abacus The uppermost portion of the capital of a column, usually a thin slab. acropolis Greek, high city. In ancient Greece, usually the site of the city’s most important temple(s). agora An open square or space used for public meetings or business in ancient Greek cities. Amazonomachy In Greek mythology, the battle between the Greeks and Amazons. amphiprostyle A classical temple plan in which the columns are placed across both the front and back, but not along the sides. amphora An ancient Greek two­handled jar used for general storage purposes, usually to hold wine or oil. antae The molded projecting ends of the walls forming the pronaos or opisthodomos of an ancient Greek temple. apse A recess, usually semicircular, in the wall of a Roman basilica or at the east end of a church. Archaic The artistic style of 600–480 BCE in Greece, characterized in part by the use of the composite view for painted and relief figures and of Egyptian stances for statues. Archaic smile The smile that appears on all Archaic Greek statues from about 570 to 480 BCE. The smile is the Archaic sculptor’s way of indicating that the person portrayed is alive. architrave The lintel or lowest division of the entablature. base In ancient Greek architecture, the molded projecting lowest part of Ionic and Corinthian columns. (Doric columns do not have bases.) bilingual vases Experimental Greek vases produced for a short time in the late sixth century bce; one side featured black­figure decoration, the other red­figure. black­figure painting In early Greek pottery, the silhouetting of dark figures against a light background of natural, reddish clay, with linear details incised through the silhouettes. caduceus In ancient Greek mythology, a magical rod entwined with serpents, the attribute of Hermes (Roman, Mercury), the messenger of the gods. canon A rule, for example, of proportion. The ancient Greeks considered beauty to be a matter of correct proportion and sought a canon of proportion, for the human figure and for buildings. The fifth­century BCE sculptor Polykleitos wrote the Canon, a treatise incorporating his formula for the perfectly proportioned statue. capital The uppermost member of a column, serving as a transition from the shaft to the lintel. In classical architecture, the form of the capital varies with the order. caryatid A female figure that functions as a supporting column. See also atlantid. cavea Latin, hollow place or cavity. The seating area in ancient Greek and Roman theaters and amphitheaters. cella The chamber at the center of an ancient temple; in a classical temple, the room (Greek, naos) in which the cult statue usually stood. centaur In ancient Greek mythology, a creature with the front or top half of a human and the back or bottom half of a horse. centauromachy In ancient Greek mythology, the battle between the Greeks and centaurs. chaplet A metal pin used in hollow­casting to connect the investment with the clay core. chiton A Greek tunic, the essential (and often only) garment of both men and women, the other being the himation, or mantle. cire perdue A bronze­casting method in which a figure is modeled in wax and covered with clay; the whole is fired, melting away the wax and hardening the clay, which then becomes a mold for molten metal. Classical The art and culture of ancient Greece between 480 and 323 BCE. Lower case classical refers more generally to Greco­Roman art and culture. colonnade A series or row of columns, usually spanned by lintels. column A vertical, weight­carrying architectural member, circular in cross­section and consisting of a shaft, capital, and (sometimes) base. contrapposto The disposition of the human figure in which one part is turned in opposition to another part (usually hips and legs one way, shoulders and chest another), creating a counterpositioning of the body about its central axis. Sometimes called weight shift because the weight of the body tends to be thrown to one foot, creating tension on one side and relaxation on the other. Corinthian capital A more ornate form than Doric or Ionic; it consists of a double row of acanthus leaves from which tendrils and flowers grow, wrapped around a bell­shaped echinus. Although this capital form is often cited as the distinguishing feature of the Corinthian order, there is, strictly speaking, no Corinthian order, but only this style of capital used in the Ionic order. cornice The projecting, crowning member of the entablature framing the pediment; also, any crowning projection. cult statue The statue of the deity that stood in the cella of an ancient temple. cuneus (pl. cunei) In ancient Greek and Roman theaters and amphitheaters, the wedge­shaped section of stone benches separated by stairs. Daedalic The Greek Orientalizing sculptural style of the seventh century bce named after the