Reading...
Play button
Play button
Use LEFT and RIGHT arrow keys to navigate between flashcards;
Use UP and DOWN arrow keys to flip the card;
H to show hint;
A reads text to speech;
24 Cards in this Set
- Front
- Back
|
Syncretism
|
The reconciliation of different rites and practices into a single philosophy or religion.
|
|
|
Gravitas
|
Literally translates to “weight” but can also mean “presence” or “influence” it was seen as a virtue in Roman culture.
|
|
|
Tumulus
|
A round structure partially below and partially above ground and covered with earth which the Etruscans used as burial tombs. The tombs themselves would be arranged in neat rows along a network of streets within a cemetery located outside of the city.
|
|
|
Sarcophagus
|
A coffin. Various cultures used different materials and had unique styles and designs. The Etruscans made theirs of terra cotta and many had sculptures of husband and wife reclining together upon them
|
|
|
Patrician
|
Land owning aristocrats of the Roman culture. Many served as priests, lawyers, judges, and magistrates. The Senate was made up of members of this class and the class as a whole feared any loss of power or authority from the assembly.
|
|
|
Plebeian
|
The poor class of the Roman citizenry. They commonly worked as craftsmen, merchants, and laborers. They formed their own legislative assembly called the Consilium Plebis (Council of Plebeians) to protect themselves from the patrician controlled Senate. However, the laws passed by the Consilium, called plebiscites, were not binding to the patrician class.
|
|
|
Rhetorician
|
A writer, public speaker, or orator. One who studies and artistically uses the persuasive effect of language.
|
|
|
Verism
|
From the Latin veritas meaning “truth.” A form of realism utilized by the Romans, which was used in portrait busts. While similar to Greek realism the Romans went even further, showing every wrinkle and wart of the piece’s subject.
|
|
|
Insula
|
A multistoried apartment block used as a living space in Rome as a response to overcrowding beginning in the third century BCE.
|
|
|
Vault
|
An architectural term for an arched form above an enclosed space. They came in two main types: the barrel vault and the groin vault.
|
|
|
Arena
|
An oval shaped open space used to present performance. The main floor of the Colosseum was covered in sand, which is the translation of the term.
|
|
|
Round Arch
|
A curved architectural support element that spans an opening. The Romans used them to create bridges which spanned wider distances than their predecessors. If one were extended it would become a barrel vault.
|
|
|
Voussoir
|
A wedge-shaped block used to form an arch or vault
|
|
|
Keystone
|
A wedge-shaped stone at the top of an arch. The last element of an arch to be put in place during construction before any temporary supports (called centering) was removed.
|
|
|
Arcade
|
A succession of arches. The Pont du Gard, an aqueduct in France, would be an example. Many examples may be found in architecture.
|
|
|
Barrel Vault
|
A rounded vault formed when a round arch is extended. The interior corridors of the Colosseum were constructed of this type of vault along with the groin vault.
|
|
|
Groin Vault
|
A vault formed when two barrel vaults meet one another at a right angle. Along with barrel vaults they were the primary construct of the interior corridors of the Colosseum.
|
|
|
Triumphal Arch
|
A memorial arch composed of a simple barrel vault enclosed within a rectangle and enlivened with sculpture and decorative columns. They were named for the victorious armies whom marched through them.
|
|
|
Dome
|
A vaulted roof having a circular base and a generally hemispherical or semispherical shape. The one atop the Pantheon is 20 feet thick at the base but narrows to only 6 feet thick at the oculus.
|
|
|
Oculus
|
A circular opening at the top of a dome. The one at the top of the Pantheon was conceived of by the Emperor Hadrian as the “Eye of Jupiter.”
|
|
|
Medallion
|
A circular object typically made of metal, which has been rendered with an image or insignia. Various coins of ancient Greece would be examples.
|
|
|
Forum
|
The chief public square of Rome, the center of Roman religious, ceremonial, political, and commercial life. Though initially comparable to the agora of the Greeks it evolved gradually into a symbol of the power, peace, and prosperity of the Empire bestowed by the emperor to the citizenry.
|
|
|
Pantheon
|
From the Greek pan meaning “all” and theos meaning “gods.” While the word itself represents all the gods as a group, it also (and possibly more famously) refers to a temple located in Rome. The temple is dedicated to all the Roman gods and sculptures representing them were set in recesses around its interior. It is topped with a dome which until the twentieth century was the largest built in Europe.
|
|
|
Domus
|
A traditional Roman house or villa. Used as a measure of one’s social standing these townhouses were typically owned by the wealthier citizenry while the poorer more commonly lived in apartment blocks called isulae.
|
