Roman Art History Quiz Glossary

Acroterion

A decorative ornament, such as a statue, placed on the roof of a temple, usually above the front pediment but could also be spaced along the ridgline

Adlocutio

A public address by an emperor to the army or citizens, shown by the right arm raised in salute

Archaistic

A style of art imitating or reviving elements of Greek Archaic art (600-480 BCE). It was a popular revivalist style in Roman free-standing and relief sculpture

Atrium

the main or central room of a Roman house, usually directly accessible from the front door

barrel Vault

A cylindrical architectural feature formed by extending an arch along an indefinite length, creating a solid roofing system that is essentially a continuous arch. 

Bulla

amulet worn by Roman boys liek a locket designed to protect them from harm until they came or age and stopped wearing it

Caldarium

hot oom in a Roman bath complex, It usually feautured a heated pool and radiant heat from the walls and floor.

Capite Velato

Latin, meaning “with covered head”, reffering to the act of covering one’s head while performing a sacrad ritual 

Caryatid

a female figure used in place of a column to support the entablature of a building.

Cella (pl.cellae)

the inner room of a temple. It served primarily to house the cult statue. It could also hold votive objects and ritual items such as vessels and braziers. 

Contrapposto

counterpoise, gives a figure a dynamic but relaxed pose by alternating weight bearing and free arms and legs couples with hips and shoulders held at slight angle. 

Corona Civica

the civic crown, a wreath of oak leaves, a tree sacrad to jupiter, awarded to Roman Citizens who saved the lives of other citizens in battle.

Cryptoporticus

a vaulted covered passageway, usually open along one side, that creates the support for a building above. Often used to create large platforms for a Roman temple of villa.

Curule chair

the chair on which senior magistrates such as consuls, praetors, censors, and all those which imperium were entitled to sit.

entablature

architectural term for the part of the building above the columns including cornice , moldings, and friezes

episodic narrative

a narrative structure in which a series of events or episodes occur with the same main character, generally portrayed in each episode.

Etrusco-Italic

refers to architecture, especially temples, shared by cultures of central Italy. The temples generally featured tall podiums, deep front porches, wide roofs, small cellas, and rooftop structures.

exedra

in architecture semi-circular recesses or bays often roofed with a half dome.

frigidarium

the cold water room in a Roman bath complex, generally found in the core of the building away from the furnace or the sun.

heirarchy of scale

an artistic convention in which higher status or more important figures are portrayed as larger than lower status or subsiduary figures in a scene

insula

literally in Latin “island”, refers to an apartment building that filled an entire block in a Roman city, with shops on the ground floor and apartments above. 

necropolis

from greek, literally “a city of the dead”. Refers to the extramural cemeteries often mimicking real cities organized by family tombs shaped like houses, sometimes with roads, sidewalks, and drains. 

orthogonal planning

the type of city plan in which the streets run at right angles to each other, forming a grid.

otium

Latin term for leisure, it includes time spent on reading, writing, and academic activities, including rest. Often associated with the Roman villa as the space for otium. 

Pediment

the triangular gable found below a pitched roof on either end of a building. On ancient temples these were often filled with sculptures or relief decoration.

peripteral

refers to a building, usually a temple, with a single row of columns surrounding it.

peristyle

refers to a structure with columns that enclose it, such as a preistyle temple with columns on all found sides of the exterior of a peristyle courtyard with colonnaded porches on all four sides, “the parthenon has peristyle columns aroudn it so this makes the parthenon a peripteral building”

pinacotheca

literally a picture gallery. In roman houses a room decorated with mural paintings that replicate Greek panel paintings, often copies or variations of famous pictures.

polychromy

the use of many colors in decoration, especially in architecture and sculptures. Refers to the brightly painted multi-colored buildings and sculptures of the ancient world. 

pomerium

the sacred boundary of Rome. In legal and religious terms Rome consisted only of that part of the city within it. Burials were forbidden inside the pomerium

Praetorian Guard

the bodyguard of the Roman emperors, formed by Augustus. They guarded the emperor, his palaces, and sometimes acted to remove or create emperors.

quadriga

four- horse chariot, used for chariot racing and by successful generals in triumphal processions. A general in a quadriga was a common subject in victory moments. 

register

division of an artistic field into a parallel columns or rows. these usually horizontal bands, act as groundlines and aid on creating narrative. 

scaenae frons

the elaborate background for a Roman theater stage, usually two or three stories in height with multiple entrances, balconies, and alternating projecting and receding elements articulates with columns. 

suovetaurilia

a sacrifice made up of a bull, sheep, and a pig. traditionally made to Mars, it was one of the oldest and most sacred Rituals. 

symposium

A greek elite male drinking party at which men would recline on couches to drink wine, listen to entertainment, sing, or discuss philosophical, cultural, or political topics. 

tablinum

a room in the roman house off the atrium and directly opposite the front door. It was the major formal reception room, used to recieve clients and conduct business. 

triclinium

Roman dining room laid out for the nine diners reclining on three couches from which the room gets its name. 

tumulus

a type of tomb with a mound raised over it. Etruscan examples cover chamber tombs that belonged to extended families. Large tumuli resemble small hills

Veristic

from the Latin verus meaning “true”, refers to a style of exaggerated naturalism or hyper-realism found in Roman portraits, often to emphasize teh age - dependent virtues of the subject 

Victory

based on the Greek Nike, a winged female personification of Roman rucess in war or sports, identifiable by the palm branch and victor’s crown she often carries.

Adventus

arrival ceremony conducted by civil and religious officials, usually after a military campaign, welcoming a commander or emperor back into Rome. these occured formally at the city gate. 

apotheosis

to become a god, often shown as the elevation to divine status through bodily ascension or the moment the figure is welcomed into the company of the gods. 

atmospheric perspective

artistic device to create a sense of depth in painting by shifting the background colors to the blue side of the spectrum and painting distant objects paler. 

dado

the lower portion of the wall of a room, often distinctly decorated with panels or painted in contrasting colors. 

hemicycle

literally a half circle. In architecture, a hemicycle is a wall, building, or architectural feature constructed in the shape of a half cycle. 

herm

a type of Greek statue, originally of Hermes, with a squared stone pillar supporting a carved upper body and head; used as boundary markers in Greek cities and sanctuaries.  carved

lectus

Roman couch used by the elite to recline while dining, sleeping, and to display the body in a funeral

loggia

a roofed gallery open on one side and generally supported by columns, often found on an upper floor of a building. 

oculus

from the Latin meaning “eye”, refers to a circular open skylight in the center of a dome to provide light into the building. 

Profectio

a ritual departure , generally of a Roman commander from the ciry of war. It was essentially the opposite of the adventus, also taking place as the city gates. 

pseudoperipteral

refers to a building that mimics the peripteral columnades that completely surrounded Greek temples. It has a porch with free-standing columns but engaged half columns around the sides and back. 

Triumphal procession

victory parade granted by the Senate top a conquering general, who rode in a quadriga. it began at the city gates and concluded at the Temple of Jupiter.