Chapter 03, Vocabulary

Sarcophagus

A rectangular stone coffin.

Fresco secco

"Dry fresco"; the technique of painting on dry plaster.

Theocracy

A state ruled by a god or by the god's representative.

Composite view

A view that integrates multiple perspectives into a single unified representation.

Cartouche

In ancient Egyptian art, an ornamental and symbolic frame reserved for the names of rulers and their wives.

Ka

In ancient Egypt, an idea comparable to a "soul" or "life force."

Ba

In ancient Egypt, an idea comparable to a person's personality.

Mastaba

A trapezoidal tomb structure.

Mummy

An embalmed body wrapped for burial.

Mummification

The process of embalming, drying, and preserving a body.

Ankh

A hieroglyph of a cross topped with a loop; a symbol of life in ancient Egypt.

Colonnade

A sequence or row of columns supporting a lintel and a roof.

Pharaoh

A ruler of ancient Egypt.

Pylon

A massive gateway with sloping walls.

Hypostyle hall

A vast space filled with columns supporting a roof.

Capital

The top of a column.

Sanctuary

The most sacred place of a religious building.

Votive

A ritual object.

Pictorial formula

A convention of representation in art.

Symmetrical

Balanced on the left and right sides.

Serekh

A hieroglyphic device representing a pharaoh's palace seen simultaneously from above and the front, usually with a falcon on top of it (though not on Narmer's Palette; used to hold the pharaoh's name.

Phonogram

A pictogram used to represent a sound.

Hieroglyph

A sign used in hieroglyphic writing; a writing system consisting mainly of pictorial characters.

Pictogram

A drawing that represents an object or being often combined in hieroglyphic writing to express ideas.

Determinative

A sign used in Egyptian hieroglyphs to indicate the category of an object or being.

Obelisk

A square, tapered stone column topped by a pyramid shape.