Roman and Etruscan Art and Archaeology Practice Flashcards

This set covers key vocabulary, architectural terms, and major monuments from the lecture notes on Roman and Etruscan archaeology and art history.

Villanovan hut urn

A clay burial urn from the $9\text{th}$ to $8\text{th}$ century BCE that demonstrates the close connection between homes and graves.

Sarcophagus

Derived from the Greek phrase lithos sarkóphagos, meaning "flesh-eating stone," it refers to a stone coffin meant to dissolve flesh.

Capitoline Wolf

An iconic bronze sculpture from the $11\text{th}$ to $12\text{th}$ centuries CE representing the wolf that suckled Romulus and Remus.

Reges

The period of the Roman Kings, traditionally dated from $753$ BCE to $509$ BCE.

Akroteria

Sculptural elements displayed on the roof of a temple in Etruscan style, such as those on the Portonaccio Temple in Veii.

Manubial Temples

Temples built "ex manubiis," or from the spoils of war, as commemorative monuments.

Temple of Portunus

A Republican manubial building in Rome ($80$–$70$ BCE) that blends a Tuscan-style deep porch with columns in the Ionic order.

Opus Caementicium

A term for Roman concrete vaulting, famously exemplified in the Sanctuary of Fortuna at Praeneste, circa $120$ BCE.

Tesserae

The individual small pieces of stone, glass, or other materials used to create a mosaic.

Suovetaurilia

A Roman state sacrifice involving the offering of a pig, a sheep, and a bull to the god Mars.

Wax Imagines

Ancestral wax masks or images (imago) used by Roman families for commemoration and status.

Domus

A Roman private house, typically featuring components like the fauces, atrium, tablinum, and impluvium.

Opus Vermiculatum

A mosaic technique using very small, fine pieces of tesserae to create detailed, painting-like scenes, such as the Alexander Mosaic.

First Style

A style of wall painting where stucco is shaped and colored to resemble marble or expensive foreign stone imports.

Second Style

A wall painting style characterized by the use of linear perspective to create the illusion of three-dimensional architectural space.

Megalographic scene

A large-scale painting featuring life-size figures, such as the Dionysiac frieze at the Villa of the Mysteries.

Otium

The Roman concept of leisure and cultural enjoyment, often associated with life in a villa.

Negotium

The Roman term for business or public life, serving as the opposite of otium.

Pontifex

A high-ranking priest responsible for the oversight of the state cult, sacred law, and keeping records.

Venus Victrix

The "Venus of Victory," an association used by Julius Caesar on his coinage in $44$ BCE.

Scaenae Frons

The elaborately decorated permanent architectural background of a Roman theater stage.

Venus Genetrix

The goddess to whom Julius Caesar dedicated a temple in his forum, emphasizing her role as the ancestress of his family.

Corona Civica

The "Civic Crown" or oak wreath awarded for saving the lives of citizens, a symbol frequently used by Augustus.

Prima Porta Type

The most common portrait style of Augustus, characterized by a contrapposto pose and idealized features.

Nodus

A hairstyle featuring a roll or knot of hair at the forehead, typical of the portraits of Livia.

Ara Pacis Augustae

The Altar of Augustan Peace ($13$–$9$ BCE), built to commemorate Augustus’s success in bringing peace to the empire.

Mausoleum of Augustus

A massive circular dynastic monument built in $25$ BCE of concrete and clad in white travertine and marble.

Res Gestae

A first-person account of the deeds and expenditures of Augustus, originally engraved on two bronze columns in Rome.

Horologium Augusti

A giant sundial whose gnomon was an Egyptian obelisk, used to indicate the time and the passing of the year.

Fasti Amiternini

A Roman calendar found in Amiternum that lists festivals, important anniversaries, and religious days.

Caryatids

Architectural supports in the form of female figures, used in the Forum of Augustus as a reference to the Erechtheion in Athens.

Verism

A hyper-realistic style of portraiture that emphasizes age and physical features, often contrasted with Greek idealism.

Gemma Augustea

A large double-layered sardonyx cameo created around $14$ CE, depicting Augustus in a divine or semi-divine context.

Lararium

A shrine within a Roman house dedicated to the Lares, the guardian spirits of the household.

Vicomagister

A local official in charge of a city neighborhood (vicus) and the worship at crossroads.

Domus Aurea

Nero’s "Golden House," featuring an innovative octagonal hall with a dome and an oculus.

Damnatio Memoriae

The "condemnation of memory," a practice where the images and records of a disgraced individual, such as Nero, were destroyed.