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Chapter 4 – Later Ancient Art
Multiple Choice Questions
1. A Buddhist stupa, like the Great Stupa at Sanchi, acts to:
a. be the symbol of nirvana.
b. commemorate a sacred place.
c. be a monumental burial mound.
d. be the center of a Buddhist religious compound.
e. all of these.
2. In its later stage, the Dongson culture is identified as the first unified kingdom of
Vietnam with:
a. a ruling royal dynasty.
b. a capital city.
c. a professional administrative class.
d. all of these.
e. none of these.
3. The pseudo-peripteral Temple of Portunus in Rome reveals the Romans’ lack of
interest in:
a. the interior space.
b. the aesthetic unity of Greek temples.
c. engaged columns.
d. all of these.
e. none of these.
4. At the Flavian Amphitheater, 80 arched passageways on the ground floor provide
entrance to a double row of what encircling the arena?
a. annular tunnel vaults
b. sculpted gladiators
c. engaged columns
d. all of these
e. none of these
5. The Flavian Amphitheater was built to reassure the Romans that:
a. the cruelty of Nero had ended.
b. Christians would be human sacrifices.
c. gladiators could defeat slaves.
d. all of these.
e. none of these.
6. Among the most significant of all Roman artistic accomplishments is the Empire’s use
of the architectural device(s) of:
a. concrete.
b. the vault.
c. the arch.
d. all of these.
e. none of these.
7. The intersection at right angles of two tunnel vaults is a called:
a. an angular vault.
b. a pendentive.
c. a groin vault.
d. all of these.
e. none of these.
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8. A cylindrical or polygonal wall that provides continuous support for a dome is
called:
a. a coffer.
b. a drum.
c. a domestep.
d. all of these.
e. none of these.
9. The Pantheon was commissioned by:
a. Julius Caesar.
b. Constantine.
c. Emperor Hadrian.
d. Tacitus.
e. none of these.
10. Teotihuacán was a city of temples dominated by:
a. a vast amphitheater.
b. a domed rotunda.
c. two altars, each atop a pyramid.
d. all of these.
e. none of these.
Fill–in–the-Blank Questions
11. Related to the philosophical outlook of Aristotle, Hellenistic art places an emphasis
on ____________ and ____________ naturalism.
12. Roman middle- and upper-class houses followed a regular plan dominated by a(n)
____________, or open courtyard.
13. During the Roman Republican period it was recognized that ____________ sculptors
represented a long-standing tradition of excellence.
14. The Bacchic Mysteries from Pompeii is one of the first examples of a painted wall
decoration integrated with the physical space and architecture of its setting; this is
called a(n) ____________.
15. ____________ is a wooden support structure upon which arches and vaults are
constructed.
16. A hemispherical structure that can be understood as an arch rotated 180 degrees on
its axis is a(n) ____________.
17. Useful in Roman engineering, ____________ was a silicate that functioned as a
natural, fast-drying cement.
18. The recessed panels that decorate the interior of a vault are termed ____________.
19. At Teotihuacán, the builders used ____________ as a temple base.
20. The planned urban centers of Mesoamerica had streets and buildings that were
oriented ____________.
True-False Questions
21. The discovery of the burial pits at Pazyryk was significant because the mounds
contained examples of ancient art in materials that are seldom preserved.
22. The scenes depicted on the Flying Banner found in Lady Dai’s Han Dynasty Tomb
near Changsha, China represent the passage of the souls of the dead to the realm of the
immortals.
23. The Temple of Portunus is not truly peripteral.
24. The Roman town plan reveals their interest in irregularity and variation.
25. The term fresco, as in fresco painting, derives from the Italian word for “water–
based.”
26. The wedge-shaped blocks that make up the parts of an arch are called voussoirs.
27. The dynamics of an arch or vault create outward diagonal thrusts that must be
counteracted by springing.
28. At the Pantheon, the thickness of the concrete of the dome is only one foot at the
oculus.
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29. The main thoroughfare at Teotihuacán is called the Avenue of the Priests.
30. The tablero, as seen on the Temple of the Feathered Serpent, appears only on
religious temples.
31. How is each of the attendant figures found in Emperor Qin Shi Huangdi’s tomb at
Lintong, Xi’an in China identifiable?
32. In addition to inscribed drawings on the exterior of the Dongson bronze drum that
reveal the importance of elegant boats, what else would have been depicted on such
drums?
33. How did the Roman architect solve the problem of lighting the vast interior space of
the Pantheon?
34. In Roman engineering, how has the transition from the circular base of the dome to
the piers or walls below been traditionally handled?
35. Regarded as one of Rome’s most important temples, the Pantheon joins what two
disparate architectural designs?
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Essay Questions
36. In Roman fresco technique, what is the difference between buon fresco and fresco
secco?
37. Describe the probable meanings of the feathered serpents at Teotihuacán.