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prehistory

(Encyclopedia)prehistory, period of human evolution before writing was invented and records kept. The term was coined by Daniel Wilson in 1851. It is followed by protohistory, the period for which we have some reco...

hourglass

(Encyclopedia)hourglass, glass instrument for measuring time, usually consisting of two bulbs united by a narrow neck. One bulb is filled with fine sand that runs through the neck into the other bulb in an hour's t...

Guest, Edwin

(Encyclopedia)Guest, Edwin, 1800–1880, English archaeologist and philologist. A founder of the Philological Society (1842), Guest wrote articles on English philology and on archaeology, especially on the remains ...

Petavius, Dionysius

(Encyclopedia)Petavius, Dionysius dīōnĭshˈēəs pētāˈvēəs [key], Fr. Denys Pétau, 1583–1652, French Jesuit theologian and philologist. His editions of late-Greek theological works are still important. H...

Zeuss, Johann Caspar

(Encyclopedia)Zeuss, Johann Caspar yōˈhän käsˈpär tsois [key], 1806–56, German philologist. Zeuss's principal scholarly achievement was his establishment of the basis for the study of Celtic in his Grammati...

Boscobel

(Encyclopedia)Boscobel bŏsˈkəbĕl [key], parish, Shropshire, W central England. The oak in which Charles II supposedly hid after his defeat by Oliver Cromwell in the battle of Worcester (1651) was near Boscobel ...

pawnbroker

(Encyclopedia)pawnbroker, one who makes loans on personal effects that are left as security. The practice of pawnbroking is ancient, as is recognition of the danger it involves of oppressing the poor. In fact, the ...

osteopathy

(Encyclopedia)osteopathy ŏstēŏpˈəthē [key], practice of therapy based on manipulation of bones and muscles. This school of medicine, founded by A. T. Still in 1874, maintains that the normal body produces for...

spear

(Encyclopedia)spear, primitive weapon consisting of a wooden shaft tipped with a sharp point, usually 8 to 9 ft (2.4–2.7 m) in length. The point may be carved from the shaft and hardened in a fire, or made from a...

Letteris, Meir ha-Levi

(Encyclopedia)Letteris, Meir ha-Levi mīr hä-lāˈvē lĕtârˈĭs [key], 1800–1871, Austrian-Jewish poet. He wrote about 30 volumes of prose and poetry. The poem called “Yonah Homiyah” [the plaintive dove] ...