Midterm Terms

Question 1

Syncretism

Answer 1

The integration of images, stories, and ideas from multiple cultures.

Question 2

Liminal

Answer 2

A threshold or transitional stage

Question 3

Catacomb

Answer 3

Underground burial tunnels in ancient and early medieval Rome that housed the graves of people of many religions and were sometimes decorated with paintings and glass objects.

Question 4

Spolia

Answer 4

Architectural or sculptural elements taken from one building and used in another.

Question 5

Loculus

Answer 5

A niche that houses the body in a catacomb

Question 6

Cubiculum

Answer 6

A small room in a catacomb, typically used as a family vault among the wealthy

Question 7

Basilica

Answer 7

An ancient Roman civic building with a large, open central area or hall that was adapted by early Christians into a church plan. Basilicas were the most popular church plan in the medieval world.

Question 8

Martyrium

Answer 8

A structure built to enshrine and provide ritual access to the relics of a martyr.

Question 9

Axial Plan

Answer 9

A plan in which a building is organized along a single axis

Question 10

Central Plan

Answer 10

A plan in which parts of a building radiate from a single point

Question 11

Tessera/ae

Answer 11

Individual pieces of cut stone or glass used to create mosaics.

Question 12

Chi-Rho

Answer 12

A symbol in Christian art that represents Christ, the first two letters of Christ in Greek (X and P)

Question 13

Edict of Milan, 313

Answer 13

Legalized Christianity in the Roman Empire

Question 14

Epitaph

Answer 14

A text written in memory of a person whose died

Question 15

Soul Portrait

Answer 15

A portrait intended to make the subject seem otherworldly, this is often done through the eyes

Question 16

Orans

Answer 16

A form of prayer with your arms raised up that means you are open to receiving the word of the Lord

Question 17

Chalice

Answer 17

A vessel that holds the eucharistic wine during a Christian service.

Question 18

Paten

Answer 18

Holds the bread for Eucharist

Question 19

Hieratic Scale

Answer 19

Using size to indicate the importance of a figure

Question 20

Aniconic

Answer 20

The avoidance of the use of figural imagery in religious practice, a quality that characterizes religious traditions like Judaism and Islam.

Question 21

Iconoclasm

Answer 21

The destruction of images; a religious and political movement in eighth- and ninth- century Byzantium that prohibited the creation and veneration of figural religious imagery.

Question 22

Mihrab

Answer 22

A niche in the wall of a mosque that tells you which direction is Mecca, so you can pray

Question 23

Qibla

Answer 23

The wall of the mosque that faces Mecca

Question 24

Kufic

Answer 24

A form of Arabic script

Question 25

Zoomorphic Interlace

Answer 25

Abstract and weaving designs that create the shape of an animal

Question 26

Psalter

Answer 26

A manuscript containing the text of the Psalms

Question 27

Illusionism

Answer 27

The use of artistic techniques to create the illusion of reality

Question 28

Naturalism

Answer 28

As close to reality as possible

Question 29

Verism

Answer 29

An artistic style where the artist emphasizes imperfections

Question 30

Westwork

Answer 30

The west facade of a church, constructed as an almost independent structure, often with its own interior space and tall towers.

Question 31

Caroline Miniscule

Answer 31

Script akin to what is now called lower case that was developed in Charlemagne’s scriptorium for maximum legibility.

Question 32

Renovatio

Answer 32

The restoration of Roman artistic styles

Question 33

Continuous Narrative

Answer 33

Depicting two or more events from the same story in a single composition.

Question 34

Saxon Alternation

Answer 34

Alternating between columns and piers

Question 35

Square Schematism

Answer 35

Using a square as a base for the dimension of a building