Roman vocab

Question 0

Terra-cotta

Answer 0

A medium made from clay fired over a low heat and sometimes left unglazed. Also: the orange-brown color typical of this medium.

Question 1

Contrapposto

Answer 1

The Classical convention of representing standing human figures with opposing alternations of tension and relaxation on each side of a central axis.

Question 2

Patrician

Answer 2

An aristocrat or nobleman.

Question 3

Plebeians

Answer 3

A member of the lower social class.

Question 4

Forum

Answer 4

A Roman town center; site of temples and administrative buildings and used as a market or public gathering area.

Question 5

Toga

Answer 5

The toga, a distinctive garment of Ancient Rome, was a cloth of perhaps 20 ft (6 m) in length which was wrapped around the body and was generally worn over a tunic.

Question 6

Bust

Answer 6

A sculpture from the neck up.

Question 7

Barrel Vault

Answer 7

A barrel vault, also known as a tunnel vault or a wagon vault, is an architectural element formed by the extrusion of a single curve.

Question 8

Groin Vault

Answer 8

A groin vault or groined vault (also sometimes known as a double barrel vault or cross vault) is produced by the intersection at right angles of two barrel vaults. The word “groin” refers to the edge between the intersecting vaults.

Question 9

Pier

Answer 9

A masonry support made up of many stones, or rubble and concrete often square or rectangular in plan and capable of carrying very heavy architectural loads

Question 10

Keystone

Answer 10

The topmost voussoir at the center of an arch, and the last block to be placed. The pressure of this block holds the arch together.

Question 11

Aqueducts

Answer 11

A trough to carry flowing water supported, if necessary, by arches.

Question 12

Ashlar Masonry

Answer 12

Ashlar is finely dressed (cut, worked) masonry, either an individual stone that has been worked until squared or the masonry built of such stone.

Question 13

Amphitheater

Answer 13

is an open-air venue used for entertainment, performances, and sports.

Question 14

Concrete

Answer 14

A building material developed by the ancient Romans, made primarily from lime, sand, cement, and rubble mixed with water.

Question 15

Porch

Answer 15

A porch is a construction external to the walls of the main building proper.

Question 16

Rotunda

Answer 16

Any building (or part thereof) constructed in a circular (or sometimes polygonal) shape, usually producing a large open space crowned by a dome.

Question 17

Dome

Answer 17

A rounded vault, usually over a circular space. Consists of curved masonry and can vary in shape.

Question 18

Oculus

Answer 18

In architecture, a circular opening. Oculi are usually found either as windows or at the apex of a dome.

Question 19

Drum

Answer 19

The circular wall that supports a dome. Also: a segment of the circular shaft of a column.

Question 20

Niche

Answer 20

A hollow or recess in a wall or other solid architectural element.

Question 21

Coffers

Answer 21

A recessed decorative panel that is used to reduce the weight of and to decorate ceilings or vaults. The use of coffers is called coffering.

Question 22

Hypogeum

Answer 22

Underground.

Question 23

Basilica

Answer 23

A large rectangular building. Often built with a clerestory, side aisles separated from the center nave by colonnades, and an apse at one or both ends. Roman centers for administration, later adapted to Christian church use.

Question 24

Nave

Answer 24

The central aisle of a basilica, two or three stories high, flanked by aisles, and defined by the nave arcade or nave colonnade.

Question 25

Aisle

Answer 25

Passage or open corridor of a church, hall, or other building that parallels the main space, usually on both sides, and is delineated by a row, or arcade, of columns or piers

Question 26

Apse

Answer 26

A large semicircular or polygonal (and usually vaulted) niche protruding from the end wall of a building.

Question 27

Clerestory

Answer 27

The topmost zone of a wall with windows in a basilica, extending above the aisle roofs. Provides direct light into the central interior space (the nave).