Ancient Mediterranean Ancient Etruria and Rome Vocab

amphitheater

an oval large stadium with tiers of seats

atmospheric perspective

Creating the illusion of depth of space by fading colors and eliminating detail in objects that are further away.

atrium (Roman)

The main inner court of a Roman house, with an open roof and a central basin to catch rainwater.

barrel vault

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

Clerestory

A row of windows in the upper part of a wall.

coffers

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

Dacian Wars

two campaigns of conquest ordered by Roman Emperor Trajan against the Dacians, who lived across the Danube River in current Romania

Domus Italica

The early form of Roman house, based on Etruscan precedents

Edict of Milan (313)

issued by Constantine in 313, ended the "great persecution" and legalized Christianity in the Roman Empire

forum

A Roman public meeting place

Frescoes

Paintings made on wet plaster walls

impluvium

a rectangular basin in a Roman house that is placed in the open-air atrium in order to collect rainwater

Incrustation Style

a technique used to mimic different types of stone like marble and paint/would use different colors, and geometric shapes to do this

linear perspective

parallel lines appear to converge with distance

Mount Vesuvius - Pompeii

Volcano that erupted in 79 AD that killed many people and buried the city of Pompeii

narthex

the vestibule or entrance porch of a church

oculus

the round central opening of a dome

pier

a vertical support that holds up an arch or a vault

pseudoperipteral

in Roman architecture, a temple with a series of engaged columns all around the sides and back of the cella to give the appearance of a perpetual colonnade

rusticated masonry

a rough styled, roughening the surfaces and beveling the edges of stone blocks to emphasize the joints between

sarcophagus

coffin

Spandrels

the roughly triangular space enclosed by the curves of adjacent arches and a horizontal member connecting their vertexes

tempera paint

this is a water-based paint using egg as the medium. this is a transparent medium

Tuscan column

The standard type of Etruscan column. It resembles ancient Greek Doric columns, but is made of wood, is unfluted, and has a base.

Tufa

a soft, porous, volcanic rock that hardens on exposure to air, used as a building material; easy to work

Velarium

In a Roman amphitheater, the cloth awning that could be rolled down from the top to shield spectators from sun or rain.

Veristic Portraiture

portraits of patricians that looked more realistic and not idealistic(fake)

Augustus

(63 BCE - 14 CE) First emperor of Rome (27 BCE - 14 CE) He restored order and prosperity to the Empire after nearly a century of turmoil. Grandnephew to Julius Caesar.

Vespasian

Emperor of Rome and founder of the Flavian dynasty who consolidated Roman rule in Germany and Britain and reformed the army and brought prosperity to the empire

Trajan

Leader of the Roman Empire who disguised it as a republic, and under who the Roman Empire came to be at its greatest extent.

Constantine

(274 CE - 337 CE) Roman Emperor between 306 CE and 337 CE. He issued the Edict of Milan which outlawed the persecution of Christians. He also founded the city of Constantinople, the future capital of the Byzantine Empire.

Sarcophagus of the Spouses

Etruscan. c. 520 B.C.E. Terra cotta.

Temple of Minerva and sculpture of Apollo

Master sculptor Vulca. c. 510-500 B.C.E. Original temple of wood, mud brick, or tufa (volcanic rock); terra cotta sculpture.

Tomb of the Triclinium

Tarquinia, Italy. Etruscan. c. 480-470 B.C.E. Tufa and fresco.

Alexander Mosaic from the House of Faun

Pompeii, Italy Republican Roman. c. 100 B.C.E. Mosaic.

Head of a Roman Patrician

Republican Roman. Italy. c. 75-50 B.C.E. Marble.

House of the Vettii

Pompeii, Italy. Imperial Roman. c. second century B.C.E.; rebuilt c. 62-79 C.E. Cut stone and fresco.

Augustus of Primaporta

Imperial Roman. Italy. Early first century C.E. Marble.

Colosseum (Flavian Amphitheater)

Rome, Italy. Imperial Roman. 70-80 C.E. Stone and concrete.

Forum of Trajan

Imperial Roman. Rome, Italy. Apollodorus of Damascus. Forum and markets: 106-112 C.E.; column completed 113 C.E. Brick and concrete (architecture); marble (column).

Pantheon

Imperial Roman. Italy, Rome. 118-125 C.E. Concrete with stone facing.

Ludovisi Battle Sarcophagus

Late Imperial Roman. Italy, Rome. c. 250 C.E. Marble.