Columbia Encyclopedia

Search results

500 results found

Ionia

(Encyclopedia)Ionia īōˈnēə [key], ancient region of Asia Minor. It occupied a narrow coastal strip on the E Mediterranean (in present-day W Turkey) as well as the neighboring Aegean Islands, which now mainly b...

tropics

(Encyclopedia)tropics, also called tropical zone or torrid zone, all the land and water of the earth situated between the Tropic of Cancer at lat. 231⁄2°N and the Tropic of Capricorn at lat. 231⁄2°S. Every po...

Lipsius, Justus

(Encyclopedia)Lipsius, Justus jŭsˈtəs lĭpˈsēəs [key], 1547–1606, Flemish scholar, whose original name was Joest Lips. He was one of the most celebrated authorities of his day on Roman literature, history, ...

Augeas

(Encyclopedia)Augeas ôjēˈəs [key], in Greek mythology, son of Helios and king of Elis. He kept his huge herds of cattle in the Augean Stables. As his sixth labor, Hercules cleaned the stables in one day by dive...

Frith, William Powell

(Encyclopedia)Frith, William Powell, 1819–1909, English anecdotal and genre painter. His early paintings were illustrations, such as his Scene from a Sentimental Journey (Victoria and Albert Mus.). Later he paint...

Dowland, John

(Encyclopedia)Dowland, John douˈlənd [key], 1563–1626, English composer, unsurpassed in his day as a lutenist. His books of Songs or Ayres (1597–1603) established him as the foremost song composer of his time...

Saint Lawrence Island

(Encyclopedia)Saint Lawrence Island, c.90 mi (145 km) long and from 8 to 22 mi (13–36 km) wide, off W Alaska, in the Bering Sea. A barren island, it is inhabited by Eskimo engaged in fishing. It was visited by Da...

Barber, John Warner

(Encyclopedia)Barber, John Warner, 1798–1885, American engraver, b. East Windsor, Conn. He opened (1823) a business in New Haven, where he produced religious and historical books, illustrated with his own wood an...

Waitangi, Treaty of

(Encyclopedia)Waitangi, Treaty of (Feb. 6, 1840), a pact between some Maori tribes of New Zealand and the British Gov. William Hobson. The treaty protected Maori land interests in exchange for recognition of Britis...

Valentine, Saint

(Encyclopedia)Valentine, Saint, d. c.270, Roman martyr priest. The customs connected with him in English-speaking countries are probably a survival from a period when a pagan festival associated with love occurred ...

Browse by Subject