Chapter 1 – Art in the Stone Age
Paleolithic- The “old” Stone Age, during which humankind produced the first sculptures and paintings.
Mesolithic-The “middle” Stone Age, between the Paleolithic and the Neolithic ages.
Neolithic-The “new” Stone Age.
Henge-An arrangement of megalithic stones in a circle, often surrounded by a ditch.
Sculpture in the Round- Sculpture in the round is a piece of art you make that is three dimensional, or
3D. That means you can see it from all sides, and you can walk all the way around it.
Sculpture in Relief- Relief is a sculptural technique where the sculpted elements remain attached to a
solid background of the same material. The term relief is from the Latin verb relevo, to raise.
Twisted Perspective- A convention of representation in which part of a figure is shown in profile and
another part of the same figure is shown frontally.
Post and Lintel Construction-A system of construction in which two posts support a lintel.
Chapter 2 – Ancient Mesopotamia and Persia
Sumerians - Sumer is the earliest known civilization in the historical region of southern Mesopotamia, c.
4500 – c. 1900 BC
Akkadians - first ancient empire of Mesopotamia after the long-lived civilization of Sumer, 2334 bc2154bc
Assyrians - located in the northern part of Mesopotamia
Babylonians-2000bc-539bc, central-southern Mesopotamia
Hammurabi- Hammurabi was the sixth king of the First Babylonian dynasty of the Amorite tribe, reigning
from c. 1792 BC to c. 1750 BC.
Sargon - also known as Sargon the Great, was the first ruler of the Akkadian Empire
Ziggurat- In ancient Mesopotamian architecture, a tiered platform for a temple.
Cylinder Seal- A cylindrical piece of stone usually about an inch or so in height, decorated with an incised
design, so that a raised pattern is left when the seal is rolled over soft clay. In the ancient Near East,
documents, storage jars, and other important possessions were signed, sealed, and identified in this
way. Stamp seals are an earlier
Iwan - In Islamic architecture, a vaulted rectangular recess opening onto a courtyard.
Persians- The Persian Empire spanned from Egypt in the west to Turkey in the north, and through
Mesopotamia to the Indus River in the east.
Lamassu - Assyrian guardian in the form of a man-headed winged bull or lion.
Stele- A carved stone slab used to mark graves or to commemorate historical events.
Votive Figures- under-life size anthropomorphic representations that were created as the embodiment
of the worshipper and were set up at strategic points within the temple as dedications to the god
Hieratic Scale - an artistic technique in which the most essential object in a painting or sculpture is the
largest
Cuneiform - Latin, “wedge-shaped.” A system of writing used in ancient Mesopotamia, in which wedge
shaped characters were produced by pressing a stylus into a soft clay tablet, which was then baked or
otherwise allowed to harden.
Fertile Crescent- boomerang-shaped region of the Middle East that was home to some of the earliest
human civilizations. Also known as the “Cradle of Civilization,” this area was the birthplace of a number
of technological innovations, including writing, the wheel, agriculture, and the use of irrigation
Naram-Sin: ruler of the Akkadian Empire, who reigned c. 2254–2218 BC, and was the third successor and
grandson of King Sargon of Akkad. Under Naram-Sin the empire reached its maximum strength
Chapter 3 – Egypt from Narmer to Cleopatra
Cartouche - In Egyptian hieroglyphs, a cartouche is an oval with a line at one end tangent to the oval,
indicating that the text enclosed is a royal name
Hieroglyphics- A symbol or picture used to confer meaning in hieroglyphic writing.
Sarcophagus- a stone coffin, typically adorned with a sculpture or inscription and associated with the
ancient civilizations of Egypt, Rome, and Greece
Ka - In ancient Egypt, the immortal human life force.
Amarna Period - era of Egyptian history during the later half of the Eighteenth Dynasty when the royal
residence of the pharaoh and his queen was shifted to Akhetaten in what is now Amarna
Hatshepsut- Hatshepsut was the fifth pharaoh of the Eighteenth Dynasty of Egypt. She was the second
historically confirmed female pharaoh
Narmer - Narmer was an ancient Egyptian pharaoh of the Early Dynastic Period. He was the successor to
the Protodynastic king Ka. Many scholars consider him the unifier of Egypt and founder of the First
Dynasty, and in turn the first king of a unified Egypt.
Mastaba - Arabic, “bench.” An ancient Egyptian rectangular brick or stone structure with sloping sides
erected over a subterranean tomb chamber connected with the outside by a shaft.
Book of the Dead- ancient Egyptian funerary text generally written on papyrus and used from the
beginning of the New Kingdom to around 50 BCE.
Axial Plan - The horizontal arrangement of the parts of a building or of the buildings and streets of a city
or town, or a drawing or diagram showing such an arrangement. In an axial plan, the parts of a building
are organized longitudinally, or along a given axis; in a central plan, the parts of the structure are of
equal or almost equal dimensions around the center.
Old Kingdom - It lasted from 2575 BC to 2150 BC. Over these 400 years, Egypt had a strong central
government and a prosperous economy. The Old Kingdom is most famous as a time when many
pyramids were built.
Middle Kingdom- It lasted from 1975 BC to 1640 BC. The Middle Kingdom was the second peak period of
the Ancient Egyptian civilization
New Kingdom - also referred to as the Egyptian Empire, is the period in ancient Egyptian history
between the sixteenth century BC and the eleventh century BC, covering the Eighteenth, Nineteenth,
and Twentieth dynasties of Egypt
Akhenaton - came to power as the pharaoh of Egypt in either the year 1353 or 1351 BCE and reigned for
roughly 17 years during the 18th dynasty of Egypt's New Kingdom. Akhenaten became best known to
modern scholars for the new religion he created that centered on the Aten
Valley of the Kings/Queens-located in Luxor, burial site in Egypt
Chapter 4 – The Prehistoric Aegean
Cycladic Culture - The prehistoric art of the Aegean Islands around Delos, excluding Crete.
Minoan Culture - The prehistoric art of Crete, named after the legendary King Minos of Knossos.
Mycenaean Culture- The prehistoric art of the Late Helladic period in Greece, named after the citadel of
Mycenae.
Fresco - Painting on lime plaster, either dry (dry fresco, or fresco secco) or wet (true, or buon, fresco). In
the latter method, the pigments are mixed with water and become chemically bound to the freshly laid
lime plaster. Also, a painting executed in either method.
Minoan Marine Style - characterised by detailed, naturalistic depictions of octopuses, argonauts,
starfish, triton shells, sponges, coral, rocks and seaweed
Old Palace Period- Protopalatial period: Middle Minoan IB – Middle Minoan IIB (begins c. 1900 B.C.E.)
Second (or New) Palace Period - Middle Minoan IIIA – Late Minoan IB (begins after 1730 B.C.E.)
Cyclopean Masonry- A method of stone construction, named after the mythical Cyclopes, using massive,
irregular blocks without mortar, characteristic of the Bronze Age fortifications of Tiryns and other
Mycenaean sites.
Tholos - A temple with a circular plan. Also, the burial chamber of a tholos tomb.
Relieving Triangle - In Mycenaean architecture, the triangular opening above the lintel that serves to
lighten the weight to be carried by the lintel itself.
Repoussé- Formed in relief by beating a metal plate from the back, leaving the impression on the face.
The metal sheet is hammered into a hollow mold of wood or some other pliable material and finished
with a graver.