Personal Significance

Items you selected:

The humanities Traditional disciplines that express the meaning of human life

Visual arts Drawing, painting, photography, sculpture, architecture

Performing arts Music, dance, acting, theatre, film

Religion Revelation, ritual, sacrament, community

Philosophy Knowledge, reality, logic, ethics, law

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Discursive arts Writing, literature, poetry

Stone tools Carefully crafted pre-historic blades and weapons

Megaliths Pre-historic stone constructions on a monumental scale

Akhenaten and Nefertiti Egyptian rulers who promoted monotheistic religion

Hammurabi Codified a written law governing Babylonian life

Olmecs Meso-American civilization governed by priests

Dharma Account of right conduct in Hindu culture

Daoism Chinese practice focused on harmony in life

Classicism Clarity, simplicity, harmony, moderation, dignity

The Iliad and The Odyssey Homeric epics describing the heroic age of Greece

Greek tragedy Dramatic depictions of life, arousing pity and fear

Allegory of the Cave Platonic image of the relation between appearance and reality

Aristotle’s doctrine of the mean Aristotle’s account of virtue as moderation in all things

Doric column Characteristic feature of Greek architecture, as in the Parthenon

Rule of law Roman tradition of providing written codes for administration

Arch and vault Architectural method for enclosing large volumes of space

Pantheon Domed building preserving the achievements of Roman architecture

Han literature Neo-Confucian writings to preserve ancient Chinese traditions

Public space Architectural design of indoor and outdoor space for public use

Realistic sculpture Three-dimensional representation of human figures

MEDIEVAL

Items you selected:

Revelation Divine disclosure of sacred knowledge

Supernatural Experience of reality that transcends observations of the natural world

Judaism Monotheistic religion of the Hebrew nation

Islam Religion focused on the relationship between a community and Allah

Qur’an Islamic scripture of the teachings of Muhammad

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Ritual Repeated activity intended to evoke religious feeling

Covenant Contractual agreement between a community and their deity

Canon Body of literature selected as religious scripture

Buddhism Belief in self-renunciation as a method of escaping human suffering

Siddhartha Gautama Indian prince who sought enlightenment

Christianity Religion founded on the life and teachings of Jesus

Paul Developed a theological structure for Christianity

Monasticism Ascetic withdrawal from the secular world

Muhammad Arab merchant whose teachings form the basis for Islam

Beowulf Epic poem in vernacular Old English

Charlemagne Frankish king who established the Holy Roman Empire

Feudalism Medieval economic structure with serfs and nobles

Norman conquest French invasion of Anglo- Saxon England

Church and state Medieval coordination of religious and secular interests

Polyphony Musical performance with multiple melodic lines

Romanesque and Gothic Medieval styles of Christian architecture

Dante Italian author of an account of the afterlife in the Divine Comedy

Francis of Assisi Early humanist who founded an order of mendicant friars

Porcelain Translucent ceramic ware perfected by the Chinese

Iconography Use of religious symbols by medieval Christians, Hindus, and Buddhists

RENAISSANCE

Items you selected:

Renaissance Rebirth of classical learning and scholarship after the Dark Ages

Leonardo da Vinci Italian painter, sculptor, composer, scientist, and inventor

Shakespeare Playwright and poet in Elizabethan England

Maya Meso-American culture that practiced ritual games and blood-letting

Baroque Style that emphasizes ornamentation and contrasting effects

Items you did not select:

Magna Carta Agreement securing the rule of law for English nobility

Humanism Emphasis on individual responsibility during the Renaissance

Machiavelli Political advisor to leaders in Renaissance Florence

Palladio Renaissance architect who emphasized proportion and harmony

Reformation Theological rethinking that focused on individual responsibility

Episodic fables Renaissance literature developed by Boccaccio and Chaucer

Erasmus One of several Christian humanists who extended Renaissance learning

Montaigne French essayist who explored humanistic themes

English sonnet Rhyme scheme devised by Shakespeare

Hamlet Shakespearean tragedy about a legendary Danish prince

Soliloquy Dramatic technique for voicing the internal thoughts of a character

Kabuki Stylized Japanese theater, combining speech and song

African sculpture Totemic masks, often with abstract elements

Columbian exchange Trade and cultural interactions between Europe and America

Mannerism Paintings that use complexity and affectation to express mystical themes

Louis XIV French king who built an extravagant palace at Versailles

J. S. Bach German composer who wrote music for organ and chamber ensembles

Mozart Musical prodigy who wrote prolifically for orchestra, piano, and string quartet

Beethoven Viennese composer who introduced Romantic elements in classical music

Wagner German composer who used leitmotif as the core of grandiose music-dramas

MODERN