Exam 1

Question 1

Shamans

Answer 1

In many ancient cultures, shamans are spiritual leaders or healers believed to have the ability to communicate with the spirit world, often acting as intermediaries between the physical and spiritual realms.

Question 2

Burin

Answer 2

A metal tool with a sharp point, typically used in engraving to carve lines into hard materials like metal, wood, or stone.

Question 3

Incise

Answer 3

To cut into a surface with a sharp instrument, often to create a design or inscription in materials like stone, metal, or clay.

Question 4

Findspot

Answer 4

The location where an archaeological artifact was discovered, important for understanding its historical context.

Question 5

Venus

Answer 5

Refers to prehistoric statuettes representing women, often with exaggerated physical features, symbolizing fertility. The most famous example is the Venus of Willendorf.

Question 6

Naturalism

Answer 6

A style in art that seeks to represent objects and figures as they appear in nature, with attention to realistic detail.

Question 7

Sculpture in the round (Freestanding sculpture)

Answer 7

A type of sculpture that is fully three-dimensional and can be viewed from all sides, not attached to any background.

Question 8

Relief sculpture

Answer 8

A sculptural technique where the sculpted elements remain attached to a solid background, with the raised parts of the sculpture standing out from the surface.

Question 9

Chisel

Answer 9

A hand tool with a sharp, flat edge used for cutting or carving hard materials such as stone or wood.

Question 10

Ground line

Answer 10

The baseline in art, often used in ancient art to indicate the ground level on which figures stand.

Question 11

Composite form (Twisted perspective)

Answer 11

A form of representation in which a figure is shown partly in profile and partly from a frontal view, a common characteristic of ancient art.

Question 12

Composition

Answer 12

The arrangement of elements in an artwork, including figures, forms, and the space between them, to create a harmonious or intended effect.

Question 13

Narrative

Answer 13

A visual depiction that tells a story, often seen in ancient or medieval art where images convey sequences of events.

Question 14

Megalithic

Answer 14

Refers to large stone structures or monuments, often from prehistoric periods, such as Stonehenge.

Question 15

Corbeled vaulting

Answer 15

An architectural technique where layers of stone or bricks are placed progressively closer together, forming an arch or vault without the use of a true arch.

Question 16

Post and lintel

Answer 16

An architectural system in which vertical posts support a horizontal lintel, used in ancient constructions like Stonehenge.

Question 17

Lintel

Answer 17

The horizontal beam that spans the top of two vertical posts or columns in architectural structures.

Question 18

Henge

Answer 18

A prehistoric monument consisting of a circular or oval area enclosed by a bank and ditch, often with stone or wooden structures inside, like Stonehenge.

Question 19

Trilithon

Answer 19

A structure consisting of two large vertical stones (posts) supporting a third stone set horizontally across the top (lintel), famously seen in Stonehenge.

Question 20

Sarsens

Answer 20

Large sandstone blocks used in the construction of Stonehenge and other megalithic monuments in southern England.

Question 21

Bluestones

Answer 21

Smaller stones, often volcanic, that were transported from Wales to form part of Stonehenge’s inner circle.

Question 22

Paleolithic

Answer 22

Refers to the “Old Stone Age,” a period in prehistory characterized by the development of stone tools and early human art forms, including cave paintings and small sculptures.

Question 23

Neolithic

Answer 23

The “New Stone Age,” marked by the advent of agriculture, the development of permanent settlements, and advances in tool-making and art.

Question 24

Sumerian

Answer 24

Refers to the ancient civilization in southern Mesopotamia (modern-day Iraq) known for inventing writing (cuneiform) and building the first cities.

Question 25

Akkadian

Answer 25

The people who established the Akkadian Empire in Mesopotamia, led by Sargon of Akkad, and known for their innovations in art, politics, and language.

Question 26

Early Dynastic - Egypt

Answer 26

The period in Egyptian history (c. 3100–2686 BCE) when the first pharaohs ruled and the foundations of Egyptian culture, including art, architecture, and writing, were established.

Question 27

Old Kingdom

Answer 27

A period in ancient Egyptian history (c. 2686–2181 BCE) known for the construction of the pyramids and strong centralized power under the pharaohs.

Question 28

Mesopotamia

Answer 28

An ancient region located between the Tigris and Euphrates rivers, where early civilizations like the Sumerians, Akkadians, and Babylonians flourished.

Question 29

City-states

Answer 29

Independent, self-governing cities that often controlled surrounding territories, common in ancient Mesopotamia and Greece.

