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44 Cards in this Set
- Front
- Back
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Altamira |
Altamira Caves in Santander, Spain. Discovered in 1879. Natural bulges in the rock correspond to the contours of various animals, mainly bison, boar, horses, deer, and a wolf. Artists used paint and carving to shape the figures. |
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Assyria |
A city-state in Mesopotamia, modern Syria. Militaristic art reflects the chronic warfare necessary to maintain control of its territory. Assyrian Empire collapsed in approx. 600 BC. |
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Babylon |
Mesopotamian independent city-state; a renowned cultural center. Hammurabi, most famous king of Amorite dynasty, wrote Hammurabi's law code, comprising of 300 statues. Babylon taken over by Hittites in c. 1600 BC. |
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base |
the lowest part of a wall/column; considered as a separate architectural feature |
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capital |
the decorated top of a column or pilaster, providing a transition fro the shaft to the entablature |
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carving |
creating an image by removing material from a original material |
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Catal Huyuk |
The largest Neolithic settlement site found so far in the ancient Near East. Agriculture and trade were well established. Dated from c. 6500-5500 BC. |
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cella |
the main inner room of a temple, often containing the cult image of the diety |
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Chauvet |
Paleolithic cave discovered in 1994; largest cave so far known in the southeast region of France. Contains over 300 wall paintings, engravings, etc. Cave was first used around 30,000 BC. |
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citadel |
a fortress or other fortified area placed in an elevated or commanding position |
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column |
a cylindrical support, usually with three parts - a base, a shaft, and a capital |
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cone mosaic |
a surface decorated by pressing pieces of stone or baked clay into damp plaster |
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cromlech |
a prehistoric monument consisting of a circle of monoliths |
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cuneiform |
a form of writing consisting of wedge-shaped characters, used in ancient Mesopotamia |
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Cyclopaean masonry |
stone construction using large, irregular blocks without mortar |
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cylinder seal |
small cylinder of stone or other material engraved in intaglio on its outer surface and used to roll an impression |
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dolmen |
a prehistoric structure consisting of two or more megaliths, capped with a horizontal slab |
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Dying Lioness (art piece) |
An unusually empathic relief from the reign of Assurbanipal II represents a lioness who has been mortally wounded in the king's lion hunt. |
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facade |
the front or "face" of a building |
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Gilgamesh |
The Epic of Gilgamesh is the oldest surviving epic poem, preserved on cuneiform tablets from the second millennium BC. Recounts Gilgamesh's search for immortality. |
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Gudea |
The ruler of Lagash, Iraq; initiated an extensive construction program that included several temples. |
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hierarchical proportion |
the representation of more important figures as larger than less important figures |
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high relief |
sculpture in which the figures project substantially from the background surface
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Ishtar Gate (art piece)
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One of eight gateways with round arches that spanned a processional route through the city. Named in honor of the Akkadian goddess of love, fertility, and war. The gate is deep blue and has rows of bulls and dragons in relief. |
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Jericho |
A Neolithic settlement located in the West Bank, surrounded by a ditch and walls 5-12 feet thick. Houses and buildings were made of mud brick and erected on stone foundations. Jericho housed the living as well as the dead. |
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Lamassu |
in Assyrian art, figures of bulls or lions with wings and human heads |
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Lascaux |
The most famous examples of cave art, located in France. Consists of a wide range of animal species and a few human stick figures painted with earth-colored pigments. Home to the Hall of Running Bulls. |
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low relief |
relief sculpture in which figures and forms project only slightly from the background plane |
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menhir |
a prehistoric monolith standing alone or grouped with other stones |
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Mesopotamia |
(Modern Iraq) The center of ancient Near Eastern civilization. Religion was polytheistic. |
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modeling |
in two-dimensional art, the use of value to suggest light and shadow, and thus create the effect of mass and weight |
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Nanna ziggurat, Ur (art piece) |
A temple built around c. 2100 BC by the king Ur-Nammu of the Third Dynasty of Ur for the moon god Nanna, the divine patron of the city-state.
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necropolis |
an ancient or prehistoric burial ground |
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Neolithic |
The new stone age; the domestication of plants and animals; hunters and farmers; first cities built from mud brick, timber, and plaster. Art comprised of wall paintings, sculpture, etc. |
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Paleolithic |
The old stone age; constantly moving (following the herds); hunters; lived in mouths of caves, huts, and animal skin tents; art comprised of cave paintings, sculpture, etc. |
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Persia |
Settlement in southeast of Susa (modern day Iran). King Cyrus II founded the Persian Achaemenid dynasty, which was to become the largest empire in the ancient world. Cyrus conquered many territories. The most elaborate Achaemenid architectural works were the palaces. |
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post-and-lintel |
an architectural system in which upright members, or posts, support horizontal members, or lintels |
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provenience |
origin, derivation; the act of coming from a particular source |
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register |
a range or row, especially when one of a series |
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shaft |
the vertical, cylindrical part of a column that supports the entablature |
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stele |
an upright stone slab or pillar, usually carved or inscribed for commemorative purposes |
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tenon |
a projecting member in a block of stone or other building material that fits in a groove or hole to form a joint |
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trilithon |
an ancient monument consisting of two vertical megaliths supporting a third as a lintel |
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ziggurat |
a trapezoidal stepped structure representing a mountain in ancient Mesopotamia |
