🖼ap art history review

Tympanum

Written by the Fiveable Content Team • Last updated August 2025
Verified for the 2027 exam
Verified for the 2027 examWritten by the Fiveable Content Team • Last updated August 2025

Definition

The tympanum is the semi-circular or triangular space above a doorway, often decorated with sculptures or reliefs. It serves as a focal point and tells a story or conveys symbolic meaning.

AP course connection

Topic 3.3: 3.3 Materials, Processes, and Techniques in Early European and Colonial American Art

Unit 3
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