Maya:

Roofcomb decorated, raised portion at the top of a Maya temple. Does not have a functional
space inside it but highly ornamented, and rises high above the rainforest, marking the site of the
pyramid within a city (and thus of the ruler who built it)
Sacbe raised pathway, for ceremonial purposes or as boundary markers
Late Antique:
Shah n Shah (Persian) the King of Kings
Tetrarchy (rule of four). Period of Late Antique history (293-313 CE) in which there were
four rulers in the Roman Empire, which had been split into two halves (East and West), each
with an Augustus and a lesser Caesar who served under him.
Spolia reused materials (sculpture, building stones, etc) placed into new buildings or other
works
Synagogue house of worship in Judaism
Torah (Hebrew: teaching) the first five books of the Jewish Bible; almost always written on
a large-scale scroll, rather than as a book
Monoscenic narrative a single scene representing figures only once, showing an element of a
story that is clearly recognizable within the context of that narrative and suggests the broader
trajectory of the whole story
Domus Ecclesiae house-church, Early Christian space for worship, teaching and baptism
Loculus shelf-tomb, sealed narrow slit cut into rock to hold a burial
Cubiculum rock-cut chambers mimicking built architecture for wealthier individuals or
families
Arcosolia niche set into a wall, covered by a vaulted arch; often used to house burials in
sarcophagi
Chi-Rho: First two letters of Christs name in Greek ()
I X S (Ichthys/fish): acronym of Christs title in Greek (Jesus Christ, Son of God,
Savior)
L.A. and Byzantine Spaces:
Terms to know for Christian basilicas atrium, narthex, nave, aisles, transept, clerestory, apse
(these are defined in your H&F books glossary and you should be able to place them on the
diagrams)
Martyrium commemorative site and building upon it, marking the place of burial of a holy
person or sacred event
Pendentive concave sections of a sphere
Middle/Late Byzantine:
Iconoclasm (Greek, image-breaking) The deliberate destruction of images, for ideological or
religious reasons
Theotokos (Greek, bearer of God); a celebratory name assigned to the Virgin Mary in the
Middle Greek period
Domed cross-in-square Plan typical plan type of a Middle or Late Byzantine church that
features four columns or piers that define a central cross-shaped space made by two
perpendicular aisles, placed within a square footprint [know the plan and its parts in the PDF]
Naos the nave of a centrally planned church; the space for the congregation
Narthex the western entry zone of a church space (whether basilica or central plan)
Bema the now-closed sanctuary zone of the church, comprising the tripartite apse

Katholikon the main church of a monastery

Islamic:
*Know the plan of the typical hypostyle hall mosque (illustrated by the Great mosque of
Kairouan, Tunisia)
Iwan a large arch-vaulted hall common to Iran from the time of the Sasanians onwards
Quran the holy book of Islam; revealed to Muhammad in Arabic
Hegira Muhammad and followers flight to Medina
Qibla the direction of prayer for Muslims anywhere in the world
Circumambulation walking around, as part of ritual practice
Calligraphy beautiful writing; writing practiced as much for its design as for its
communicative aspects
Hypostyle hall mosque mosque made of hall with roof supported by many rows of columns
Qibla direction of prayer for Muslims (always toward Mecca); the qibla wall always indicates
the direction of Mecca
Mihrab niche in the qibla wall, usually at its center
Sahn open-air courtyard
Minaret tower from which the Muslims call to prayer is made (also marker of sacred space)
Hypostyle hall from Greek: under columns architectural plan with rows of columnsupported roofing; can be expanded easily [this was already used in ancient Egypt, as at Karnak]
Caliph Arabic: successor; follower ruler; this is one of a few terms used by rulers of
dynasties in the Islamic world
Madrasa Islamic college for teaching theology and canon law
Caravanseray ( caravan palace) commercial travelers lodge; fortified and locked at night,
provided safety for commercials caravans traveling major trade routes
Early Western Medieval:
Interlace style of decoration common to the Migration Period, using intertwined vegetal or
geometric forms
Tumulus a large, earth covered burial mound
Cloisonn metalworking technique: metal partitions (cloisons in French) are attached edge up
to a background and filled with colored glass, stones or enamel/glass paste
Gospel text that recounts the life of Jesus of Nazareth and his teachings, which form the
foundations of the Christian faith
Carpet-page page of a manuscript painted with an all-over decorative pattern of geometric or
vegetal forms
Romanesque:
Bay architectural term for a modular unit of a building: defined by four piers/columns and the
vault above them, it forms a standard, repeated unit of the building
Relic the venerated remains associated with a holy person, site or event; can be a part of the
actual body of a saint (bone fragment, tooth, etc.), material from a holy site (soil, water, etc.), or
something that touched the body of such a person or such a place.
Reliquary a casing created to house and aggrandize a relic; often highly decorated with paint,
gold, gemstones or other luxurious materials
Jambs, trumeau, lintel, archivolt, voussoir, tympanum terms for the Romanesque portal. All
on the diagram in the PDF and definitions are in the glossary of your H&F textbook

Gothic:
Ribbed groin vault vault in which the joints of a solid masonry groin vault are made of
separate blocks forming linear, structural supports. Precursor of the Gothic vault.
Ile-de-France area surrounding Paris, France; the heartland of the French Gothic architectural
style
Chevet the hemispherical east area of a Gothic church comprised of the apse and ambulatory
surrounding it
C. Rudolph: Aesthetics of holiness from your weekly section reading
Diagrams with Gothic elevation parts: flying buttress, clerestory, buttress pier, triforium,
arcade
Jamb Statue sculpture fitted to the vertical supports of a door frame
Late Medieval:
Maniera greca Italian, meaning in the Greek style; term for late medieval/early Renaissance
painting style in Italy in which artists used ideas and forms influenced by contemporary
Byzantine painting
Maesta Latin: the iconography of the Virgin Mary and infant Christ enthroned in majesty
Giornata (Italian, day pl. giornate) phases of work in fresco making, indicating the amount
of wet plaster that could be painted in a given period before the wet plaster dried
Medieval African:
Zimbabwe Shona term meaning, houses of stone or venerated houses
Skeuomorph an object created in a different material from the original but made to resemble
the original form
Oni Yoruba term, ruler, can be used for both male and female figures
Toron wood beams projecting from the walls of a Malian plastered mud building, giving the
structure permanent support