A shaman is a spiritual leader believed to communicate with the spirit world; shamanism is the belief system connected to this role.

Site Specific

Created for a particular location and designed to interact with that location.

Stele

An upright stone slab or pillar carved with images or inscriptions, often used as a monument or grave marker.

Stylized

Represented with simplified, exaggerated, or altered forms rather than complete realism.

Summer Solstice

The day with the most daylight each year, sometimes marked by the alignment of ancient monuments.

Superimposition/Overlapping

Placing one figure or image over another, often to suggest depth, sequence, or different periods of creation.

Sympathetic Magic

The belief that representing or acting upon an image can influence the real person, animal, or event depicted.

Terra Cotta

Fired clay, usually reddish

Taotie

A symmetrical, masklike animal face found on ancient Chinese ritual bronze vessels.

Twisted Perspective

A method that shows different body parts from their most recognizable viewpoints, such as a profile head and frontal torso.

Wattle and Daub

A building method using woven branches covered with clay, mud, straw, or similar materials.