Exam 2 Flashcards
Stupa
a mound-like or hemispherical structure containing relics that is used as a place of meditation.
What is a Pagoda?
A tiered tower with multiple eaves.
What is the primary function of a Pagoda?
Religious functions, mainly Buddhist.
What is Duogong?
A Chinese system of timber construction utilizing joinery and interlocking brackets.
Purpose of the Duogong system?
To transfer the weight of the roof evenly to the columns below.
What is a Mandala?
A geometric configuration of symbols.
What is the use of mandalas?
To focus the attention of practitioners and adepts.
Also an aid to meditation and trance induction.
Buddha
The enlightened one
Circumambulation
The act of moving around a sacred object or idol.
Hinduism and Buddhism
Torana
Free standing ornamental arched gateway.
What is the purpose of a Torana?
Ceremonial purposes
In which architectural styles is Torana commonly seen?
Hindu, Buddhist, and Jain Architecture
Stambha
a pillar or column found in India
What does a Stambha represent?
A cosmic column that joins heaven and earth
Barays
Massive water reservoirs set up around the city of Angkor.
Devaraja
Sacred Kingship
Laterite
An aluminum and iron rich rock found in Cambodia.
What was Laterite used for at Angkor Wat
To encase the sand foundation core, and to line the waterways.
Quincunx
A geometric form made of five objects. One at each corner of a square or rectangle and one in the middle.
Temple Mountain
A Hindu temple structure like that of Angkor Wat. Made up of five towers with the middle being the tallest. Each tower representing a of the sacred Mount Meru.
What is an Abbey?
A grouping of buildings that constitutes the housing and other necessary structures for a society
Who lives in an abbey?
Christian monks or nuns living under a specific religious rule.
Cloister
An open garden court surrounded by roofed passages on all four sides.
Monasticism
Communal lifestyle dedicated to spiritual devotion
What type of church plan is a basilica?
Latin Cross plan
What feature of Basilica churches allows for circulation of large crowds?
Side aisles that envelop the entire structure, beneficial due to the allowance of circulating crowds without disrupting the liturgy.
What is a relic?
A fragment of a sacred object. usually connected to a saint or some other venerated person.
Reliquary
Protective container for a relic.
Ribbed Vault
A vault with projecting bands
Flying Buttress
An arch transmitting the thrust of a vault or roof from the upper part of the wall to an outer support buttress
Groin Vault
two intersecting barrel vaults
Pinnacle
Small, steep turret like structure crowning spires and other roof structures
Stained Glass Window
Glass windows created by fitting together small pieces of various shapes and colors with strips of lead.
Vernacular Architecture
Architecture using only local knowledge and materials.
Batammariba
Those who built the earth
Djenné-ferey
Cylindrical sunbaked bricks composed of mud, sand, rice husks, and water.
Toron
Decorative and vertical bundles of rosier palm sticks that protrude horizontally from walls.
Devotional Fixation
An object or image that focuses a person’s attention on the holy and directs their mind and soul to prayer.
Hypogeum
A subterranean chamber carved from rock that usually serves as a temple or tomb.
Altepetl
A politically autonomous unit roughly equivalent to a city-state
Calpulli
An organizational unit, roughly equivalent to a neighborhood.
Campan
A larger organization unit that included multiple calpulli.
Cartographic History
a map that shows not just a place but also events unfolding in space over time.
Chinampas (Floating Gardens)
Gardens made of uniform size using wooden stakes and plant material.
Humanism
A Renaissance cultural movement turned away from Medieval Scholasticism.
What did Humanism revive interest in?
Ancient Greek and Roman thought.
Lantern
A small circular or polygonal structure.
Where is a Lantern usually located?
Above a larger tower or dome.
What feature does a lantern have?
Windows lining the base.
Orthography
A method of projection (drawing) in which an object is depicted or a surface mapped using parallel lines on a flat plane
Linear Perspective
A method of projection (drawing) that creates the illusion of depth.
Symmetry
The reflection of shared forms, shapes, or angles across a central line or point called the access.
