Art History: Section 1 test (Chapter 1-3) – Flashcards
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Paleolithic
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"old" Stone Age, during which humankind produced the first sculptures and paintings
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Neolithic
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"new" Stone Age
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Composite View
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convention of representation in which part of a figure is shown in profile and another part of the same figure is shown frontally
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Post and Lintel
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a system of construction in which two posts support a lintel (horizontal beam)
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Megalith
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"great stone" a large, roughly hewn stone used in the construction of monumental prehistoric structures
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Tumulus
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"burial mound", architecture that covers one or more subterranean multi chambered tombs cut out of the local tufa (limestone)
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_____ was used almost exclusively for the representation of animals in Paleolithic art
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the profile view
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One of the suggested purposes for Paleolithic cave paintings is thought to have been:
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insurance for the survival of the herd
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Whatever their purpose, one of the most outstanding differences between neolithic figures, such as the human figure from Ain Ghazal and Paleolithic statues is ________
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its large scale and sophisticated technique
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What is bitumen?
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a tar-like substance
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What is a composite view of human representation?
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frontal torso, profile head, legs and arms
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One of the earliest fortified cities in the neolithic period was _______
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Jericho
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Catal Hoyuk has a most remarkable, a landscape. which statement best defines the term landscape?
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it is a picture of a natural setting in its own right without any narrative content
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In style and concept the mural of the Deer Hunt from Çatal Höyük is a world apart from the wall paintings of the Paleolithic period. Which of the following statements best supports this assertion?
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the regular appearance of the human figure and the coherent groupings
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The regular appearance of ____ distinguishes paintings produced in the Neolithic period from those in the Paleolithic period.
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human figures
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The use of ____ along with its large scale suggests that the Human with a feline head was important to its creator.
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mammoth tusk
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Monuments from the Neolithic period in Western Europe, such as Stonehenge, are characterized by ____.
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megalithic architecture
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____ is the location of some of the oldest and most well known cave paintings.
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France
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Figures sculpted in the round can be defined as ____.
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freestanding
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Of the following ____ is one of the primary characteristics of Neolithic society.
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domestication of animals
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By 8000 BCE, Jericho had undergone spectacular development as its wealth grew. Which argument appears most valid for the fortification of Jericho?
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it provided protection from the marauding nomads
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The emphasis on the anatomy of the Nude Woman, from Willendorf, suggests early man's interest in ____.
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health and fertility
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The convention of representing animals' horns in twisted perspective in cave paintings or allowing the viewer to see the head in profile and the horns from the front is termed ____.
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descriptive
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One of the most famous Paleolithic cave paintings, the Hall of the Bulls, was discovered in ____.
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the Lascaux caves
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The Human with feline head was found in ____.
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Germany
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In the Neolithic period, agriculture and raising stock became humankind's major food sources. Which area transitioned to these activities first?
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Ancient Near East
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The Rhinoceros, Wounded Man and Disemboweled bison is unique in Paleolithic art in the presence of a(n) ____.
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male figure
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What is a ground line?
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it is the baseline in which figures appear to stand
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A henge or ____ was a type of megalithic monument found almost exclusively in Britain.
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an arrangement of megalithic stones in a circle
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What is a megalith?
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it is a great stone
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Cuneiform
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a system of writing used in ancient
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Pictographs
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a picture, usually stylized, that represents an idea
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Cylinder Seal
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piece of stone usually about an inch or so in height, decorated with incised design, so that a raised pattern is left when the seal is rolled over soft clay
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Heraldic Composition
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a composition that is symmetrical on either side of a central figure
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Hierarchy of Scale
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an artist convention in which greater size indicates greater importance.
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Registers/Friezes
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the part of the entablature between the architrave and the cornice; also, any sculptured or painted band
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Conceptual Representation
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the representation of the fundamental distinguishing properties of a person or object, not the way a figure or object appears in space and light at a specific moment
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Ziggurat
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In ancient Mesopotamian architecture a tiered platform for a temple
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In Assyrian relief, such as Assyrian archers pursuing enemies, the artists combine different viewpoints in the same frame and other adjustments for clarity. Which of the following phrases best describes the artists' primary goal?
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a. legible retelling of a decisive moment in king's deeds
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Ishtar Gate, with its relief decorations of a dragon, lion and bull, comes from the city of:
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Babylon
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In his pursuit of beautifying the city of Bayblon, Nebuchadnezzar II built the ____ as one of the main entrances to the city.
