art history test 1 - multi choice

what are the tiered platform temples called that were used in ancient mesopotamia?

ziggurats

what is one possible meaning behind the mithunas sculptures on hindu temples such as those at the vishvanatha temple?

to signify the union of the human soul and the divine

which one of these is included in the 4 noble truths taught by the buddha?

the cause of suffering is desire

with which religion/philosophy does buddhism share certain practices, allowing for buddhism to flourish in china and most of eastern asia?

daoism

which emperor ordered the beginning of construction of china's first great wall?

qin shi huangdi

significant numbers of small marble figurines representing naked women with arms folded over their abdomens have been found in _____

the cyclades islands

it is believed that the _____ were the first group of people to employ buon, or true, fresco

minoans

minoan pottery was found in ______, which suggests an impressive trade system

egypt

the emphasis on the anatomy of the nude woman figurine (venus of willendorf) suggests early man's interest in _____

fertility

one of the most famous paleolithic cave paintings, the hall of bulls, was discovered in _____

the lascaux caves

monuments from the neolithic period in western europe, such as stonehenge, are characterized by _____

megalithic architecture

the exaggeration of the eye size on sumerian votive sculptures likely symbolize their _____

eternal wakefulness

the mesopotamian king who codified the law and prescribed penalties for infractions was _____

hammurabi

which goddess was celebrated in mesopotamia as the goddess of love, fertility, the moon, chaos, and sometimes war?

inanna (ishtar)

it is believed that the epic of gilgamesh was the first literary work to establish a(n) _____which introduced ideas about death and being immortal in an afterlife or underworld.

immortality ideology

_____, as a form of writing in sumer, developed from pictographs, _____, and phonograms.

cuneiform, ideograms

what was one use/purpose for megalithic structures like "stonehenge"?

marking the summer solstice

what is one of the main characteristics of animism?

the belief in living spirits of nature

historically, what purpose do creation myths serve?

to explain the unknown and reflect the sacred beliefs of a society

which religious belief emerged under the persian empire and focused on the duality of good and evil as a cosmic struggle?

zoroastrianism

what is one possible theory as to why early humans created cave paintings?

as a hunting ritual (sympathetic magic)

which type of sculpture projects from a surface? (whether it's carved from or attached to a surface) _____

relief sculpture

what is the definition of "megalith"?

great/large stone

what type of blue stone was used in mesopotamian art such as in the bull-headed harp?

lapis lazuli

what type of sculpting technique was used in mesopotamia to create bronze sculptures that were lighter in weight and required several different molds?

lost wax (hollow) casting

how were massive sculptures of lamassu moved?

sledges and ropes

what type of sculpture is the nude woman (aka venus of willendorf)?

free-standing/ in the round

which work is among the earliest art pieces that documents some african practices of scarification?

head from lydenburg, south africa

what is the most likely reason that the soapstone monoliths at great zimbabwe were built?

as shrines to ancestors

the shape of the great pyramids developed from the stepped pyramid but they are also a symbol of which god?

amen-re

which of these characterizes most egyptian sculpture? an example of this style would be the pharoah menkaure and khamerernebty portrait sculpture.

rigid and formal

a rectangular brick or stone tomb with sloping sides is called a ______

mestaba

from which culture do the earliest (non-egyptian) in-the-round sculptures originate?

nok/central nigerian

in the judgement of hunefer, who is shown leading hunefer towards judgement at the beginning of the narrative?

anubis

why do historians believe the head was emphasized in royal ife portrait sculptures?

yoruba tradition of the head being quintessential to a person's destiny

which type of scale is used in an art work when the larger figure is meant to show who is most important?

hierarchical scale

what is one piece of significant information about the great mosque of djenne?

new mud and plaster is added each year

why has it been difficult for historians to date or identify a significant amount of african art?

works were not labeled/signed & early collectors did not research/looting

which of the following gods is depicted as a hawk or falcon and protector/identifier of a true pharaoh?

horus

under which pharaoh is there a declaration of a type of monotheism favoring aton (also aten) as the universal god, and there is a stylistic shift in how the human form is depicted in egyptian sculpture.

akhenaton

what is a set of rules/guidelines called to represent proportions, specifically the human form?

canon

which work likely commemorates the "unification" of upper and lower egypt?

palette of narmer

which new kingdom egyptian queen took the male title of pharaoh, and was often depicted in sculpture as a male ruler?

hatshepsut

most egyptian artwork does not have many major style shifts for thousands of years. (one exception)

true

egyptian tomb interiors often depicted scenes of hunting. this was associated with the idea of providing provisions for the ________ or spirit of the deceased in the afterlife.

ka

fresco secco refers to what type of wall painting?

