Understanding terminology that describes fourteenth- through sixteenth-century architecture
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AP Art History › Understanding terminology that describes fourteenth- through sixteenth-century architecture
What technological discovery (or rediscovery) was necessary for the completion of the dome atop Florence's Il Duomo in 1436?
Concrete
Calculus
Flying Buttresses
Aqueducts
Steel support
Explanation
The rediscovery of concrete was the key to completing the dome atop Il Duomo. Filippo Brunelleschi found the lost recipe for concrete, a recipe that was lost in the Middle Ages; prior to the Middle Ages, concrete was used often by the Ancient Romans.
A _____________ is a wedge-shaped block used in the construction of an arch.
voussoir
archivolt
trumeau
lintel
Explanation
The "voussoir" is a wedge-shaped block that makes up a true arch.
The architecture of the Renaissance saw a resurgence of features from the architecture of which ancient civilization?
Ancient Rome
Ancient Egypt
Mesopotamia
None of these
Ancient Sumeria
Explanation
Renaissance architecture made use of attributes of Ancient Roman architecture. Namely, Renaissance architects utilized Ancient Roman column types, such as Doric, Ionic, Tuscan, Composite, and Corinthian, often used decoratively rather than structurally.
In an arch, the central piece of masonry that allows all the pressure to be placed throughout the arch is called __________.
the keystone
the buttress
the lintel
the transverse
the beam
Explanation
An arch is able to remain in its appropriate position because of the way that pressure is placed throughout the entire arch. Pressure can only be appropriately distributed because of the placement of the keystone. The keystone is the central stone in an arch, which is shaped in order to push the weight down through every piece of stone.