Descriptionary

senaculum a Roman council chamber.

specula a Roman watchtower and signal tower.

sphaeristerium part of a Roman gymnasium, a place for ball playing.

spica testacea an ancient Roman flooring, oblong tiles laid in a herringbone pattern.

spicatum opus Roman masonry set in a herring­bone pattern.

spina the lengthwise barrier that divided a circus and around which athletes and charioteers raced.

spoliarium a room where the dead were dragged after being defeated in combat in a Roman amphi­theater show.

spoliatorium in a Roman bath, a place for keeping the bathers' clothing.

stadium a sports arena, or a Roman measure of length equal to 607 feet.

sudatorium in ancient Rome, a sweat room used by athletes.

synoecia in ancient Greece, a dwelling shared by several families.

taberna a Roman booth, stall, or shop.

telonium a Roman customhouse.

tepidarium in Roman baths, a warm room. See caldarium, frigidarium.

thesaurus a Greek treasury house.

tholos any round building in Greek architecture.

thymele in the central orchestra section of a Greek theater, an altar dedicated to Bacchus.

tribunal in a Roman theater, a place of high status to the immediate right or left of a stage, reserved for mag­istrates, emperors, empresses, and the vestal virgins.

triclinium a Roman dining room with a low table surrounded by couches.

ustrinum where corpses were cremated in ancient Rome.

valetudinarium a Roman infirmary or hospital.

velarium an awning that protected the audience from the elements in a Roman theatre or amphitheater.

via any paved Roman road.

Via Appia the first Roman highway, built in 312 b.c., and joining Rome with Capua.

via munita a Roman road paved with polygonal blocks of stone or lava.

villa an elaborate Roman residence with gardens and outbuildings.

villa rustica an agricultural villa with apartments for a steward, bookkeeper, and slaves.

vitrum in Roman construction, glass.

vomitory an entrance or exit in a bank of seats in a Roman theater or amphitheater.

water leaf in Greek or Roman ornamentation, a lotus leaf or ivy motif.

Far Eastern Architecture

amado in traditional Japanese architecture, a slid­ing storm shutter, usually set at night.

byo a Japanese mausoleum.

ch'an t'ang in Chinese architecture, a room set apart for meditation.

chashitsu a small rustic house equipped for the Jap­anese tea ceremony; also, a room so equipped.

chen ch'uan a Chinese triangular arch.

ch'iao a Chinese bridge.

chigai-dana in a Japanese house, steplike shelving placed in an alcove.

chu in Chinese construction, a column.

ch'uan in Chinese construction, an arch.

chuang in Chinese construction, a window of any kind.

daikoku-bashira in the center of a traditional Japa­nese house, a large post associated with the god of fortune.

fang in traditional Chinese architecture, a building with the appearance of a barge, used as a tavern or restaurant, on the shore of a lake or pond.

feng huo t'ai one of the regularly spaced (1% miles) rectangular towers along the Great Wall of China.

fusuma in a Japanese house, a decoratively painted, sliding interior partition made of wood lattice cov­ered with heavy paper or cloth.

genkan in traditional Japanese architecture, a vesti­bule where shoes are set before entering a building.

goju-no-tu a five-story pagoda.

haiden a Japanese hall of worship.

hashira in Japanese construction, a column.

hogyo-yane in traditional Japanese architecture, a pyramidal roof.

kaidan Japanese steps.

mado in Japanese architecture, a window.

men in Chinese architecture, a door.

minka a traditional Japanese farmhouse.

mu a Chinese tomb.

nagare-zukuri a popular style of Japanese shrine, characterized by a gabled roof that extends over and beyond the front stairs.

nagaya in traditional Japanese architecture, an elon­gated apartment house.

nijiriguchi a tiny guest entrance to a Japanese tea- ceremony house, through which one must pass on one's knees.

ping feng in a traditional Chinese house, a wood or bamboo partition moved when needed for privacy.

she li t'a a Chinese pagoda made of masonry and used as a shrine.

shikkui a traditional Japanese architecture, plaster, mortar, stucco, or whitewash made from lime and clay.

sorin the uppermost or crowning spire of a Japa­nese pagoda.

sukiya a Japanese tearoom or teahouse.

tatami one of several thick, 6-foot-long straw floor- mats used in a Japanese house.

tea garden a Japanese garden next to a teahouse or tearoom.

to a Japanese pagoda of two to seven stories, a shrine for Buddhist relics.

yagura in Japanese architecture, a tower.