Question 30

Register

Answer 30

A horizontal level in a work of art that separates scenes, often used in ancient art to structure narrative sequences.

Question 31

Ground line:

Answer 31

A drawn or sculpted baseline in art, usually representing the ground on which figures stand.

Question 32

Votive offering

Answer 32

An object left in a religious or sacred context as an offering to a deity or spirit, often in gratitude or as part of a religious ritual.

Question 33

Pictograph

Answer 33

A picture or symbol representing a word or concept, commonly used in early forms of writing, such as in cuneiform or hieroglyphs.

Question 34

Hierarchy of scale

Answer 34

An artistic convention in which the size of figures is determined by their importance, with larger figures representing more important individuals.

Question 35

Stylus

Answer 35

A pointed instrument used for writing, engraving, or incising, especially in ancient times for writing on clay tablets.

Question 36

Cuneiform

Answer 36

An early system of writing developed by the Sumerians, using wedge-shaped marks on clay tablets.

Question 37

Epic of Gilgamesh

Answer 37

One of the oldest known epic poems from ancient Mesopotamia, telling the story of Gilgamesh, a hero-king of Uruk.

Question 38

Bent-axis plan

Answer 38

A layout in ancient architecture where the approach to the entrance is indirect, commonly used in Mesopotamian temple designs.

Question 39

Cella

Answer 39

The inner chamber of a temple where the deity’s statue was housed, often found in Mesopotamian and Egyptian temples.

Question 40

Anu

Answer 40

The ancient Sumerian god of the sky, one of the chief deities in the Mesopotamian pantheon.

Question 41

Inanna

Answer 41

The Sumerian goddess of love, fertility, and warfare, later known as Ishtar in Akkadian mythology.

Question 42

Votive figures

Answer 42

Small statues left in temples by worshipers as offerings to deities, often representing the worshiper in prayer.

Question 43

Libation

Answer 43

A ritual pouring of a liquid, such as wine or oil, as an offering to a deity.

Question 44

Heraldic composition

Answer 44

A symmetrical arrangement of figures, often with a central figure flanked by two other figures in a mirrored or balanced composition.

Question 45

Lapis lazuli

Answer 45

A deep-blue semi-precious stone prized in ancient cultures for its use in jewelry and inlays, often associated with wealth and status.

Question 46

Cylinder seals

Answer 46

Small, cylindrical objects engraved with images or writing, used to create impressions on clay, functioning as signatures or to mark ownership in Mesopotamia.

Question 47

Stele

Answer 47

A stone or wooden slab, often engraved or inscribed with text or images, used as a monument or marker.

Question 48

Ziggurat

Answer 48

A stepped, pyramid-like structure used in ancient Mesopotamia as a temple platform.

Question 49

Hammurabi law code

Answer 49

One of the earliest and most complete written legal codes, created by the Babylonian king Hammurabi in the 18th century BCE.

Question 50

Ka

Answer 50

In ancient Egyptian belief, the spiritual essence of a person that lived on after death and needed to be sustained in the afterlife.

Question 51

Papyrus

Answer 51

A plant-based material used by ancient Egyptians for writing, made from the papyrus plant found along the Nile.

Question 52

Hieroglyph

Answer 52

A character from the writing system of ancient Egypt, using pictorial symbols to represent sounds or ideas.

Question 53

Horus

Answer 53

An ancient Egyptian god of the sky, often depicted as a falcon or with a falcon’s head, associated with the pharaoh and kingship.

Question 54

Palette

Answer 54

In ancient Egypt, a flat stone used for grinding cosmetics, often decorated with carved reliefs, like the Narmer Palette.

Question 55

Mastaba

Answer 55

A flat-roofed, rectangular tomb with sloping sides, used in ancient Egypt before the development of pyramids.

Question 56

Serdab

Answer 56

A sealed chamber within a tomb containing a statue of the deceased, intended to house their spirit.

Question 57

Pyramid

Answer 57

A monumental structure with a square or triangular base and sloping sides, used as royal tombs in ancient Egypt.

Question 58

Necropolis

Answer 58

A large, ancient cemetery with elaborate tomb monuments, often associated with cities of the dead in ancient Egypt and Greece.

Question 59

Engaged columns

Answer 59

Columns that are attached to a wall and are not free-standing, used in architecture as both decoration and support.

Question 60

Capitals

Answer 60

The topmost part of a column, often decorated, supporting the architrave or structure above.

Question 61

Ashlar masonry

Answer 61

Stone masonry made of large, rectangular blocks of stone, precisely cut and laid without mortar.

Question 62

Courses

Answer 62

Horizontal layers of stone or brick in