| A | B |
|---|
| papyrus | a native Egyptian riverine plant from the stems of which ancient Egyptians produced an early form of paper. The papyrus plant was a popular decorative element in Egyptian architecture. |
| sarcophagus | a rectangular stone coffin often decorated with relief sculpture. |
| necropolis | a large cemetary or burial area |
| engaged columns | columns attached to the background wall |
| faience | a glazing technique for ceramic vessels, utilizing a glass paste that, upon firing, acquires a lustrous shine and smooth texture |
| hieroglyphics | picture writing signs rendered in the form of pictoral symbols, utilized primarily for sacred names and ceremonial inscriptions |
| shafts | main certical section of a column between the capital and the base usually circular in cross sections |
| column | used for support or decoration usually free standing- on be engaged |
| fluting | evenly spaced parrallel vertical grooves incised on shafts of columns or columnar elements (such as pilasters) |
| bases | a slab of masonry supporting a statue or the shaft of a column |
| henge | circular area enclosed by stories or wood posts set up by Neolithic people. It is usually bounded by a ditch and raised embankment |
| cuneiform | early form of writing with edge-shaped marks; impressed into wet clay with a stylus, primarily by ancient Mesopotamia |
| ziggurat | temple associated with the Near East. Man made mountain; tall step tower at earthen materials often supporting a shrine |
| mosaic | images formed by small colored stone or gloss pieces, affixed to a hard, stable surface |
| sculpture-in-the-round | 3-D sculpture that is carved free of any attaching background or block |
| relief sculpture | sculpted image or design whose flat background surface is carved away to a certain depth, setting the figure off |
| post and lintel | architectural system of construction with two or more vertical elements (posts) supporting a horizontal element (lintel) |
| potsherds | a broken piece of ceramic ware |
| votive figures | an image created as a devotional offering to a God or other deity |
| incised | technique where a design or inscription is cut into a hard surface with a sharp instrument |
| capstone | the final, topmost stone in a corbel arch or vault, which joins the side and completes the structure |
| facade | the face or front wall of a building |
| beehive tombs | a corbel vaulted tomb, conical in shape like a beehive and covered by an earthen mound |
| slip | a mixture of clay and water applied to ceramic objects as a final decorative coat |
| gold leaf | paper thin sheets of hammered gold that are used in gliding. Also used as ground for painting |
| Doric order | Column shaft can be fluted or smooth surfaced and has no base. Has an undecorated echinus and abacus |
| white-ground | type of ancient greek pottery ware in which the background color of the object is painted with a type of slip that turns white in the firing process |
| Kore | an archaic greek statue of a young woman |
| Corinthian order | the most ornate of the orders, includes a base, a fluted column shaft, with a capital elaborately decorated with acanthus leaf carvings |
| ionic order | has a base, a fluted shaft, and a capital decorated with volutes |
| archaic smile | the curved lips of an ancient greek statue, usually interpreted as a half smile |
| kouros | an archaic greek statue of a young man |
| sunken relief | image is molded below original surface which is not cut away |
| relief sculpture | sculpted image oe design, flat background carved away to a certain depth, setting off the figure |
| capitals | sculpted block that tops the column. according to the order, they include different decorative elements |
| colonnade | sequence or row of columns, supporting a straight lintel or a series of arches |
| peristyle hall | a surrounding colonnade in Greek architecture, a peristyle building is surrounded on exterior by a colonnade |
| terra cotta | a medium made from clay fired over a low heat and usually left unglazed |
| corbeling | Early roofing and arching technique in which each course of stone projects inward and slightly beyond. the previous layer until the uppermost corbels meet! (High narrow pointed arch) |
| groundline | solid baseline that indicates the ground plane of an image on which the figure stands. in ancient representations the figures and the objects are placed on the groundline without reference to the actual spacial relationships |
| cella | the principal interior structure at the center of a greek or roman temple within which the cult statue has usually housed |
