fa26 ARCH.2210.01: Architectural History Midterm

Vernacular Architecture

local or regional building, using traditional materials and resources form the area.

Dolmen

a prehistoric monument of two or more upright stones supporting a horizontal stone slab

Vault

a roof in the form of an arch

Monolith

a large single upright block of stone

Neolithic

"new stone age," the beginning of agriculture, first cities

Abstraction

dealing with ideas; art that is free from representational qualities

Sacred Landscape

geographic areas that have special meaning for people who have a longstanding or historical association and relationship within a region

Cistern

a tank for storing water

Barrio

"neighborhood"

Roofcomb

structure that tops a pyramid

Theocracy

a system of government in which priests rule in the name of God

Geometry

"earth measurement"; mathematics concerned with points, lines, surfaces, solids

Neolithic Period

"new stone age"; the period when agriculture begins (10,000-2,200 BCE)

Axis

a line of orientation

Axis Mundi

symbolic center of the world, connection to the heavens

Hypostyle Hall

interior space with rows of columns

Pylon

monumental gateway with truncated pyramid towers

Altar

table for religious rituals

Obelisk

tapered stone pillar

Orthogonal

involving right angles and straight lines

Imhotep

architect of Djoser's stepped pyramid

Order

an assemblage of parts subject to uniform established proportions, regulated by rules for

how the parts are combined.

Greek orders

Doric, Ionic, Corinthian

Democracy

a system of government by the whole population

Stoa

a building that is mostly an open colonnade; multipurpose and public

Oikos

household

Polis

city-state (e.g. Athens, Sparta)

Procession

orderly movement along a religious route

Entablature

a horizontal, continuous lintel on a classical building, supported by columns

Pediment

the triangular upper part of the front of a building in classical style

Pericles

a Greek politician and general during the Golden Age of Athens

Republic

a state in which supreme power is held by the people and their elected representatives

Mausoleum

magnificent tomb

Forum

public meeting place

Basilica

large rectangular hall used as law courts in ancient Rome, and for early Christian

churches

Domus

town house for wealthy Romans

Atrium

a central hall or court

Villa

a large country house for wealthy Romans

Spolia

stone taken from an old structure and repurposed for new construction

Constantine

the first Roman emperor to convert to Christianity

Qibla

the direction of the Kaaba (the sacred building at Mecca), to which Muslims turn at prayer. Mosques face in this direction.

Muquarnas

a form of ornamented vaulting in Islamic architecture

Imaret

public soup kitchen

Algorithm

a process or set of rules to be followed. (This term is derived from the name of a 9th-century Arabic mathematician.)

Ablaq

alternating rows of light and dark stone

Mihrab

a niche in the wall of a mosque toward which the congregation faces

Minaret

a tall slender tower for calling Muslims to prayer

earliest remains of dwelling

Terra Amata, France, 400,000 BCE

early use of symbolic expression

Lascaux Caves, France, 15,000 BCE

early nomadic religious site

Göbekli Tepe, Turkey, 9,500 BCE

early permanent settlement / city

Çatal Höyük, Turkey, 7,100 BCE

religious complex of the Olmec, whose name means "rubber

people" and who were known as the "mother culture" of the region

Mount Alban, Mexico, 500 BCE

early center of Maya society

Tikal, Guatemala, 300 BCE

known as the "city of the gods"; the largest city in pre-colonial Americas

Teotihuacan, Mexico, 100 BCE

later Maya religious center

Chichen Itza, Mexico, 800

an important Sumerian city-state in ancient Mesopotamia

Eridu, Iraq, 3800 BCE

stepped pyramid / temple

Ziggurat of Eridu, Iraq, 2000 BCE

early (stepped) pyramid

Pyramid of Djoser, Egypt, 2650 BCE

the largest pyramid, tomb of Khufu

Great Pyramid of Giza, Egypt, 2570 BCE

large temple complex; axial organization

Temple of Karnak, Egypt, 1950 BCE

central public space

Agora, Athens, Greece, 500 BCE

ancient temple complex

Acropolis, Athens, Greece, 450 BCE

main temple on the Acropolis

The Parthenon, Athens, Greece, 432 BCE

early gridded city plan

Miletus, Greece, 470 BCE

giant amphitheater for contests and spectacles

Colosseum, Rome, 80

sprawling palace near Rome

Hadrian's Villa, Tivoli, 120

Roman military colony

Timgad, Algeria, 100

spherical dome, built of concrete

Pantheon, Rome, 125

large public baths

Baths of Caracalla, Rome, 216

commemorating military victories

Arch of Constantine, Rome, 315

stone building at the center of Islam's holiest site

Kaaba, Mecca, Saudi Arabia

Islamic shrine on the Temple Mount

Dome of the Rock, Jerusalem, Israel, 692

one of the largest and oldest mosques

Great Mosque of Damascus, Syria, 715

center of learning and capital of Abbasid empire

Round City of Baghdad, Iraq, 766

large mosque, expanded several times

Great Mosque of Cordoba, Andalusia, Spain, 988

ornate palace and fortress complex

The Alhambra, Granada, Andalusia, Spain, 1360