Tambaran

The great clan house of tribes in New Guinea. It is usually the largest structure and dominates the amei or large clearing for ritual dances.

tapa

A fiber made by pounding the inner bark of the paper mulberry tree into flat, thin strips that are layered and joined to make large cloths. See also barkcloth and kapa.

tapestry

A type of weaving that produces a heavy cloth that is decorated with designs or pictures. Various colors are achieved by changing back and forth between colored weft yarns as they are woven over and around the warp threads.

Tapu

In Polynesian society, a negative supernatural force or power which may be concentrated in objects or persons. It could be avoided by learning not to do things erroneously.

tattooing

An important method by which a Polynesian aristocratic person could increase his mana. A form of flesh carving, tattooing used dark pigment worked into punctures or grooves in the skin. No two designs are repeated, allowing tattoos to become a form of personal identification.

tectiforms

Undeciphered symbols painted on cave walls in relation to the naturalistic depiction of animals.  Thought to have magical purposes.

telescopic spaces

A method for adding visual interest to a thick wall by cutting recessing levels into the stone.

Tenochtitlan

The great Aztec capital, now Mexico City, which was founded in 1325 and enlarged with chinampas. It was divided into four quarters and at its heart was located the great Templo Mayor precinct which housed the great dual temple dedicated to Huiztilopochtli and Tlaloc.

terra cotta

A hard, reddish-brown, low-fired clay used in pottery, sculpture, etc.

tesserae

Small cubes of stone or glass set into a mortar to create a mosaic.

Tezcatlipoca

"The Smoking Mirror." One of the first four gods born, known as the Black Tezcatlipoca, he represented rulers, sorcerers and warriors. His smoking mirror was used for sorcery and necromancy. He appears to be the embodiment of change through conflict.

Thebes

The New Kingdom capital city of ancient Egypt was established in the Middle Kingdom .The Egyptian word for Thebes was Waset.  Today it is know as the city of Luxor.

Theory of Greater Dimension

The Theory of Greater Dimension describes a method of representing figures and objects that selects the most clear, distinctive views and combines them into one.  Because profile and frontal views may be combined, objects depicted using the greater dimensions appear in twisted perspective.

tholos

Another name for the Mycenaean corbel-vaulted, conical tomb that was covered with earth.  See also “beehive tomb.”

Tiki

Name of the first man in Polynesian creation mythology. Tiki is characterized by the three fingers on his hands.

Three-dimensional

An object is three-dimensional when it has length, width and depth.  We use this phrase to describe sculpture and architecture.  Sculpture needs no illusionism like two-dimensional drawing, painting or printmaking. See two-dimensional.

tlachtli

Nahuatl term for the I-shaped ball-court used throughout Middle America.

Tlahuizcalpantecutle

Quetzalcoatl as the morning and evening star--the planet Venus.

Tonalamatl

The 260-day ritual calendar of the Aztecs composed from the combination of 13 numbers and 20-day names.

Tonalamatl

The 260-day ritual calendar of the Aztecs composed from the combination of 13 numbers and 20-day names.

Tonatiuh

The sun god as shown in the center of the Aztec calendar stone. Huitzilopochtli replaced him. See Huitzilopochtli.

Totemism

The belief in a natural object or benevolent animal who in some way assisted in the survival of the tribe, is related by blood, and is revered in ceremony. It has become the tribe's, clan’s or family’s symbolic emblem.

tracery

A thin, lattice-like stone or wood bars that act as decorative ornamentation as they support the stained glass window pieces.

transept

The short crossing arm of a Latin Cross church, also known as the bema.

transformation mask

An additive mask constructed of separate parts that, with the manipulation of concealed strings, can open and close at appropriate times revealing various other identities.

triglyph

Vertical blocks between the metopes of a Doric frieze carved with vertical grooves to emulate the end grain of wooden beams.

trilithon

A huge pair of megalithic stones set upright and topped by a lintel as found at Stonehenge.  See also post and lintel system.

true arch

A curved structure of masonry composed of wedge-shaped stone pieces called voussoirs.

true mask

A covering for the face alone that disguises the identity of the wearer. See also helmet mask, headdress, and forehead mask.

true temples

True temples were dedicated to the gods therefore vary in emphasis from mortuary temples. True temples were dedicated solely to the gods, finely decorated, well maintained, and their growth paralleled the increasing power of the priests during the New Kingdom.

trumeau

The central column or pier in a large doorway that was often highly decorated.

