Ancient Art and History Quiz

Ancient Art and History

• Paleolithic Paintings: Discoveries include Chauvet, Lascaux, and Altamira, showcasing early human artistic expression.
• Willendorf Venus: A significant figurine discovered in Austria, representing Paleolithic art.
• Megalithic Structures: Stonehenge is an example of a cromlech, a type of megalithic site.
• Mesopotamia: Ur, with Sin (moon god) as its resident deity.
• Babylonian Conquest: The Babylonian army captured Jerusalem, destroyed temples, and exiled Hebrews.
• Ancient Egypt: Narmer (circa 3000 BCE) unified Upper and Lower Egypt.
• Amarna Style: A new art style emerged during Amenhotep IV/Akhenaten's reign.
• Thera: Inhabitants had advanced sanitation systems with clay pipes connecting toilets and baths to sewers, and straw-reinforced walls.
• Minoan Crete: The bull symbolized male virility and strength. Pasiphae, Minoan queen, is associated with the Minotaur.
• Ancient Greece:
  • Acropolis: The religious center of a city-state.
  • Agora: Public meeting place, marketplace, and civic center.
  • Entasis: A column swelling in the middle and contracting at the top.
  • Demes: Small local areas in Athenian politics, comparable to modern precincts or wards.
  • Parthenon Metopes: Depicted battles between Greeks and various enemies (Trojans, giants, Amazons, centaurs).

Roman History and Art

• Roman Republic: Marcus Junius Brutus was involved in the assassination of Gaius Julius Caesar.
• Roman Portraiture: Imagines, wax death masks, were used in portrait busts for realism.
• Augustus of Prima Porta: Sculpture featuring Cupid riding a dolphin.
• Ovid's Banishment: Augustus disliked Ovid's writings, leading to his exile.
• Georgics: Celebrated Augustus's land grants to veterans.
• Colosseum's Architecture: Different architectural orders (Tuscan, Ionic, Corinthian) at different levels in the Colosseum.
• Pantheon: Features an oculus ("Eye of Jupiter").
• Roman Social Classes:
  • Patricians: Land-owning aristocrats (priests, magistrates, lawyers, judges).
  • Plebeians: Poorer class (craftspeople, merchants, laborers).
• Anglo-Saxon Law: Based on wergild ("life-price").
• Beowulf: Scandinavian epic poem about a warrior battling monsters.

Early Medieval and Gothic History

• Early Church: Augustine built cathedrals in Canterbury and London.
• Lindisfarne Gospels: Designed by Bishop Eadfrith.
• Roland's Horn: Made from ivory.
• Refectory: The monk's dining hall.
• Architectural Elements:
  • Barrel vault: Elongated arched masonry structure.
  • Voussoir: Wedge-shaped stones in Romanesque arches.
• Chartres Cathedral: Center of Virgin Mary worship (12th-13th centuries). The tunic of Mary was the most cherished relic. Stained-glass windows depicted biblical stories, including the genealogy of Christ (the "Tree of Jesse").
• Gothic Cathedrals: Flying buttresses provided support for windows and against strong winds.
  • Sainte-Chapelle: High ratio of glass to stone.

Medieval Education and Philosophy

• Trivium: Grammar, rhetoric, and dialectic.
• Bologna University: First university founded, a center for legal study.
• University Studies: Latin was mandatory for first four years.
• Parisian Theology: Robert de Sorbon organized theology students.
• Dialectical Method: Peter Abelard, a logician and author, used this in his teaching.
• Trotula: Authored "On the Diseases of Women."
• Scholasticism: Thomas Aquinas, a prominent spokesman, wrote the Summa Theologiae.

Classical Music

• Composer Nationalities: Information about the nationalities of various composers.
• Composers and Works: List of composers and their significant works.