Archeology Technical Terms

Front 1

Meander

Back 1

Key pattern around the rim of a krater

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Dipylon Krater

Back 2

One of the earliest examples of greek figure painting.

Found in the Dipylon Cemetary in Athens

Depicts the mourning of a man laid out on his bier, and the procession taking place in his honor.

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Centaur

Back 3

Half man, half horse

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Nessos

Back 4

the centaur who had volunteered to carry hero's bride across the river and then assaulted her.

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Herakales and Nessos

Back 5

small bronze sculpture of hero and centaur.

one of earliest found sculptures in ancient greece.

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Orientalizing Period

Back 6

When the greeks were heavily influenced by the eastern artwork, especially small sculptures

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Mantiklos Apollo

Back 7

a small bronze status dedicated to the godess Apollo in the 7th century found at thebes by a random man named Mantiklos

Made from bronze and has elongated abdominals and pectorals

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Slip

Back 8

Liquified Clay

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Glaze

Back 9

the "pigment" found on greek vases that was painted on the clay

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The "Black Spots on the Vases"

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was made by first oxidizng the clay by firing the vases turning both the slip and glaze red.

then the reducing phase shut off the oxygen to the furnace and turned it black

then the re-oxidizing phase turned the slip red again leaving the rest black

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Abacus

Back 11

the tablet like slab that forms the uppermost part of a capital

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acropolis

Back 12

"top of the city"; the natural citadel of a greek city that served as a fortification or religious center

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adyton

Back 13

the innermost part of a sanctuary of a building housing the place where, in a temple with an oracle, the orcale's message was delivered

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agora

Back 14

a large open area in ancient greek cities that servied as public meeting place, marketplace or mcivic center

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amphora

Back 15

a greej jar with a n egg shaped body and two curved handles. Used for storing wine or oil

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antae

Back 16

pilasters of slight projection, terminating the walls of a cella

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archaic style

Back 17

a style in early greek art, marked by increased naturalism seen especially in the two predominant sculptural types. Kouros and Kore

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architrave

Back 18

The bottom layer of an entablature

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bard

Back 19

a singer of songs about the deeds of heroes and the ways of the gods

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black-figure

Back 20

a style in greek pottery decoration composed of black figures against a red background

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buon fresco

Back 21

the technique of applying pigment mixed with water onto wet plaster so that the paint is absorebed by the plaster and becomes part of the wall

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capital

Back 22

a sculpted block that forms the uppermost part of a column

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cella

Back 23

the principal interior space of a greek buiding, especially a temple

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column

Back 24

a vertical element that serves as an architectural support, usually consisting of capital, shaft and base

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corinthian order

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the most elaborate of the greek architectual orders, distinguished by a capital decorated with acanthus leaves

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cyclopean masonry

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walls made of huge blocks of rough-hewn stone, so called because of myth that a race of monsters known as cyclopes built them

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dactyl

Back 27

an element of meter in poety consistiong of one long syllable followed by two short syllables

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deme

Back 28

a division of the athenian political system composed of small local areas comparable to modern day precincts or wards

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democracy

Back 29

rule by the people

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doric order

Back 30

the oldest and simplest order of the greek architectural orders characterized by a heavy column that stands directly on a temples stylobate

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echinus

Back 31

the rounded part of a capital

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elevation

Back 32

the arrangement, proportions and appearance of a temple foundation, columns and lintels

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engaged column

Back 33

a half column that projects from a wall but serves no structural purpose

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entablature

Back 34

the uppermost horizontal elements of an order composed of the cornice, frieze and architrave

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entasis

Back 35

a swelling of the shaft of the column

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epic conventions

Back 36

standard ways of composing an epic

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faience

Back 37

a type of earthenware ceramic decorated with glazes

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feudial

Back 38

a system of political organization based on ties of allegiance between a lord and those who owed their welfare to him

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formulaic epithet

Back 39

a descriptive phrase applied to a person o r thing, serving as an aid to memory in oral recitation

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geometric style

Back 40

a style of early greek ceramics characterized by cirles, rectangles, and triangles in parallel bands

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hexameter

Back 41

a poetic form composed o siz metrical units per line

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hubris

Back 42

exaggerated pride and self confidence

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ionic order

Back 43

one of the greek architectual orders characterized by columns either or caryatids or with scrolled capitals

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Kore

Back 44

a freestanding sculpture of a maiden

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kouros

Back 45

a freestanding sculpture of a nude male

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lyric poem

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poetry generally written to be accompanied by a lyre

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naturalism

Back 47

a style in art that seeks to represent forms, including the human body, as they appear in nature

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order

Back 48

in classical gree architecture, the relationship of an elevations three vertical elements: platform, column, and entablature

