Page 639 - The Rough Guide of Sicily

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GLOSSARIES

ARTISTIC AND ARCHITECTURAL TERMS

Agora Square or marketplace in an ancient Greek city

Apse Domed recess at the altar-end of a church

Architrave The lowest part of the entablature
Atrium Forecourt, usually of a Roman house

Bothros A pit that contains votive offerings

Campanile Belltower

Capital Top of a column
Catalan-Gothic Hybrid form of architecture, mixing elements from fifteenth-century Spanish and northern
European building styles

Cavea The seating section in a theatre
Cella Sanctuary of a temple

Cupola A dome

Decumanus The main street in a Roman town

Entablature The part of the building above the capital on a classical building
Ex-voto A thanksgiving or offering to a saint – sometimes a plaque, often a silver or pewter body part

Hellenistic period 323–30 BC (Alexander the Great to Augustus)

Hypogeum Underground vault, often used as an early Christian church
Kouros Standing male figure of the Archaic period (700 BC to early fifth century BC)

Krater Ancient conical bowl with round base

Loggia Roofed gallery or balcony

Metope A panel on the frieze of a temple
Naumachia Mock naval combat, or the deep trench in a theatre in which it took place

Nave Central space in a church, usually flanked by aisles

Odeon Small theatre, usually roofed, for recitals

Orchestra Section of the main floor of a theatre, where the chorus danced
Pantocrator Usually refers to Christ, portrayed with outstretched arms

Pediment The triangular front part of a building, usually surmounting a portico of columns