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Irenaeus, Saint

(Encyclopedia)Irenaeus, Saint īrĭnēˈəs [key], c.125–c.202, Greek theologian, bishop of Lyons, and one of the Fathers of the Church. Born in Asia Minor, he was a disciple of St. Polycarp. Irenaeus went to Rom...

harvest customs

(Encyclopedia)harvest customs, practices associated with the celebration of the gathering of agricultural crops. The gathering of the harvest—the climax of the year's labors wherever the soil is cultivated—has ...

Agrigento

(Encyclopedia)Agrigento ägrējānˈtō [key], Lat. Agrigentum, city, capital of Agrigento prov., S Sicily, Italy, on a hill above the Mediterranean Sea. It is an agricultural market an...

Nonnus

(Encyclopedia)Nonnus nŏnˈəs [key], fl. 5th cent.?, Greek poet, b. Panopolis, Egypt. His extant epic, Dionysiaca (in 48 books), a collection of legends about Dionysus, has innovations in meter that predict the la...

Astarte

(Encyclopedia)Astarte ăstärˈtē [key], Semitic goddess of fertility and love. She was the most important goddess of the Phoenicians and corresponds to the Babylonian Ishtar and the Greek Aphrodite. She took a do...

Aulis

(Encyclopedia)Aulis ôˈlĭs [key], small port of ancient Greece, in Boeotia, E central Greece. From there the Greek fleet sailed against Troy after the sacrifice of Iphigenia. Its ancient temple of Artemis is in r...

Lasus

(Encyclopedia)Lasus lāˈsəs [key], fl. 6th cent. b.c., Greek poet from the town of Hermione in Argolis. He is said to have been Pindar's teacher. Lasus contributed to the development of the dithyramb. ...

Paul of Aegina

(Encyclopedia)Paul of Aegina ējīˈnə [key], 7th cent.?, Greek physician. His only extant work is a medical history in seven books; it was translated into English, with a commentary by Francis Adams (3 vol., 1844...

Telamon

(Encyclopedia)Telamon tĕlˈəmŏn [key], in Greek mythology, son of Aeacus and father of Ajax. He and Peleus killed their half-brother Phocus and were banished from Aegina. Telamon fled to Salamis, where he became...

Terpander

(Encyclopedia)Terpander tûrpănˈdər [key], fl. c.675 b.c., musician of Lesbos, one of the earliest founders of Greek classical music. Upon somewhat doubtful evidence, Terpander is credited with having completed ...