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Fuga, Ferdinando

(Encyclopedia)Fuga, Ferdinando fārdēnänˈdō fo͞oˈgä [key], 1699–1781, Italian architect. Fuga is best known for his rebuilding of Santa Maria Maggiore in Rome. He served as papal architect during the ponti...

Paul V

(Encyclopedia)Paul V, 1552–1621, pope (1605–21), a Roman named Camillo Borghese; successor of Leo XI. He was created cardinal (1596) by Clement VIII and was renowned for his knowledge of canon law. On his elect...

Chauliac, Guy de

(Encyclopedia)Chauliac, Guy de gē də shōlyäkˈ [key], c.1300–1368, French surgeon. At Avignon he was physician to Pope Clement VI and to two of his successors. His Chirurgia magna (1363) was used as a manual ...

Soranus

(Encyclopedia)Soranus sərāˈnəs [key], fl. 1st–2d cent. a.d., Greek physician, probably b. Ephesus. He is believed to have practiced in Alexandria and in Rome and was an authority on obstetrics, gynecology, an...

Aristophanes of Byzantium

(Encyclopedia)Aristophanes of Byzantium bĭzănˈshēəm, –tēəm [key], c.257–180 b.c., Greek scholar. He was librarian at Alexandria, edited various texts, and reputedly invented the Greek diacritical marks. ...

John XXII, pope

(Encyclopedia)John XXII, 1244–1334, pope (1316–34), a Frenchman (b. Cahors) named Jacques Duèse; successor of Clement V. Formerly, he was often called John XXI. He reigned at Avignon. John was celebrated as a ...

Basilides

(Encyclopedia)Basilides bəsĭlˈĭdēz [key], fl. 120–145, Gnostic teacher of Alexandria. He wrote Exegitica (his personal gospel with 24 books of commentary) and poems. He claimed to possess a secret tradition ...

Aenesidemus

(Encyclopedia)Aenesidemus ēnĕsˌĭdēˈməs [key], Greek skeptic philosopher, fl. probably 1st cent. b.c. Thought to be a native of Knossos, Crete, he taught in Alexandria. Although his writings have been lost, i...

Ptolemy X

(Encyclopedia)Ptolemy X (Ptolemy Alexander), d. 88 b.c., king of ancient Egypt (107 b.c.–88 b.c.), of the Macedonian dynasty, brother of Ptolemy IX. He was governor in Cyprus when called (110 b.c.) by his mother ...

bull, papal letter

(Encyclopedia)bull [Lat. bulla=leaden seal], papal letter. As the diplomatic organization of the papal chancery progressed in the Middle Ages, the papal bull came to be more solemn than the papal brief or encyclica...