Nabataean art - Quiz
Nabataean art
  • 1. What are baetyls in Nabataean art?
A) Written religious scrolls
B) Ornate architectural columns
C) Large bronze statues
D) Representations of gods and goddesses
  • 2. Where are baetyls commonly found?
A) In public and private shrines
B) On the exterior of city walls
C) Floating in water basins
D) Inside burial tombs only
  • 3. Which god is most often embodied by baetyls?
A) Zeus
B) Dushara
C) Dionysus
D) Apollo
  • 4. What is the typical physical shape of a baetyl?
A) Cylindrical and hollow
B) Polygonal and highly detailed
C) Rectangular and non-figural
D) Spherical and decorative
  • 5. What features can occasionally be found on baetyls?
A) Intricate hair patterns
B) Full body limbs
C) Jewelry carvings
D) Stylised eyes and a nose
  • 6. What style does the majority of Nabataean painting follow?
A) Byzantine style
B) Egyptian style
C) Hellenistic style
D) Romanesque style
  • 7. Where is the 'Painted House' located?
A) Jerusalem
B) Amman
C) Little Petra, Jordan
D) Petra city center
  • 8. Why were the frescoes in the Painted House hidden for centuries?
A) Natural rock falls
B) Deliberate vandalism
C) Water damage
D) Soot from Bedouin campfires
  • 9. What imagery is depicted in the Painted House frescoes?
A) Grapevines and putti
B) Harvesting and farming
C) Battle scenes and horses
D) Geometric patterns only
  • 10. With which Greek god is the imagery in the Painted House associated?
A) Ares
B) Hermes
C) Dionysus
D) Poseidon
  • 11. What materials were used in the Painted House frescoes?
A) Charcoal and clay
B) Marble dust and wax
C) Oil and acrylic
D) Glazes and gold leaf
  • 12. What was the possible function of the Painted House?
A) Public assembly
B) Sleeping quarters
C) Religious sacrifice
D) Wine consumption
  • 13. How are the Painted House frescoes described compared to Roman imitations at Herculaneum?
A) Identical
B) Superior
C) Inferior
D) More abstract
  • 14. What does the text say about the survival of Nabataean paintings?
A) Only outdoor paintings exist
B) Few instances have survived
C) Many examples are well preserved
D) They have all been destroyed
  • 15. Can baetyls appear in the round?
A) Only if they are made of gold
B) Only if they are painted
C) Yes
D) No, only as relief sculpture
  • 16. Why did Nabataean pottery feature exclusively floral patterns?
A) Because of local plant availability
B) Due to limited color pigments
C) Due to religious aniconism
D) To imitate metal wares
  • 17. What is the common color of Nabataean pottery?
A) Pure white
B) Jet black
C) Pinkish
D) Dark blue
  • 18. Which construction technique is most common in Nabataean tombs?
A) Brick-stacking
B) Adobe mud-casting
C) Rock-cut
D) Timber-frame assembly
  • 19. How many different façade types are identified in Nabataean tombs?
A) Ten
B) Six
C) Eight
D) Four
  • 20. What is the function of the triclinia found in Petra?
A) Feasts dedicated to the dead
B) Storage of local clay
C) Temporary housing for traveling merchants
D) Meeting places for government officials
  • 21. Which architectural features were used to finish Nabataean pottery pieces?
A) Varnish and lacquer
B) Polishing with sand
C) Oil-based wax
D) Burnishing or a sintering process
  • 22. What is the suspected occupant of the Urn Tomb?
A) A high priest
B) King Malchus II
C) A master architect
D) A wealthy merchant
  • 23. What kind of non-permanent housing did Nabataeans use early on?
A) Yurts
B) Tipis
C) Tents
D) Wigwams
  • 24. In which Petra area has residential research been conducted?
A) al-Siq
B) ad-Deir
C) al-Khazneh
D) az-Zantur
  • 25. Besides tents and built structures, what other spaces were used for residential purposes?
A) Temples
B) Boats
C) Tombs
D) Caves
  • 26. How are the eyes often depicted in later, stylised Nabataean sculpture?
A) Deep-set and realistic
B) Flat, cartoonish, semicircular
C) Closed and serene
D) Covered by helmets
  • 27. What shape are the noses often depicted as in later Nabataean sculpture?
A) Hooked
B) Button-shaped
C) Flat
D) Triangular
  • 28. In what traditional form was Dushara first represented?
A) A realistic marble statue
B) A bronze animal
C) A tall pillar
D) Aniconic square block
  • 29. What are the square blocks representing gods in Petra called?
A) Obelisks
B) Baetyls
C) Monoliths
D) Stele
  • 30. Besides Petra, where have examples of Dushara been found?
A) Damascus
B) Jerash
C) Amman
D) Khirbet et-Tannur
  • 31. Which of the following is listed as a commonly represented Nabataean deity?
A) Thor
B) Athena
C) Ra
D) Al-Uzza
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