Roman Art Terms Flashcards
<p>acanthus</p>
<p>A broad-leafed plant with many spikes, used as a decorative pattern on Corinthian capitals and reliefs</p>
<p></p>
<p>acroteria</p>
<p>Ornaments at the apex of the gable and at the corners of the roof of a temple</p>
<p></p>
<p></p>
<p>aggregate</p>
<p>The inert material (sand, gravel, or rubble) bound with pozzolana to form concrete</p>
<p>agora (Greek)/ forum (Roman)</p>
<p>Term for open-air market spaces or political centers</p>
<p>ala</p>
<p>Wing or side section of a house or temple</p>
<p>antrum</p>
<p>Latin for ¨cave¨ or ¨grotto¨; innermost recess of a hillside santuary</p>
<p>apse</p>
<p>A semicircular space, usually at the end of a hall or basilica</p>
architrave
The horizontal architectural element above the columns in a classical temple
atmospheric perspective
An art technique for creating the illusion of distance by making faraway objects appear hazier than objects in the foreground
atrium
The central room of a traditional Roman house
attic
Upper portion of a triumphal arch
basilica
The conventional name for halls built to accommodate a crowd of people for civic and administrative purposes
bucchero
Fine black polished pottery made by the Etruscans
capital
The upper, spreading element of a column, forming a transition between the vertical shaft and horizontal elements of the architrave
caryatid
A female figure used as a support, most commonly for mirror handles or as a replacement for columns
cavea
The rounded hollow space in a theatre where the seats were placed
cella
An enclosed room of a temple, usually housing the cult statue
chiaroscuro
Art technique that uses light and shadow to create the illusion of shape and volume
circus
A track for chariot racing
cloaca
A drain or sewer
coffers
The box-like shapes in the ceiling of architectural monuments and arches, used to reduce the mass of the vaulting
colonnnade
A row of columns (surrounding a temple or as an independent structure)
Corinthian style
Fanciest column style with swirly leaves
cupola
Another word for a dome
domus
A single family townhouse (like a villa, but in town)
emblature
The upper architectural elements of a temple, above the columns
exedra
Large curving space set back in a wall or colonnade; uncovered and bigger than an apse
fluting
Vertical grooves in columns
fresco
Wall painting in which the paint is applied to wet plaster and absorbed into it
frieze
Horizontal space above the main crossbeam in a temple, usually decorated with sculpture or floral elements
Ionic style
Column design with swilrly ends
mausoleum
A very large tomb
obelisk
A tapering pillar of square section
oculus
Round opening in a dome that lets light in
orchestra
The flat, semicircular space in front of the stage within the theatre
peristyle
The rectangular courtyard or garden of a Greek or Roman house
piscina
A fish pond
portico
A porch, or a line of columns in a colonnade
pozzolana
Volcanic earth used as the main ingredient in Roman concrete
pylons
Important gateways or the square pillars that support an arch
