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APSE
the curved section at the end of a nave
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AQUEDUCT
a structure designed to transport water
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BARREL VAULT
a vault made by extending a round arch through space
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CENTERING
a means of holding stones in place during the construction of an arch
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COFFER
a recessed geometric panel in a ceiling
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CROSS-VAULT (GROIN VAULT)
a vault made by the intersection of two barrel vaults
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DOME
a hemispherical roof or ceiling; made by rotating a round arch
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DRUM
the circular support of a dome
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ENGAGED COLUMN
a column that is attached to a wall
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EQUESTRIAN MONUMENT
a portrait of a ruler on horseback
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FORUM
the public center of an ancient Roman city
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IMPOST
the support of an arch attached to a wall
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KEYSTONE
in a round arch, the top center stone holding the voussoirs in place
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LARES & PENATES
Roman household gods
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NAVE
in basilicas, a wide central aisle separated from the side aisles by rows of columns
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NECROPOLIS
a city of the dead
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OBVERSE
the front of a coin
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OCULUS
a round opening in a wall or ceiling
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PODIUM
the masonry forming the base (usually rectangular) of a temple, arch, or other building
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REVERSE
the back of a coin
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SPRINGING
the upward thrust of an arch
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SYNCRETISM
a process through which differing belief systems are assimilated
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TETRARCHY
a form of government by four co-rulers
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TRAVERTINE
a type of pale limestone, used in Roman building, that turns yellow as it ages
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TUFA
soft, easily workable, volcanic rock, used in Etruscan building
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TUSCAN COLUMN
a form of Doric style, used by the Etruscans
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VOUSSOIR
a wedge-shaped stone used in round arches
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ARK OF THE COVENANT
the original container for the Tablets containing the Ten Commandments
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BAPTISTERY
a building in which baptisms are performed
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CANONICAL
authorized; used with reference to a collection of writings or works applying to a particular religion or author
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CANTOR
in Jewish worship, the singer who chants Bible readings, prayers, or parts of the liturgy
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CATACOMB
in a church or temple, an upper story of the nave, above the aisle, that is pierced with windows to admit light
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COVENANT
a formal agreement; the conditional promises made between God and his people in the Bible
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CREED
a formal statement of the beliefs of a particular religion or philosophy
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EXODUS
the forty-year journey made by the Israelites, led by Moses, out of Egypt to freedom; also, the second book of the Hebrew Bible
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HERESY
a belief or practice that is contrary to established Church teaching
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ICONOGRAPHY
the apparent meaning of an image and its underlying symbolism
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LITANY
a type of prayer in which a leader and a congregation speak alternately
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MARTYR
a person who dies for his or her beliefs
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MARTYRISM
a structure built over the tomb of a martyr
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MAUSOLEUM
a large, elaborate round tomb
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MELISMATIC
music in which several notes are sung to one syllable
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MENORAH
a candelabrum with seven candlesticks, three on each side and one in the center
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METER
in music, regular division into set numbers of rhythmic beats
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MYSTERY
cultish religion, based on ancient myths, of a type that was common in Greece and throughout the Roman Empire
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PITCH
in music, height or depth of a tone
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PLAINSONG
unaccompanied monophonic music sung to Latin texts as part of a church service
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RESPONSORIAL
a style of music in which a soloist alternates with congregational or choral responses
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RULE
in monasteries, a systematic regimen
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SYNOPTIC
referring to three books of the New Testament, the Gospels of Matthew, Mark, and Luke, which are considered to form a group
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TABLETS (TABLES) OF THE LAW
the stones on which were inscribed the laws given to Moses on Mount Sinai
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TRANSEPT
in a church, the cross-section corresponding to the arms of the Cross
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ANTIPHON
in music, a liturgical chant with a Latin text sung with a psalm
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ANTIPHONAL
in music, a style of composition using two or more groups of performers to create effects of echo or contrast
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AUTOCRACY
absolute rule by one person
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CALIPH
a Muslim ruler or leader
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GHAZAL
a Middle Eastern poem in couplets having strict meter and a double rhyme scheme
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ICONOCLASM
the destruction of religious images
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ICONOPHILE
someone who supports religious imagery
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LUNETTE
a half-moon shaped wall section
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MAQAM
in Arabic music, a specific scale having certain phrases and patterns
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MINARET
a thin tower on the exterior of a mosque
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MUEZZIN
in Islam, a crier who calls the faithful to prayer from a minaret
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NARTHEX
a vestibule or porch across the west end of a church
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PENDENTIVE
an architectural feature resembling a curved triangle between the lunettes of a dome
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QAWWALI
a genre of Muslim devotional song, generally with lyrics in Urdu, popular in north India and Pakistan, typically sung by two to four vocalists, with hand-clapping harmonium, and barrel-drum accompaniment
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SERF
a peasant worker unable to leave the land
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TAQSIM
in Arabic music, an improvised elaboration of maqams in a free-rhythmic style
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WHIRLING DERVISH
a Sufi ascetic who seeks divine ecstasy through whirling to music
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