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AP Art History - Architecture Flashcards

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4782606484AbacusA slab forming the top of the capital of a column.0
4782606500AcropolisThe citadel or fortress of an ancient Greek city, typically built on a hill.1
4782606485AmbulatoryThe passage around the apse in a basilica church or around the central space in a central-plan building.2
4782606486AisleA lateral division in a church flanking the nave or chancel3
4782606487ArcadeA series of arches carried by columns or piers.4
4782606488ApseA semicircular or polygonal recess in a building. In Christian architecture, an apse is often found at the east end of a basilica church.5
4782606489ArabesqueA European term for a type of surface decoration typical of Islamic art. Arabesque decoration is based on foliage motifs and characterized by flowing, swirling and intertwining lines.6
4782606490ArchA curved masonry construction for spanning an opening, consisting of a number of wedgelike stones, bricks, or the like, set with the narrower side toward the opening in such a way that forces on the arch are transmitted as vertical or oblique stresses on either side of the opening.7
4782606491Atrium1) The formal entrance hall of an ancient Roman house, open to the sky at the center and usually featuring a pool for the collection of rain water. 2) In a basilica church, a colonnaded courtyard preceding the entrance. 3) In contemporary architecture, an inner courtyard located near the entrance to a building, often lit with skylights.8
4782606492Basilica1) In Roman architecture a large public building with a nave, aisles, and an apse, used for law courts, markets, and public assemblies. 2) A building similar to a Roman basilica, used as a Christian church.9
4782606493CapitalA sculpted block that tops a column.10
4782606494CapstoneSee corbeled dome. → In a corbeled dome each course of stone projects inward beyond the lower course until they meet at the top with a capstone.11
4782606495CatacombAn underground cemetery consisting of tunnels on multiple levels. Catacombs were provided with shelf-like niches (loculi) for regular burials and "bedrooms" (cubicula) for more elite burials.12
4782606496CellaThe main interior room of a Greek or Roman temple, where the cult statue was placed. Also called the naos.13
4782606497Central-planIn architecture, a plan in which the parts of a building radiate from a central point.14
4782606498Clerestory1) The upper story of a basilica church, extending above the roofs of the aisles. The clerestory was usually pierced by windows to admit light into the interior. 2) In contemporary architecture, a upper wall similarly provided with windows.15
4782606499ColumnAn architectural element consisting of a shaft, round or polygonal in section, and used for structural support or decoration. Columns usually are placed on a base and topped by a capital. Columns that are attached to a wall are called engaged columns or half-columns.16
4782606501CaryatidA caryatid is a sculpted female figure serving as an architectural support taking the place of a column or a pillar supporting an entablature on her head. The Greek term karyatides literally means "maidens of Karyai", an ancient town of Peloponnese.17
4782606502CoffersRecessed decorative features used to decorate ceilings, vaults or domes.18
4782606503CorbelA architectural bracket or block projecting from a wall and designed to support a structure above it, such as a cornice or arch.19
4782606504CrenellationA pattern of multiple openings along the top of a defensive wall, through which arrows or other weapons can be shot, used especially in medieval architecture. Also known as a battlement.20
4782606505DomeIn architecture a vault, usually circular at the base and rising above the central part of a building. Domes come in a wide variety of forms, including saucer-shaped, onion-shaped, pumpkin-shaped, bulbous, parabolic, and hemispheric. A dome can be elevated by being placed on top of a circular or polygonal drum.21
4782606506Doric orderThe oldest and simplest of the three main orders of classical Greek architecture, characterized by heavy fluted columns with plain, saucer-shaped capitals and no base.22
4782606507FaçadeThe "face" of a building, especially the principal front that looks onto a street or open space.23
4782606508FinialIn architecture, the decorative upper termination of a pinnacle, gable end, buttress, canopy, or spire.24
4782606509FlutingShallow decorative grooves running the length of a column or pilaster.25
4782606510JambA vertical element of a doorway or window frame.26
4782606511KeystoneThe central voussoir at the apex of an arch. During construction, the keystone "locks" the other voussoirs into place.27
4782606512Lunette(French: "little moon"). A semicircular architectural space that can be filled with a painting, a mosaic, relief sculpture or a window.28
4782606513MastabaAn ancient Egyptian tomb rectangular in plan with sloping sides and a flat roof. The entire mastaba consists of the underground burial chamber and the rooms above it at ground level, in which offerings were stored.29
4782606514MetopeIn ancient Greek architecture, the space between two triglyphs in a Doric frieze. Metopes were often decorated with relief sculpture or painted decoration.30
4782606515MosqueA building used by Muslims for communal worship. Arabic: masjid.31
4782606516MaqarnasDecorative device in Islamic architecture, like a small pointed niche, used in tiers projecting over those below, usually constructed of corbelled brick, stone, stucco, or wood.32
4782606517NarthexA transverse-oriented hall preceding the nave of a church and functioning as a vestibule.33
4782606518NaosSee cella. → The main interior room of a Greek or Roman temple, where the cult statue was placed. Also called the naos.34
4782606519NaveThe central space of a church. In a basilica church, the nave is usually flanked by aisles.35
4782606520OculusIn Roman architecture, a circular window (from Latin oculus, "eye").36
4782606521OrthogonalPertaining to or involving right angles or perpendiculars:37
4782606522Prairie-styleIn architecture, American style exemplified by the low-lying "prairie houses" such as Robie House (1908) that were for the most part built in the Midwest between 1900 and 1917 by Frank Lloyd Wright.38
4782606523PedestalAn architectural support or base, as for a column or statue.39
4782606524PedimentA wide, low-pitched gable at the top of the façade of a building. The pediment is formed by the sloping roof and the horizontal cornice.40
4782606525Pillar (Pilaster)A shallow, rectangular decorative feature projecting from a wall. A pilaster usually has a capital and a base, like a flattened column.41
4782606526PortalA doorway, entrance, or gate, especially one that is large and imposing.42
4782606527PorticoA structure consisting of a roof supported by columns at regular intervals, usually attached to a building as a porch.43
4782606528QiblaThe direction to the Kaaba in Mecca, towards which Muslims are required to pray. Most mosques contain a niche, the mihrab, that indicates the qibla.44
4782606529QuatrefoilAn ornamental shape that has four lobes.45
4782606530RotundaAny building or room constructed on a circular plan, often topped by a dome.46
4782606531SanctuaryA sacred place, set apart from the profane, ordinary world. Originally, sanctuaries were natural locations, such as groves or hills, where the divine or sacred was believed to be especially present. The concept was later extended to include man-made structures; e.g., the tabernacle (tent) of the ancient Hebrews, the later Jerusalem Temple, the sacred lodge of the Algonkin and Sioux, or, especially, sacred parts of such structures.47
4782606532TranseptIn a cruciform church, the part of the building oriented perpendicular to the nave.48
4782606533VaultAn arched structure, usually built of stone masonry, brick or concrete, serving to cover a space. Types include the barrel vault, rib vault and groin vault.49
4782606534VeneerA thin sheet of a material50
4782606535VoluteSpiral scrolls found on Ionic, Corinthian and Composite capitals.51
4782606536ZigguratIn ancient Mesopotamia, a stepped tower of earthen materials, often supporting a temple or shrine.52

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