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Ishtar Gate
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A predominant theme or themes found in the narrative reliefs of the Assyrians was or were:
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war and hunting
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The monumental gateway to the citadel of Persepolis is a reference to ____.
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the harmony of the peoples of the Persian empire
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____ is a term for the large composite creatures that stood at the entrance to the Assyrian king's quarters in their palaces.
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Lamassu
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The Sumerians may have been the first to use pictures to tell coherent stories. What argument makes this a valid assertion?
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narrative presented in registers or bands
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The new concept of godlike sovereignty can be described by the representations of ____, the king who appeared as a god in Mesopotamian Akkadian art.
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Naram-Sin
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The Ziggurat at Ur can best be described as a:
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Sumerian temple base
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One of the suggested purposes of Assyrian narrative relief is to:
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glorify the king
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The White Temple, Uruk is oriented to the ______
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cardinal points of the compass
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The stylistic conventions of rigidly frontal symmetry, abnormally large eyes, and tightly clasped hands are most characteristic of the early art of ____.
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Sumer
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Which of the following works of art was created first?
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Warka Vase
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What epic poem recounts the exploits of a legendary king of Uruk and slayer of the monster Huwawa?
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Epic of Gilgamesh
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Alexander the Great razed Persepolis in 330 BCE. What prior event suggests that this was an act of revenge?
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Persian sack of the Athenian Acropolis
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Persian relief figure sculpture can be distinguished from earlier Mesopotamian styles by:
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forms are more rounded
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The Mesopotamian king who codified the law and prescribed penalties for infractions was ____.
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Hammurabi
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Historical narrative relief can be found at the Assyrian palace of ____ at Nimrud.
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Ashurnasirpal II
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The open-eyed stares of the votive statues of ancient Sumer are thought to represent:
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eternal wakefulness and duty
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In ancient Mesopotamia the hierarchy of scale was a convention, which indicated:
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order of importance
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A magnificent mortuary temple was built at Deir el Bahri for which of the following pharaohs?
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Hatshepsut
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Egyptian art-- with the exception of the Amarna period --can be described as which of the following?
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conservative and formulaic
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Evidence of the swamp-plant origin of stone columns can be seen in columns at Karnak. Which of the following descriptions supports this?
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capitals are shaped as lotus or papyrus
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How does the kneeling statue of Hatshepsut indicate her status as pharaoh?
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she is wearing the royal male nemes headdress
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In about 3000 BCE, the conventions for representing the human figure that dominated Egyptian art until end of the New Kingdom can be found in which of the following?
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Palette of King Narmer
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Jean Champollion deduced that hieroglyphs were more than just pictographs; he proposed that they were which of the following?
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signs of a once-spoken language
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Pyramids were most popular during which of the following periods?
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old kingdom
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The god who is symbolic of the river Nile and who dies and is reborn each year is ____?
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Osiris
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The many-columned hall found in an Egyptian temple is called a(n) ____?
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hypostyle hall
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The Palette of King Narmer established the convention for state policy represented in art, a policy proclaiming the pharaoh a divine ruler. Which of the following supports this idea?
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larger than life representation of pharaoh
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The use of elongated heads and necks and intimate, relaxed poses describes which of the following periods?
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new kingdom, Amarna Period
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Tomb interiors often depicted scenes of hunting. This was associated with the idea of providing provisions for the ka, and it is also a metaphor for which of the following?
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triumph over evil
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Tomb paintings were created in which of the following techniques?
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fresco secco
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What was discovered during Napoleon's expedition to Egypt in 1799 that was of immense importance in understanding and interpreting Egyptian hieroglyphics?
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Rosetta Stone
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Which of the following describes one of the drawbacks of the fresco secco technique?
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colors do not fuse to the wall surface
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Which of the following is depicted as a hawk or falcon and protector of pharaoh?
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Horus
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Which of the following is the best explanation for the portrayal of Akhenaton's body type?
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deliberate artistic reaction against the established canon
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Which of the following is the most significant resource for understanding Egyptian civilization and religious beliefs?
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tomb interiors
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Which work likely commemorates the unification of Upper and Lower Egypt?
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Palette of Narmer
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Whose mortuary temple was located in Abu Simbel until it was moved in 1968 to save it from the Aswan Dam Reservoir?
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Ramses II