Tsonokwa

A major being of the Kwakiutl people, supposedly a female member of a tribe of giant, shaggy forest inhabitants.

tufa

A porous limestone or stone composed of compacted volcanic ash.

Tula

The capital of the Toltec empire from 950 - 1150 C.E.

tumuli

Plural of “tumulus,” an ancient grave mound.

Tutankhamon

Tutankhamon was the last ruler in Dynasty XVIII. His early death at age 18 saw the end of the dynasty, but during his brief reign Egypt returned to her traditions that had been rejected by Tut’s predecessor, the heretic pharaoh Akhenaton.  King Tutankhamon is well known to us because of the discovery of his spectacular tomb by Howard Carter in 1923.

twined basketry (twining)

A basket making technique that uses heavier fibers for ribs that then have lighter materials twisted and intertwined around them to form the container shape.

twined weaving

A method of weaving in which two thin weaving fibers are twisted together around a base of heavier warp material. Twining is similar to lacing a rubber band around the fingers of the hand.

Twisted Perspective

Twisted perspective was a combination of both frontal and profile views at the same time. Whichever view was easiest to draw was used. For example in Egyptian art the foot, nose, and legs were done in profile, while the eyes, shoulders and chest were frontal. This was conceptual art, and the Egyptians preferred this method especially when depicting royalty.

tympanum

The enclosed semi-circular or triangular area of an arch over a door’s lintel often decorated with sculptures.

Two-dimensional

An artwork with only the two-dimensions of length and width, but with no depth or thickness; something flat; a surface like canvas, paper, or a wall surface.  See three-dimensional   

Upper Egypt

Upper Egypt lies to the south of Lower Egypt and is represented in art by the lotus flower.  Located within this region are many sites from which was quarried the excellent stone used in constructing Egypt’s great monuments.

Uruk

Name for an ancient Sumerian city.  Because the cuneiform writing system eliminated vowels, the city’s name can alternately be read as Erek or Warka.

Valley of the Kings

During the New Kingdom, pharaohs were no longer buried near their mortuary temples, but were buried in a nearby area called the Valley of the Kings.

vassals

People granted the use of land in return for homage, fealty and usually military service to his lord.

vault

An arched roof or ceiling made of masonry.

velarium

The large awning that covered an ancient Roman amphitheater.

vellum

Book pages made from the delicate skins of young (sometimes stillborn) animals.  See parchment.

volute

A decorative spiraling, shell-like scroll design used to ornament Ionic capitals and ends of vase handles.

voussoirs

The wedge-shaped stones that compose an arch.  The central voussoir is known as the keystone.

Warka

Name for an ancient Sumerian city.  Because the cuneiform writing system eliminated vowels, the city’s name can alternately be read as Uruk or Erek.

warp

The strong main threads of Navajo looms which are continuously strung vertically and form the foundation for a weaving.

weft

The yarns that are woven back and forth across the fixed threads (see warp) of a loom. Weft can also be referred to as the "woof."

wheel window

A decorative circular window with stained glass and geometric tracery arranged like the spokes of a wheel.  See rose window.

Wide Ruins

A Navajo rug style typified by soft vegetal dye colors, horizontal bands and no surrounding border.

wikiup

The temporary, small grass dwellings of the nomadic Athabascan Indians known as the Apaches du navahu.

woof

The yarns that are woven back and forth across the fixed threads (see warp) of a loom. Woof can also be referred to as the "weft."

Xipetotec

The Pre-Columbian deity, Our Lord the Flayed One, who personified agricultural renewal and symbolized the germinating seed. He's also known as the Red Tezcatlipoca, one of first four gods born.

Xolotl

One of the aspects of Quetzalcoatl, Xolotl represented the planet Venus. As a dog-headed monster, he was the sun's companion during its perilous journey through the death dog's realm at night.

X-Ray Style

Aborigine method of depicting humans and animals with a combination of outlined silhouettes and clear but naive views of inner organs.

Yam Culture

Because the yam is the most important staple of New Guinea peoples' diet, an elaborate cult developed around them. Specially cultivated yams are considered living beings. Through the growing of long yams, a man participates with the supernatural and gains prestige and social status.

ziggurat

The temple structure of the Ancient Near East developed by the Sumerians that featured a cella on top accessed by bent-axis stairways.

Zoroaster

The founder of the Persian religion whose belief in the struggle between the spirit of good (Ahura Mazda) and the spirit of evil (Ahriman) offered believers a method for positively changing the world.