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pantheon

Back 49

all the gods as a group

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pediment

Back 50

the triangular area over a porch

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peristyle

Back 51

a row of columns

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platfrom

Back 52

a raised horizontal surface

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polis

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the greek city state that fromed the center of cultural life

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pronaos

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the enclosed vestibule at the front of a greek building, especially a temple

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red-figure

Back 55

a style in greek pottery decoration composed of red figures against a black background

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relieving triangle

Back 56

a triangular shaped opening above a lintel that relieves some of the weight the lintel bears

Front 57

repousse

Back 57

a metalworking technique of creating a design in relief by hammering or pressing on the reverse side

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shaft grave

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a deep vertical pit enclosed in a circle of stone slabs

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spondee

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an element of meter in poety consisting of two long syllables

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stylobate

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te top step of the raised platform of a temple

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symposium

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in ancient greexe, a gathering of men initially for the purpose of sharing poetry, food and wine

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tholos

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a round building

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volute

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a scroll like motif on a columns capital

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antagonist

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one who represents an opposing will

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axis

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an imaginary central line

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caryatid

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a female figure that serves as a column

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chorus

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the company of actors who comment on the action of some greek dramas, both tragedies and comedies

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classical

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refers specifically to the art of the greeks in the fifth century bce

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colonnade

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a row of columns

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comedy

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an amusing or lighthearted play designed to evoke laughter in an audience

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contrapposto

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italian conterpoise, a term used to describe the weight-shift stance developed by the ancient greeks in which figure is supported by one leg

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dialect method

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a process of inquiry and instruction characterized by continous questiona nd ansewer dialogue designed to elicit a clear statement of knoledge

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encaustic

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a paint medium composed of beeswax and bigment

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entasis

Back 74

a swelling of the shaft of a column

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expressionism

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the attempt to elicit an emotional response in a viewrer

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farce

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a broadly satirical comedy

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golden mean

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philosophically, the middle ground between any two extremes of behavior

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hellenistic

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a period of greek history that begins with the death of alexander the great and extends to the roman deveat of cleopatra in 30bce

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humanism

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a focus on the actions of human beings, especially political action

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idealism

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the eternal perfection of pure ideas untainted by material reality

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inductive reasoning

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a type of reasoning that moves from specific instances to general principles and from particular truths yo universal ones

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maenad

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in ancient greek literature, the frenzied women inspired to estatic dance by dionysus

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male gaze

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a term used especially in art to describe the chauvinistic glance that regards woman as a sexual object

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metope

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a square panel between triglyphs and doric frieze

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muse

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one of nine sister goddesses in greek mythology

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orchestra

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the dancing space on which greek plays were performed

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parodos

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an enterance way through which the chorus entered the orchestra

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parapet

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a low wall

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pre-socratic

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greek philosophy that preceded socrates, chiefly concerned with describing the natural world

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propylon

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a large entryway

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proscenium

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the stage on which actors perform and where painted backdrops can be hung

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protagonist

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the leading character in play or literary work

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psyche

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the seat of both intilligence and character

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satyr

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a woodland diety part human and part goat and nited for its lasciviousness

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satyr play

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a comic play that was one of the three major forms of greek drama

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scientific method

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the effort to construct an accurate representation of the world

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skene

Back 97

"tent" originally a changing room for greek actors that over time was transformed in to a building

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sophist

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"wise man" an ancient greek teacher or philosopler who was committed to humaism and priomarly concerned with understanding nature of human

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stoa

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a long hall enclosed on the ends and back with a colonnade on the open side. Used as a meeting hall or market building

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syllogism

Back 100

a type of deductive reasoing consisting of two premises from which a conclusion can be drawn

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tetralogy

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a set of four related plays

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tragedy

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a type of drama whos basis is conflict

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triglyph

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the element of a doric frieze seperating two consectuive metopes and divided by grooves into three sections

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Siren

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Part Bird, Part Woman

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moschophoros

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calf bearer

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peplos

Back 106

a simple, long, woolen, belted garmet

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Gorgon

Back 107

A demon with a woman's body and bird's wings

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gigantomachy

Back 108

battle of the gods represented in artwork on buildings

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centauromachy

Back 109

Battle of Centaurs

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strategos

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herment of a general worn by pericles in busy

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Doryphorous

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a statue built by Polykleitos that is supposed to be an accurate portrayal of the cannon and contrapposto

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emblema

Back 112

central framed pannel in a mosaic

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skiagraphia

Back 113

greek technique for shading meaning "shadow painting"

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immortals

Back 114

persian soldiers of Darius III

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intercolumnation

Back 115

space between 2 columns

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tripod

Back 116

a deep bowl on a tall three legged stand

Front 117

hypaethral

Back 117

temple which was open to the sky

Front 118

several covered columnades

Back 118

porticos

Front 119

torque

Back 119

a Gallic neckband