APAH - Etruscan and Roman Vocabulary Terms

Acroterion (plural; acroteria)

sculptures in the round placed on the roof

Necropolis (plural; necropoli)

literally, a “city of the dead,” a large burial area

Fresco

a painting technique that involves applying paint onto a freshly plastered wall; the paint forms a bond with the plaster and becomes durable and long-lasting

Tufa

a type of limestone

Tumulus

burial mounds in Etruscan architecture, tumuli covered one or more subterranean multi-chambered tombs cut out of the local tufa

Triclinium

a dining table in ancient Italy that has a couch on three sides for reclining at meals

Tuscan

an order of ancient architecture featuring slender, smooth wooden columns that sit on simple bases; no carvings on frieze or capitals

Apse

the semicircular rounded end of basilica OR the endpoint of a church where the altar is located

Arcade

a row or arches

Atrium

an open-air courtyard in a Roman house or forum

Basilica

in Roman and Christian architecture, an axially planned building with a long nave, side aisles, and apses (in Christian architecture, this is where the altar is placed)

Bust

a sculpture depicting a head, neck, and upper chest of a figure

Catacomb

an underground passageway used for burial

Clerestory

the top of a church nave that is windowed and lets in light

Coffer

in architecture, a sunken panel in a ceiling to lighten the weight of the ceiling

Cubicula

small underground rooms in catacombs serving as mortuary chapels OR a Roman bedroom flanking an atrium

Cupola/Dome

a rounded, circular roof; achieved by rotating an arch on its axis 180 degrees

Engaged column

a column that is still attached to a wall

Foreshortening

a visual effect in which an object is shortened and turned deeper into the picture plan to give the effect of receding in space

Forum

a public square with market place in a Roman city

Fresco

a painting technique that involves applying paint onto a freshly plastered wall; the paint forms a bond with the plaster and becomes durable and long-lasting

Impluvium

a rectangular basin in a Roman house that is placed in the open-air atrium in order to collect rainwater

Keystone

the center stone of an arch that holds the other in place

Lunette

a crescent-shaped space, sometimes over a doorway, that contains sculpture or painting

Mosaic

a decoration using pieces of stone, marble, or colored glass, called tesserae, that are cemented to a wall or floor

Nave

the main aisle of a church

Oculus

a round opening at the top of a dome

Orant figure

a figure with its hands raised in prayer

Peristyle

an atrium surrounded by columns in a Roman house

Perspective

depth and recession in a painting

Linear perspective

a mathematical system for creating the illusion of space and distance on a flat surface

Orthogonals

straight lines emanating from the vanishing point

Horizon line

the physical line at which sky meets land; this will be whenever the vanishing point is

Vanishing point

a point in the picture plane that is the intersection of the orthogonals

Atmospheric/Aerial perspective

the effect the atmosphere was on the appearance of an object as it is viewed from a distance (contrast decrease; colors become less saturated)

Portrait bust

a sculptured representation of the upper part of the human figure including the head and neck and usually part of the shoulders and breast

Selenite

a transparent, colorless gypsum that looks like glass and was often used in windows

Spandrel

a triangular space enclosed by the curves of arches

Spolia

the reuse of architectural or sculptural pieces in buildings generally different from their original contexts

Taberna

single-room shops covered by a wide doorway

Tesserae

small pieces of colored stone or marble; used to create a mosaic

Vault

a ceiling constructed with arches

Barrel vault

an arch extended into space horizontally that is curved at the top

Groin vault

two intersecting barrel vaults

Veristic

sculptures from the Roman Republic characterized by extreme realism (and even exaggeration) of facial features