Roman Flashcards
Voussoirs
A wedge-shaped block used to construct an arch. The central vousoir
is called a keystone.
Keystone
keystone
The wedge-shaped or topmost
central stone of an arch.
Springer
The lowest voussoir on each side of an arch.
Impost
a projecting block resting on top of a column or embedded in a wall, serving as the base for the springer
Roman inventions
Concrete, arches, domes, aquaducts
Oculus
A circular opening found in the top of a
dome or a round window.
Coffered
A ceiling or suspended grid with
recessed geometric panels developed
in the Italian Renaissance.
The Pantheon
- Dome
- Coffered ceiling
- Slanted floor, water goes to cistern
Insula
Roman apartment building
- up to 16 apartment buildings per block
- retail lowest level
- three to four stories
- quality worsened as they got higher
- top apartments may not have had running water
courtyard
Pompeii
- South of Naples
- Mt. Vesuvius in background
- Summer retreat for wealthy
- In 79 AD, was vibrant town. Volcano erupted and burried town in 25 feet of lava.
Peristyle
2
A columned porch or open colonnade surrounding a court that may have an internal garden.
- Helps bring light into the plan
- Outdoor dining and bedrooms around the peristyle
Vestibulum
3
Covered area directly adjacent to the street, which enters into the main space.
Floor may have mosaics
Fauces
4
The narrow passage from the atrium of a Roman house to
the street.
- lowered ceiling
Atrium
1
In a Roman house, the principal room or courtyard; later it became
the forecourt of a Christian basilica, and today it is an open space in a
building or building complex.
- natural light
- welcoming area
Compluvium
A roof opening in a Roman residence above the
atrium through which rainwater could fall into
the cistern located under the floor, referred to
as the impluvium.
Ala
6
Small rooms or recesses opening off the atrium in the ancient Roman
house.
Tablinum
8
In an ancient Roman house, a room opposite the entrance, off of the atrium, serving as an office and for storing genealogy and other important records.
Triclinia
7 for indoor (off atrium), #9 for outdoor
Contains three couches (lectus) in a u-shaped formation for dining
- As a seat of honor and a symbol of legal authority the stool was used by high magistrates or by the emperor.
- Romans felt the person seated has a higher status than the person standing beside him.
Cove seat like egyptian, but no inlay
Roman stool with double reverse curve
Trestle table
A table supported by two
or more trestles and a long
horizontal stretcher, popular
throughout history, especially in
ancient Rome, the Middle Ages,
the Renaissance, and Colonial
America.
cathedra
The Roman chair similar to the Greek klismos but much heavier in
proportion; also the chair for a bishop from which the term cathedral
is derived.
Throne chair
Lectus
A Roman bed or reclining sofa designed for
sleeping and dining.
Either made of wood or bronze
Lectus
A Roman bed or reclining sofa designed for
sleeping and dining.
Either made of wood or bronze
Fulcra
Often animal heads/busts
Head-rest and foot-rest
