Arch&UD -- Key Terms

Dolmen

A type of single-chamber megalithic tomb, usually consisting of two or more upright megaliths supporting a large flat horizontal capstone.

Ex. The Chianca Dolmen

Hunter-Gatherer

A subsistence lifestyle that relies on hunting, fishing, and foraging for food.

Ex. Terra Amada

Neolithic Era

The final division of the Stone Age marked by the introduction of farming and the domestication of animals.

Ex.

Paleolithic Era/ Stone Age

Period characterized by the use of stone tools, spanning from approximately 2.6 million years ago to about 10,000 BC.

Ex.

Post and Lintel

A building system where strong horizontal elements are supported by strong vertical elements.

Ex. Stonehenge

Tensile Structure

A construction of elements carrying only tension and no compression or bending.

Ex. Terra Amada

Axis Mundi

The mythological concept representing the connection between heaven and earth. Building upwards to reach heavens.

Ex. ziggurauts, pyramids

Benben

Stone at the top of a pyramid

Ex. Temple of Ra at Heliopolis, any pyramid

City State

An independent sovereign city serving as the center of political, economic, and cultural life.

Cuneiform

A logo-syllabic writing system used in the Ancient Near East characterized by wedge-shaped impressions.

Ex. zigguraut of Uruk, zigguraut of Ur, city of ur

Mastaba

A flat-roofed, rectangular tomb structure used in ancient Egypt, often constructed of mudbrick or limestone.

Ex. Meidum Pyramid, Saqqura

Necropolis

A large, designed cemetery with elaborate tomb monuments, meaning 'city of the dead' in Greek.

Ex. Saqqara

Polytheism

The belief in and/or worship of more than one god.

Pyramid

A structure with outer surfaces that are triangular and converge to a single point at the top.

Ex. Bent Pyramid, The Great Pyramid of Giza

Stepped Pyramid

An architectural structure using flat platforms receding from the ground to form a geometric pyramid shape.

Ex. Stepped Pyramid of Djoser

Ziggurat

An ancient Mesopotamian temple tower consisting of a stepped pyramidal structure.

Ex. White Temple/Ziggurat of Uruk, Ziggurat of Ur

Bronze Age

A prehistoric period when tools were made of bronze rather than stone, spanning approximately 3300-1200 BC.

Ex.

Cyclopean Architecture/Masonry

Stonework found in Mycenaean architecture, built with massive, roughly fitted limestone boulders.

Ex. lions gate, treasury of atreus, city of mycenae, citadel of tirys

Megaron

The great hall in early Mycenaean and ancient Greek palace complexes, surrounded by columns.

Ex. Pylos Megaron

Tholos/Beehive Tomb

A round, beehive-shaped tomb structure built during the late Bronze Age.

Ex. Treasury of Atreus

Rock-Cut Tomb

A burial chamber cut into an existing rock formation, often in cliffs or sloping rock faces.

Ex. The tomb Amenemhet, Mortuary Temple of Hatshepsut

Apadana

A large hypostyle hall (columns hold up roof) in Persian architecture

Ex. persepolis

Citadel

The fortified area of a town or city, may include a castle or fortress. Its elevated.

Ex. City of Mycena, City of Tiryns, Citadel of Saragon II, Persepolis

Protomes

An adornment taking the form of the head and upper torso of a human or animal.

Ex. found in Persepolis

Relief Sculpture

A sculptural method where the sculpted pieces remain attached to a solid background.

Ex. Arch of Titus

Shedu / Lamassu

An Assyrian protective deity depicted as having a human head, a bull's body, and eagle wings.

Ex. at Citadel of Sargon II

Stambha

A pillar or column in Indian architecture, often bearing inscriptions. ex. great stupa at sanchi

Stupa

A mound-like structure used as a place of meditation, housing sacred relics.

Ex. GREAT STUPA AT SANCHI

Acropolis

A citadel or fortified part of an ancient Greek city, typically situated on a hill.

Ex. erechition, parthanon, propaliya, temple of athena nike 

Agora

Ancient greek gathering place

Ex. athenian agora

Entablature

The horizontal structure above columns, divided into the architrave, frieze, and cornice.

Cornice: horizontal decorative molding

Frieze: center section that can be decorated with reliefs

Architrave: horizontal beam that touches columns

Ex. Most of the greek temples, Propylaea

Karyatid

A sculpted female figure serving as an architectural support in place of a column.

Ex. Erechtheion

Metope vs triglyphs

Architectural elements that alternate in a frieze

Metope: recessed sometimes blank section

Triglyphs: raised vertical bands

Ex. certain frieze’s

Pediment

A triangular shape placed above the entablature in classical architecture.

Ex. Any of the greek temples

Peristyle

A continuous porch formed by a row of columns surrounding a building.

Ex. Any of the greek temples

Polis

Greek term for 'city' or 'community'.

Types: acropolis (fortified greek city on hill), necropolis (scity of dead), persepolis (specific capital of the Achaemenid Empire)

Stoa

A column-lined walkway or portico used for public purposes.

Ex. Stoa of Attalos II

Aqueduct

A Roman infrastructure designed to carry water into cities and towns.

Ex. Pont du Gard

Barrel vs Groin Vault

Barrel: single semi-circle archway

Groin: two barrel archways intersecting

Ex. made with roman made concrete

Forum

A public square in a Roman city, primarily used as a marketplace.

Ex. Forum of Caesar, Forum of Augustus

Roman Concrete

pozzolana, water, lime, aggregate used in ancient Roman construction.

Ex. forum of augustus, arch of Titus, colosseum, nero's golden palace

Triumphal Arch

A monumental structure shaped like an archway, designed to span a road.

Ex. Arch of Titus