Deck 9: Ancient Rome

Question 1

The Pantheon received light from an opening at the center of its ceiling known as the

A) oculus.
B) pronaos.
C) coffer.
D) cella.

Answer 1

A

Question 2

Which is NOT a feature of the Pantheon?

A) an oculus
B) a rectangular cella
C) a rotunda
D) niches

Answer 2

B

Question 3

Which of the following statements about the Ara Pacis is FALSE?

A) It housed an altar on which annual sacrifices were made.
B) Its frieze was in higher relief than the typical Greek frieze.
C) Its frieze recorded a one-time event with great precision.
D) It depicts Augustus as a vengeful warrior smiting his enemies.

Answer 3

D

Question 4

Following the Roman practice of placing the "heaviest" column at the bottom of a structure, the columns of the Colosseum were arranged in which order from the first (bottom) to the third level?

A) Corinthian, Doric, Ionic
B) Ionic, Doric, Corinthian
C) Doric, Ionic, Corinthian
D) Corinthian, Ionic, Doric

Question 5

The podium of Trajan's Column contains a repository for what?

A) Trajan's ashes
B) the bones of Trajan's conquered enemies
C) a literary account of Trajan's victory
D) the weapons of the army Trajan defeated

Question 6

Which of the following statements about the Augustus of Prima Porta is FALSE?

A) It is a sculpture in the round.
B) It shows the emperor astride a horse.
C) It includes a complex iconography.
D) It contains idealized elements.

Question 7

Along with hot and cold rooms, Roman public baths generally had a warm room known as the

A) frigidarium.
B) caldarium.
C) tepidarium.
D) compluvium.

Question 8

What was the term for the central room of the Roman temple?

A) cella
B) pronaos
C) rotunda
D) apse

Question 9

What uniquely Roman contribution to the freestanding, colossal column is exemplified by Trajan's Column?

A) its winding staircase
B) its narrative frieze
C) its construction from a single block of material
D) its use of concrete

Question 10

In architectural terms, what is an arcade?

A) a row of arches
B) the central area of an enclosed marketplace
C) the upper level of a basilica
D) the seating of a structure such as an amphitheater.

Question 11

The Roman aqueduct at Pont du Gard was constructed from what type of vault?

A) a barrel, or tunnel, vault
B) a groin, or cross, vault
C) a groin, or tunnel, vault
D) a cross, or barrel, vault

Question 12

The pseudo-peripteral nature of Roman temples differentiated them from Greek temples in which way?

A) Romans used columns only on the backs and sides, not on the fronts of temples.
B) Roman temples abandoned the use of columns.
C) Roman temples used columns as primary means of support.
D) Roman temples used columns primarily for decorative purposes.

Question 13

The arches of the Pont du Gard were made from individual stones known as

A) springs.
B) voussoirs.
C) castras.
D) naves.

Question 14

Which is NOT a feature of the typical Roman triumphal arches?

A) relief sculpture
B) an attic
C) an entablature
D) two or four openings

Question 15

Which funerary art, which became an expression of status under Hadrian, was the most typical for Romans?

A) the cinerary urn
B) the sarcophagus
C) tombstones
D) stelae

Question 16

Roman architects sometimes built structures from which hard, durable limestone that developed a golden yellow color as it mellowed?

A) travertine
B) tufa
C) stucco
D) marble

Question 17

The Arch of Titus was constructed in commemoration of a victory over

A) the Dacians in Romania.
B) the Carthagians.
C) the Egyptians in Alexandria.
D) the Jewish rebels of Jerusalem.

Question 18

Which of the following elements of Roman temples was inherited from Etruscan predecessors rather than Greek ones?

A) the columns
B) the cella
C) the podium
D) the pronaos

Question 19

Which is NOT a characteristic of Roman frescoes?

A) They are executed in buon fresco.
B) They are often found in private houses.
C) They depict figures in a highly stylized manner.
D) They often created an illusion of depth.

Question 20

Which material was used for the core of Trajan's markets?

A) brick
B) wood
C) marble
D) concrete

Question 21

Which of the following terms describes Greek art better than Roman art?

A) idealized
B) narrative
C) commemorative
D) history-based

Question 22

Taking its name from the Latin word for "ship," what term is used to identify the large, central aisle of a basilica?

A) apse
B) clerestory
C) vault
D) nave

Question 23

In Roman basilicas, statues of gods and emperors were generally placed in the nave.

Question 24

What rectangular opening in the typical Roman house allowed in both sunlight and rainwater?

A) compluvium
B) tabernae
C) cistern
D) atrium

Question 25

The Tuscan column is a later development of the Corinthian column.

Question 26

The prototypical imperial Roman forum is named after which ruler who planned but did not complete it?

A) Julius Caesar
B) Augustus Caesar
C) Pompey
D) Gaius Cassius

Question 27

The Roman Composite Order combined elements of the Ionic and the Corinthian.

Question 28

The typical Roman forum was rectangular, with three sides bound by colonnades and the fourth bound by a

A) public bath.
B) marketplace.
C) basilica.
D) amphitheater.

Question 29

Romans adopted the use of portrait busts from a long-standing Greek tradition.

Question 30

Roman artists were so concerned about capturing individual likenesses that they used wax death masks as the basis for portrait sculptures.

Question 31

The homes of affluent Romans typically had running water and sewage pipes.

Question 32

The typical Roman basilica had a single aisle.

Question 33

Understandings of Roman domestic architecture have been enhanced by the excavations of several Roman towns preserved by the ash emitted by which volcano's eruption?

A) Pompeii
B) Vesuvius
C) Etna
D) Herculaneum

Question 34

Poor and middling Romans often lived in tenements or apartments known as

A) tabernae.
B) insulae.
C) castra.
D) villas.

Question 35

Roman basilicas were typically used for all of the following purposes EXCEPT

A) commercial transactions.
B) legal proceedings.
C) religious rituals.
D) municipal business.

Question 36

The main focus of domestic Roman architecture was a large hall known as the

A) compluvium.
B) tabernae.
C) colonnade.
D) atrium.

Question 37

Unlike Roman men, Roman women were never depicted in portrait busts.

Question 38

Roman public baths were cultural centers that included not only pools and steam rooms, but libraries and gardens.

Question 39

The Romans invented the imperial equestrian statue.

Question 40

An important purpose of Roman portraiture was to honor gens, a Roman word for the

A) prestige and dignity of government officials.
B) sacred character of Roman emperors.
C) clans into which Roman families were grouped.
D) noble virtues ascribed to the united Roman nation.

Question 41

Compare the Roman forum with the Greek agora. What was the role of the forum in Roman society and what buildings were likely to be contained in the forum? How did the role of the Roman forum change over time?

Question 42

Describe Roman portrait sculptures. How did they depict their subjects? Which materials were used under which circumstances?

Question 43

Analyze Roman structures as political statements. What do they say about the power of rulers? What do they say about the role of citizens? What do these structures suggest about the Roman political system?

Question 44

Describe Roman domestic architecture, including the disposition of rooms and the interior decoration. What were the purposes of the architecture and the decorations?

Question 45

Compare Roman public buildings with Roman religious buildings. What qualities did they share and how did they differ?

Question 46

How did Greek culture influence Roman culture? How did the two cultures differ in their artistic productions?

Question 47

Analyze Roman commemorative architecture. What events did the Romans choose to commemorate, and what techniques and styles did they use to commemorate those events?