Columbia Encyclopedia

Search results

500 results found

Apollonius of Perga

(Encyclopedia)Apollonius of Perga, fl. 247–205 b.c., Greek mathematician of the Alexandrian school. He produced a treatise on conic sections that included, as well as his own work, much of the work of his predece...

Perga

(Encyclopedia)Perga pûrˈgə [key], ancient city of Pamphylia, S Asia Minor, 10 mi (16 km) NE of the modern Antalya, Turkey. It was the seat of an Asian nature goddess. St. Paul came here on his first journey (Act...

Apollonius

(Encyclopedia)Apollonius ăpˌəlōˈnēəs [key], in the books of the Maccabees. 1 Governor of Coele-Syria and Phoenicia for Seleucus IV. He oppressed the Jews and was killed by Judas Maccabaeus. 2 Governor of Coe...

Apollonius of Tralles

(Encyclopedia)Apollonius of Tralles: see Farnese Bull. ...

Apollonius of Tyana

(Encyclopedia)Apollonius of Tyana, fl. 1st cent. a.d., Greek philosopher, b. Tyana, Cappadocia. A philosopher of the Neo-Pythagorean school, he traveled widely and became famous for his wisdom and reputed magical p...

Pappus

(Encyclopedia)Pappus păpˈəs [key], fl. c.300, Greek mathematician of Alexandria. He recorded and enlarged on the results of his predecessors, including Euclid and Apollonius of Perga, in his Mathematical Collect...

Steiner, Jakob

(Encyclopedia)Steiner, Jakob yäˈkôp shtīˈnər [key], 1796–1863, Swiss mathematician. He was largely self-taught and was professor of geometry at the Univ. of Berlin from 1834. A pioneer in the development of...

Apollonius Rhodius

(Encyclopedia)Apollonius Rhodius rōˈdēəs [key], fl. 3d cent. b.c., epic poet of Alexandria and Rhodes. He became librarian at Alexandria. His extant work, the Argonautica, is a Homeric imitation in four books o...

astrolabe

(Encyclopedia)astrolabe ăsˈtrəlāb [key], instrument probably used originally for measuring the altitudes of heavenly bodies and for determining their positions and movements. Although its origin is ancient and ...

Pamphylia

(Encyclopedia)Pamphylia pămfĭlˈēə [key], ancient region of S Asia Minor, on the coast between Lycia and Cilicia, in present S Turkey. Its chief cities were Attalia, Side, and Perga. Pamphylia was not a politic...