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Guardia, Tomás

(Encyclopedia)Guardia, Tomás tōmäsˈ gwärˈdēä [key], 1832–82, president of Costa Rica. An army general, he led a revolt that eventually placed him in control and enabled him to rule the country from 1870 t...

Galatia

(Encyclopedia)Galatia gəlāˈshə [key] [Gr.,=Gaul], ancient territory of central Asia Minor, in present Turkey (around modern Ankara). It was so called from its inhabitants, the Gauls, who invaded from the west a...

Nur ad-Din

(Encyclopedia)Nur ad-Din no͞or äd-dēn [key], 1118–74, ruler of Syria. He was the son of the conqueror Zangi, and he succeeded to power in 1145. He defeated the Seljuk Turks in Asia Minor and fought with Baldwi...

Pentapolis

(Encyclopedia)Pentapolis pĕntăˈpəlĭs [key] [Gr.,=five cities], collective name anciently applied to several groups of five cities. The chief cities of Cyrenaica on the northern coast of Africa (Apollonia, Arsi...

Orkhon

(Encyclopedia)Orkhon ôrˈkŏn, ôr-khŏnˈ [key], river, c.300 mi (480 km) long, rising in the Khangai Mts., N central Republic of Mongolia, and flowing east, then north, past the site of ancient Karakorum, and th...

Mahony, Francis Sylvester

(Encyclopedia)Mahony, Francis Sylvester prout [key], 1804–66, Irish humorist. He was dismissed from the Jesuit order in 1830 for a minor offense. In 1832 he became a parish priest but lived most of his life as a ...

Magnesia, ancient cities, Lydia

(Encyclopedia)Magnesia măgnēˈzhə [key], two ancient cities of Lydia, W Asia Minor (now W Turkey). They were colonies of the Magnetes, a tribe of E Thessaly. One city (Magnesia ad Maeandrum), SE of Smyrna (Izmir...

Liu Pang

(Encyclopedia)Liu Pang lyo͞o bäng [key], Chinese emperor (206–195 b.c.), founder of the Han dynasty. Liu was of peasant origin and had been a minor official before joining the free-for-all struggle that attende...

police court

(Encyclopedia)police court, court with jurisdiction limited to minor offenses, chiefly the least grave misdemeanors and breaches of municipal ordinances. In practice the trial is usually held before a judge sitting...

Pharnabazus

(Encyclopedia)Pharnabazus färnəbāˈzəs [key], d. after 374 b.c., Persian governor. He had an important satrapy in Asia Minor under Darius II and Artaxerxes II. He was responsible for the assassination (404 b.c....

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