(Encyclopedia) Ptolemy XIII, 61?–47 b.c., king of ancient Egypt (51–47 b.c.), of the Macedonian dynasty; son of Ptolemy XII. On the death of his father he was under the guardianship of Pompey. He was…
(Encyclopedia) BelvedereBelvederebĕlˈvədēr, Ital. bālvādĕˈrā [key], court of the Vatican named after a villa built (1485–87) for Innocent VIII. The villa was decorated with frescoes by Pinturicchio…
(Encyclopedia) cesarean sectioncesarean sectionsĭzârˈēən [key], delivery of an infant by surgical removal from the uterus through an abdominal incision. The operation is of ancient origin: indeed,…
(Encyclopedia) CassiusCassiuskăshˈəs [key], ancient Roman family. There were a number of well-known members. Spurius Cassius Viscellinus, d. c.485 b.c., seems to have been consul several times. In…
(Encyclopedia) National Gallery, London, one of the permanent national art collections of Great Britain, est. 1824. The nucleus of museum was the 38-picture collection of the late English banker John…
(Encyclopedia) higher criticism, name given to a type of biblical criticism distinguished from textual or lower criticism. It seeks to interpret text of the Bible free from confessional and dogmatic…
(Encyclopedia) dictator, originally a Roman magistrate appointed to rule the state in times of emergency; in modern usage, an absolutist or autocratic ruler who assumes extraconstitutional powers.…
(Encyclopedia) Three Emperors' League, informal alliance among Austria-Hungary, Germany, and Russia, announced officially in 1872 on the occasion of the meeting of emperors Francis Joseph, William I…
(Encyclopedia) Palestrina, Giovanni Pierluigi daPalestrina, Giovanni Pierluigi dajōvänˈnē pyārl&oomacr;ēˈjē päˌlāstrēˈnä [key], c.1525–1594, Italian composer whose family name was Pierluigi; b.…
