AP Art History : Ancient Through Medieval Architecture

Study concepts, example questions & explanations for AP Art History

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Example Questions

Example Question #811 : Ap Art History

The Parthenon is considered the height of Classical building construction, and is situated atop the great Athenian Acropolis. It has a 9:4 length to width ratio as well as a slightly convex base and carefully carved metopes. 

To what temple order does the Parthenon belong? 

Possible Answers:

Phidian

Doric

None of the other answer choices is correct.

Corinthian

Ionic

Correct answer:

Doric

Explanation:

The 9:4 proportions, the slight curving of the base to make the temple look flat from far, and the metopes are all iconic of the Doric order. All other orders use slenderer proportions and do not have metopes in the frieze.

Example Question #821 : Ap Art History

Who was responsible for OVERSEEING the construction of the Parthenon?

Possible Answers:

Phidias

Praxiteles

Theodorus of Samos

Callicrates

Ictinus

Correct answer:

Phidias

Explanation:

Ictinus and Callicrates were the architects who designed the Parthenon, but Phidias oversaw the project and was one of its founding fathers as an iconic early Classical architect and sculptor.

Example Question #223 : 3 D Art

Ancient Roman architecture was celebrated mainly for its technological innovation. What type of Roman architecture is not an example of technological innovation?

Possible Answers:

Public Bath

Aqueduct

Coliseum

Parthenon

Correct answer:

Parthenon

Explanation:

Although the Parthenon was a significant form of architecture in the ancient world, it was not Roman, but rather Greek. The Pantheon, located in central Rome, can be considered an example of Roman technological innovation.

Example Question #1 : Identifying Artists, Works, Or Schools Of Ancient Greek And Roman Architecture

The classic Roman building featuring a ceiling of recessed coffers, a portico with a domed rotunda, and an oculus is the __________________.

Possible Answers:

Pantheon

Colosseum

Pont du Gard

Ara Pacis

Correct answer:

Pantheon

Explanation:

The Pantheon was built by Hadrian as a temple to all gods, and is distinguished especially by the "oculus," or "eye," in its roof. The Ara Pacis is an altar built under Augustus. The Colosseum is an arena, and the Pont du Gard, an aqueduct in southern France.

Example Question #2 : Identifying Artists, Works, Or Schools Of Ancient Greek And Roman Architecture

Which ancient civilization was this column associated with?

Romacolonnatraiana basilicaulpia

Possible Answers:

Roman

Egyptian

Greek

Babylonian

Sumerian

Correct answer:

Roman

Explanation:

This column was a work of Roman art. It was created in 112 CE as part of a burial chamber. It is located in Rome. The other cultures mentioned also created many similar architectural feats, but they often had other distinctive characteristics.

Image accessed through Wikipedia Media Commons: https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/e/e2/RomaColonnaTraiana%26BasilicaUlpia.jpg

Example Question #3 : Identifying Artists, Works, Or Schools Of Ancient Greek And Roman Architecture

Who is this column associated with?

Romacolonnatraiana basilicaulpia

Possible Answers:

Trajan

Octavian

Julius Caesar

Marcus Aurelius

Marc Antony

Correct answer:

Trajan

Explanation:

Trajan was a Roman emperor who ruled from 98-117 CE. This column was placed outside of the Forum of Trajan, where he was buried. The inscriptions on the column, as well as the surrounding buildings and structures, tell the stories of his life and success. (The others mentioned are also Roman emperors from different time periods.)

Image accessed through Wikipedia Media Commons: https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/e/e2/RomaColonnaTraiana%26BasilicaUlpia.jpg

Example Question #1 : Answering Other Questions About Ancient Greek And Roman Architecture

Triumphal Roman arches were made to celebrate and depict the success of leaders in __________.

Possible Answers:

debates

war

elections

sporting events

Correct answer:

war

Explanation:

Roman triumphal columns were massive structures erected in the city of Rome to celebrate massive victories in battle against enemies. These arches were huge structures with minute details of the battle's events and signifiers of the people who were defeated. These triumphal arches were used as models for many later arches in European history, such as the Arc de Triomphe in Paris.

Example Question #2 : Answering Other Questions About Ancient Greek And Roman Architecture

Art made from cutting a shallow impression in a surface to create a small raising effect is called __________.

Possible Answers:

molding

lifecasting

whittling

bas-relief

Correct answer:

bas-relief

Explanation:

Bas-relief a very ancient artistic form. Bas-relief, from the French for "low relief," is a sculpture that leaves a background in the medium, carving only a portion of the front of the image into the stone being used. Bas-relief was first developed by the Ancient Egyptians, and widely used in Classical Greece and Rome.

Example Question #3 : Answering Other Questions About Ancient Greek And Roman Architecture

Which list of Greek sculptures is in correct chronological order?

Possible Answers:

Kouros, Kritios Boy, Dying Warrior, Laocoon and His Sons

Kouros, Dying Warrior, Kritios Boy, Laocoon and His Sons 

Dying Warrior, Laocoon and His Sons, Kritios Boy, Kouros

Dying Warrior, Kouros, Kritios Boy, Laocoon and His Sons

Correct answer:

Kouros, Dying Warrior, Kritios Boy, Laocoon and His Sons 

Explanation:

Both Kouros (c. 600 BCE) and Dying Warrior from the Temple of Aphaia (500-490 BCE) are works of Archaic Greek sculpture. Kritios Boy is from 480 BCE and is an early work of the Classical period. Laocoon and His Sons (c. first century CE) is from the late Hellenistic period.

Example Question #4 : Answering Other Questions About Ancient Greek And Roman Architecture

The Temple of Athena Nike, part of the Acropolis in Athens, is built in which architectural style?

Possible Answers:

Corinthian

Byzantine

Ionic

Doric

Correct answer:

Ionic

Explanation:

The Ionic order was named after the region of Ionia, a smattering of islands between Greece and Asia Minor (modern day Turkey), which were settled by Greeks in roughly the seventh century BCE. While the Ionians were there, they adapted Greek architecture into a simpler form, with more slender columns and less ostentatious ornamentation. This architectural form spread through mainland Greece, with the Temple of Athena Nike, at the entrance to the Acropolis in Athens, being an early example and the first Ionic building on the Acropolis.

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