AP Art History : Understanding terminology that describes Early Christian, Byzantine, and Early Medieval architecture
Study concepts, example questions & explanations for AP Art History
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Example Questions
Example Question #1 : Understanding Terminology That Describes Early Christian, Byzantine, And Early Medieval Architecture
The dome of the Hagia Sophia Cathedral in Constantinople, built in 537 CE, was the first dome to be built using fully-developed __________.
a double barrel vault
pendentives
an oculus
a cloistered vault
pendentives
Upon its completion, the Hagia Sophia was the largest cathedral in the world, and also contained the largest dome in the world. This dome was achieved through the use of fully-developed "pendentives," triangular elements of a sphere used as structural supports to allow a dome to be raised over a square room. The Hagia Sophia's architectural innovations were widely copied in Orthodox churches and Muslim mosques in successive centuries.
Example Question #56 : Architecture
What is a tribune?
Designs of Biblical scenes woven into cloth
Upper galleries over the inner aisle for overflow crowds
A series of radiating chapels
Monastery courtyard with covered walkways
Upper galleries over the inner aisle for overflow crowds
Tribunes are galleries above the inner aisle that open down into the nave. These housed overflow crowds in Medieval churches, such as San Clemente in Rome.
Example Question #57 : Architecture
What is the drum of a building?
Wall that supports a dome
Dome
Floor under a dome
Circular opening of a dome
Wall that supports a dome
The drum of a building is the circular wall that supports a dome.
Example Question #58 : Architecture
What type of vaulting has has six sections?
Sexpartite rib vaulting
Fan vaulting
Quadripartite vaulting
Barrel vaulting
Groin vaulting
Sexpartite rib vaulting
In sexpartite rib vaulting, each vault is divided into six sections by three ribs.
Example Question #12 : Early Christian, Byzantine, And Early Medieval Architecture
What is a pietá?
A painted or carved representation of the Annunciation
A painted or carved representation of the pious Mary
A painted or carved representation of Mary with a dead Christ in her arms
A painted or carved representation of a dying Christ
A painted or carved representation of Mary with a dead Christ in her arms
A pieta is a carved or painted artistic depiction of Mary holding her son Jesus in her arms after his crucifixion. When this depiction includes other people in the scene, it is referred to as the Lamentation.
Example Question #60 : Architecture
What is a finial?
A decorative wall
A son or daughter depicted in an official portrait of a royal family
A small piece in a mosaic
A crowning ornament on a building
A repeated design
A crowning ornament on a building
A finial is a crowning ornament on a pinnacle, tower, or roof of a building.
Example Question #13 : Early Christian, Byzantine, And Early Medieval Architecture
In a mosque, such as the mosque built in Cordoba by Islamic Umayyad royalty exiled from Damascus, the mihrab is __________.
a horseshoe-shaped arch common in Islamic architecture
a raised area where the Imam stands during the call to prayer
a piece of devotional artwork in a geometric style
a dome built in a style foreshadowing Gothic cathedral construction
a prayer niche indicating the wall of the mosque facing Mecca
a prayer niche indicating the wall of the mosque facing Mecca
The mihrab is a prayer niche set in the qibla wall of a mosque, or the wall facing Mecca. It indicates in which direction the congregation must pray.
Example Question #14 : Early Christian, Byzantine, And Early Medieval Architecture
A(n) ______________ is a processional walkway around the apse in a basilica church, or the central space in a centrally-planned church.
aisle
nave
clerestory
ambulatory
ambulatory
The processional walkway around the apse of a basilica church is called an ambulatory. It is a continuation of the aisles that run alongside the central space of the nave. Often individual shrines or altars for saints were set up along the ambulatory behind the main altar.
Example Question #61 : Architecture
Which term refers to the style of art and architecture that emerged from the unification of Europe under a centralized Christian aesthetic, inaugurating a massive series of building projects as the Church became the chief patron of the arts?
Byzantine Architecture
The International Style
Romanesque Architecture
Gothic Architecture
Romanesque Architecture
The Romanesque movement inaugurated the great building projects of the church. Though Byzantine, Gothic, and International style movements are likewise responsible for many of Europe's greatest holy buildings, they are all continuations of and evolutions from the Romanesque style. This question requires students to know the chronology of their aesthetic movements.
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