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Demetrius I, king of ancient Syria

(Encyclopedia)Demetrius I (Demetrius Soter) sōˈtər [key], c.187–150 b.c., king of ancient Syria (162–150 b.c.), son of Seleucus IV. He was sent as a hostage to Rome, where he remained during the reigns of hi...

Albany, ancient and literary name of Scotland

(Encyclopedia)Albany, ancient and literary name of Scotland, N of the Firth of Forth and Firth of Clyde. Variants are Alban and Albin.

Canopus, city, ancient Egypt

(Encyclopedia)Canopus kənōˈpəs [key], ancient city of N Egypt, 12 mi (19 km) E of Alexandria. Canopus, the pilot of Menelaus' ship, was said to have died there. In Hellenistic times Canopus was known as a pleas...

Demetrius II, king of ancient Syria

(Encyclopedia)Demetrius II (Demetrius Nicator) nīkāˈtər [key], d. c.125 b.c., king of ancient Syria, son of Demetrius I. He was aided against the usurper, Alexander Balas, by Ptolemy VI (Ptolemy Philometer). He...

Albion, ancient and literary name of Britain

(Encyclopedia)Albion ălˈbēən [key], ancient and literary name of Britain. It is usually restricted to England and is perhaps derived from the Latin albus meaning “white,” referring to the chalk cliffs of S ...

Tiy , queen of ancient Egypt, wife of Ramses III

(Encyclopedia)Tiy, fl. 1167 b.c., queen of ancient Egypt, wife of Ramses III. To gain the throne for her son, Pentewere, she led a palace conspiracy to displace her aging husband. At the last minute the plot was di...

Kish, ancient city, Mesopotamia

(Encyclopedia)Kish kĭsh [key], ancient city of Mesopotamia, in the Euphrates valley, 8 mi (12.9 km) E of Babylon and 12 mi (19 km) east of the modern city of Hillah, Iraq. It was occupied from very ancient times, ...

Tiy , queen of ancient Egypt, wife of Amenhotep III

(Encyclopedia)Tiy tē [key], fl. 1385 b.c., queen of ancient Egypt, wife of Amenhotep III. Of humble origin, she was remarkable for her influence in state affairs in the reigns of her husband and of Ikhnaton, her s...

Berenice, city, ancient Cyrenaica

(Encyclopedia)Berenice, city of ancient Cyrenaica: see Benghazi. ...

Palmyra, ancient city, Syria

(Encyclopedia)Palmyra pălmīˈrə [key], ancient city of central Syria. A small modern village known as Tudmor or Tadmor (the Syrian Arabic name of Palmyra) is nearby; residents were relocated from the ancient sit...