Ancient China and Japan
dynasty
a succession of rulers from the same family
toatie
mask motif seen on many bronzes in the Shang dynasty
Amaterasu
The Japanese Sun Goddess
guang
ancient Chinese ritual bronze drinking vessel
stone age
name based on the use of stone tools
Oracle bones/oracle bone script
Deer scapula bones cracked with fire to tell the future (pyroscapulimancy)
Confucianism
philosophy emphasizing social harmony and morality
Cartouche
hieroglyphic circle with a bar around the writing to show that its a name
Kofun
Old tomb
paleolithic
the old stone age
bronze
alloy of copper and tin
terracotta
unglazed, typically brownish-red earthenware, used chiefly as an ornamental building material and in modeling.
Hypostyle Hall
large room with a roof supported by closely-spaced columns
Labrys
double axe - origin of the word labrynth
sphinx
lion with the head of a man
piece-mold casting process
native Chinese process of casting bronze by splitting the mold into pieces that spread to Korea and Japan
emperor
term that was introduced by Emperor Qin Shi Huang Di
Clerestory
windows placed high on a wall, often just below a roof
Rhyton
cup for a ritual drink in early Aegean culture
pyroscapulimancy
using fire to crack bones to tell the future
patina
oxydation of the surface of bronze
haniwa
clay circles at the base of a statue
ding
cooking pot for offering food to ancestors
prehistory
before writing
fresco
a painting done rapidly in watercolor on wet plaster on a wall or ceiling