a dry fresco; painted on dry plaster

what does a book of the dead entail?

spells and prayers for the afterlife

in hinduism, which god is the "preserver of the universe"?

vishnu

what could be found inside stupas?

relics/remains of the buddha

what type of sculptures can be found in abundance on both hindu and buddhist temples as decoration?

relief

what was the possible function of the holes on the sides of the neck of the mohenjo-daro figure robed figure?

they signify the sculpture was adorned with a necklace

why is the buddha often shown with elongated ears in art?

to represent heavy jewelry worn as a young man

what is the definition of the term veda?

knowledge

who is allowed to enter the inner sanctuary of a hindu temple?

brahmin priests

what are the meaningful hand gestures called that are seen in depictions of the buddha?

mudras

which civilization has the oldest recorded record of private baths and a drainage system?

mohenjo-daro

what is the name used for shiva when represented as lord of the dance?

shiva as nataraja

who is the founder of hinduism?

there is no recognize founder or prophet

what does shiva use to create the universe in representations of shiva as nataraja?

a small drum

under which king was buddhism spread on an international level, especially to the countries east of india?

ashoka

which work shows the earliest evidence of possible yoga/meditation practice?

indus seal with seated figure wearing a horned headress

what are common themes that were carved onto the east torana of the great stupa?

depictions of buddha's life

what is the idea called in buddhism in that a person experiences endless rebirths throughout their existence?

samsara

in hinduism, sculptures of gods are seen as an embodiment of the god, not just a symbol.

true

which religion was the most prominent in india by the 13th century?

hinduism

where has most ancient chinese pottery been found?

graves

which characteristics are shown in lady feng and the bear that would be common in east asian art?

minimal backgrounds and flat color

what might the uprights (stylized tree and antler forms) of the jade and gold crown found in an ancient korean tomb represent?

supernatural power

what might the standing male figure from sanxingdui, china have held in his stylized arms?

an elephant tusk

which one of these is not a teaching of confucius?

retreat from society

how did chinese painters practice and train to become better artists?

by copying works of other artists

which philosophy/religion emphasized the balance of active energy and passive energy in life?

daoism

which of these dynasties was part of the 3 native kingdoms of korea?

goguryeo

which work includes one of the first known portraits in chinese art?

funerary banner from the marquise of dai's tomb

which of these philosophies focused on social harmony (order, loyalty, family, the monarch) and secular ethics?

confucianism

the artisans who created the terracotta army for the first emperor of qin created identical soldiers in facial features, dress, and position.

false

what/who is a bodhisattva usually seen in sculpture?

disciples of buddha who have almost reached nirvana

ancient chinese artists did not paint directly onto silk, but only employed embroidery or brocades.

false

what function do jade/nephrite bi disks have in ancient chinese culture?

status symbols in life and death

which type of artists were sought after during the 6 dynasties period?

calligraphers and painters

with which philosophy do chinese landscape paintings align in which the artist's emphasized nature, not as an exact representation but as a spiritual practice?

daoism

what is one of the oldest decorative techniques used in the creation of chinese stonewares?

application of a slip

which dynasty was considered war faring and produced a large amount of bronze works?

shang

the mycenaean practice of placing death masks over the deceased's face is reminiscent of the _____

egyptians

what type of themes were commonly found on minoan pottery?

nautical

why is it believed that the palace at knossos could have inspired the story of king minos' labyrinth in later greek mythology?

its maze-like layout and heavy bull related iconography

a standing nude figure of a young man is known in greek art as a _____

kurous

the _____ is the historical event that ushered in the beginning of the classical period

defeat of the persians

in his ______, praxiteles took the unprecedented step of representing a female nude

aphrodite of knidos

in the statue of athena parthenos, what did she hold that made an overt reference to the athenian victory over the persians in 479 bc?

a winged nike figure

the rigidly frontal pose of archaic statues reflects the influence of _____

egyptian art

which greek goddess represents wisdom?

athena

what is the hallmark characteristic of early classical greek sculpture that differs from the archaic period?

abandonment of a rigid pose

seen in the doryphoros, what technique creates natural balance in the way the figure is standing

contrapposto

which bronze sculpting technique was less costly and produced a lighter sculpture in terms of weight?

hollow casting

which cultural age began in greece after alexander the great conquering mesopotamia and egypt

hellenistic period

the laocoön sculpture group represents a story from the trojan war from which great poem?

the aenid

nike of samothrace is a good example of the _____ nature of hellenistic sculpture compared to the relatively composed sculpture of the late classical period

theatrical

to which goddess is the parthenon dedicated?

athena parthenos

what are the 3 classical orders in greek architecture?

doric, ionic, corinthian