Columbia Encyclopedia

Search results

500 results found

Artemis

(Encyclopedia)Artemis ärˈtəmĭs [key], in Greek religion and mythology, Olympian goddess, daughter of Zeus and Leto and twin sister of Apollo. Artemis' early worship, especially at Ephesus, identified her as an ...

seal, stamp

(Encyclopedia)seal, stamp made from a die or matrix of metal, a gem, or other hard substance that yields an impression on wax or other soft substance. The use of seals is very ancient, examples of great antiquity o...

Kwan, Michelle Wingshan

(Encyclopedia)Kwan, Michelle Wingshan, 1980–, American figure skater, b. Torrance, Calif., In 1994 she won the silver medal at the U.S. National Championships and the gold medal in the World Junior Championships....

phallic worship

(Encyclopedia)phallic worship fălˈĭk [key], worship of the reproductive powers of nature as symbolized by the male generative organ. Phallic symbols have been found by archaeological expeditions all over the wor...

Messenia

(Encyclopedia)Messenia mĕsēˈnēə [key], ancient region of SW Greece, in the Peloponnesus and corresponding to the modern nome of Messinías. Excavation has revealed an important center of Mycenaean culture at P...

horseshoe pitching

(Encyclopedia)horseshoe pitching, game played by two or more persons using horseshoes, the object being to throw the shoes so as to encircle a vertical iron peg that is 14 in. (35.6 cm) high. Regulation courts are ...

jade

(Encyclopedia)jade, common name for either of two minerals used as gems. The rarer variety of jade is jadeite, a sodium aluminum silicate, NaAl(SiO3)2, usually white or green in color; the green variety is the more...

Ptolemy III

(Encyclopedia)Ptolemy III (Ptolemy Euergetes) yo͞oûrˈjĭtēz [key], d. 221 b.c., king of ancient Egypt (246–221 b.c.), of the Macedonian dynasty, son of Ptolemy II and the first Arsinoë. He plunged immediatel...

Macedon

(Encyclopedia)Macedon măsˈədŏn [key], ancient country, roughly equivalent to the modern region of Macedonia. In the history of Greek culture Macedon had its single significance in producing the conquerors and a...

Russell, Bill

(Encyclopedia)Russell, Bill (William Felton Russell), 1934–, American basketball player, b. Monroe, La. Named an All-American while on the Univ. of San Francisco team, he played on the gold-medal-winning U.S. tea...