legendary Daedalus. demos Greek, he people, from which the word democracy is derived. dipteral In classical architecture, a colonnade all around the cella and its porch(es). A peripteral colonnade consists of a single row of columns on all sides; a dipteral colonnade has a double row all around. Doric One of the two systems (or orders) invented in ancient Greece for articulating the three units of the elevation of a classical buildingthe platform, the colonnade, and the superstructure (entablature). The Doric order is characterized by, among other features, capitals with funnel­shaped echinuses, columns without bases, and a frieze of triglyphs and metopes. See also Ionic. drum One of the stacked cylindrical stones that form the shaft of a column. Also, the cylindrical wall that supports a dome. echinus The convex element of a capital directly below the abacus. emblema The central framed figural panel of a mosaic floor. encaustic A painting technique in which pigment is mixed with wax and applied to the surface while hot. entablature The part of a building above the columns and below the roof. The entablature has three parts: architrave, frieze, and pediment. entasis The convex profile (an apparent swelling) in the shaft of a column. flute or fluting Vertical channeling, roughly semicircular in cross­section and used principally on columns and pilasters. foreshortening The use of perspective to represent in art the apparent visual contraction of an object that extends back in space at an angle to the perpendicular plane of sight. frieze The part of the entablature between the architrave and the cornice; also, any sculptured or painted band. See register. Geometric The style of Greek art during the ninth and eighth centuries BCE, characterized by abstract geometric ornament and schematic figures. gigantomachy In ancient Greek mythology, the battle between gods and giants. glaze A vitreous coating applied to pottery to seal and decorate the surface. It may be colored, transparent, or opaque, and glossy or matte. In oil painting, a thin, transparent, or semitransparent layer put over a color to alter it slightly. gorgon In ancient Greek mythology, a hideous female demon with snake hair. Medusa, the most famous gorgon, was capable of turning anyone who gazed at her into stone. Hellenes (adj. Hellenic) The name the ancient Greeks called themselves as the people of Hellas. Hellenistic The term given to the art and culture of the roughly three centuries between the death of Alexander the Great in 323 bce and the death of Queen Cleopatra in 30 bce, when Egypt became a Roman province. herm A bust on a quadrangular pillar. himation An ancient Greek mantle worn by men and women over the chiton and draped in various ways. Hippodamian plan A city plan devised by Hippodamos of Miletos ca. 466 bce, in which a strict grid was imposed on a site, regardless of the terrain, so that all streets would meet at right angles. hydria An ancient Greek three­handled water pitcher. hypaethral A building having no pediment or roof, open to the sky. in antis In ancient Greek architecture, between the antae. interaxial or intercolumniation The distance between the center of the lowest drum of a column and the center of the next. intercolumniation The distance between the center of the lowest drum of a column and the center of the next. investment In hollow­casting, the final clay mold applied to the exterior of the wax model, Ionic One of the two systems (or orders) invented in ancient Greece for articulating the three units of the elevation of a classical building: the platform, the colonnade, and the superstructure (entablature). The Ionic order is characterized by, among other features, volutes, capitals, columns with bases, and an uninterrupted frieze. kore (pl. korai) Greek, young woman. An Archaic Greek statue of a young woman. kouros (pl. kouroi) Greek, young man. An Archaic Greek statue of a young man. lekythos (pl. lekythoi) A flask containing perfumed oil; lekythoi were often placed in Greek graves as offerings to the deceased. lost­wax (cire perdue) process A bronze­casting method in which a figure is modeled in wax and covered with clay; the whole is fired, melting away the wax (French, cire perdue) and hardening the clay, which then becomes a mold for molten metal. meander An ornament, usually in bands but also covering broad surfaces, consisting of interlocking geometric motifs. An ornamental pattern of contiguous straight lines joined usually at right angles. metope The panel between the triglyphs in a Doric frieze, often sculpted in relief. minaret the tower of a mosque, from which the Islamic faithful are called to worship. monolith (adj. monolithic) A column shaft that is all in one piece (not composed of drums); a large, single block or piece of stone used in megalithic structures.