General Terms Flashcards
A tree or shrub of the Mimosaceous genus, native to warm geographical regions; a favorite vegetative form in much artwork in the Middle East; Gum Arabic
Acacia
In the open air; out of doors; Italian for “in the fresh air”
Al Fresco
A place shaded by trees or shrubs; an open structure, usually consisting of a horizontal framework or a littice work supported by columns on which vines or other plants are trained
Arbor
A real or imaginary straight line on which an object rotates or is perceived to balance; a centerline along which the parts of an object are symmetrically balanced
Axis
The place of several elements along a single centerline or at cross axes to main axis
Axial Planning
Italian word for Bas-relief meaning low relief
Basso Rilievo
Sculpture or carving of shallow depth, usually on a flat or curvd surface of stone; figures project minimally from the monolithic background stone
Bas-relief
Two-sided or arranged on opposite sides of an axis; symmetrical
Bilateral
From the Paleolithic Era; a large horizontal slab-like stone that spans several upright stones as a prehistoric monument or tomb
Cromlech
A low plain along a streambed or channel that is subject to flooding; soil is composed of sediments deposited by the stream
Floodplain
Large upright stones capped with a covering slab; erected in prehistoric times as a monument or tomb
Dolmen
A deposit of rock, gravel, and sand particles that have been transported and laid down by a flowing body of water
Alluvial Deposit
A green, sometimes moist and cool, fertile place in a desert area
Oasis
Having to do with right angles, rectangular, linear, or axial
Orthogonal
A garden structure consisting of a trellis supported by posts or columns and upon which vines or other plants are trained
Pergola
A doorway, gate, or entrance, especially a large and imposing one; pylon
Portal
The Latin word that means “the paintings that adorned the walls of porticos”
Topia
Evergreen plants carved into geometrical or sculptural forms
Topiary
The physical features, both natural and human-made, on the earth’s surface; relief, drainage, surface materials, vegetation, special physical phenomena, and human-made (cultural) features
Topography
A pyramidal staged tower, of which the angles were oriented to the cardinal points
Ziggurat
A coniferous tree with evergeen needle-like leaves, cones, and a chracterisitc fragrance; regarded as sacred in much of the ancient Near East (Scientific Name and Common Name)
Cedrus libani (Cedar of Lebanon)
The hardier coniferous tree with evergeen need-like leaves, cones, and characteristic fragrance; more widely found in America
Cedrus libani sterrocoma
A place of delight; a terrestrial paradise; said to be in the eastern part of the world and surrounded by a high wall or mountains
Eden
A raised place or small hill, usually human-made, designed to give a view of the estate
Mount
An ancient structural system comprised of vertical supports, spanned by horizontal beams
Post and Lintel
Any place of great beauty and perfection; a place or condition of great happiness; heaven
Paradise
A geometric figure having four side and four angles
Quadrilateral
A composition that consists of two axes intersecting at right angles and resulting in all four subdivisions or quadrants being equal; biaxial
Quadrilateral Symmetry
The region where the stages of the ziggurats were developed into continuous inclined ramp circulating the four sides
Assyrian Region
The devise for raising water; used for the irrigation of the Hanging Gardens of Babylon; also used by the ancient Egyptians for pumping water from the Nile into their vast system of irrigation canals; invented by the Mesopotamian civilizations
Spiral Pump
Persian word for garden, especially one that is quadripartite or subdivided into four quadrants by water channels crossing at its center; where the capital city of Iraq gotten its name, hence “Garden City”
Bagh
An important element in ancient Mesopotamian temple complexes; the number of its stages rose from one to seven in the course of time; often, each stage was faced in a stone of a different color, with the top most shrine being the most brilliant in tone
Ziggurat
A large square cloth worn by women in India; Hindu word for “shawl”; used to describe the carved marble water chutes in the Moghul gardens of India and Pakistan where water is made to flow from a pool over a rippled incline to appear to sparkle as it descends to a lower pool
Chadar (Chador, Chuddar, or Chuder)
Persian word for underground water canals that were constructed through the desert to bring water from a remote source to irrigate cultivated lands
Qanat
The Persian word meaning “fence” or “enclosure;” in Arabic, it means “walled around”
Pairidaeza (Paradise)
A garden created to symbolize the qualities of heaven
Paradise Garden