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stonework

(Encyclopedia)stonework, term applied to various types of work—that of the lapidary who shapes, cuts, and polishes gemstones or engraves them for seals and ornaments; of the jeweler or artisan who mounts or encru...

Pachacamac

(Encyclopedia)Pachacamac päˌchäkämäkˈ [key], ruins of a walled Native American settlement, Peru, about 25 mi (40 km) SE of Lima in the Lurin Valley. This site, which contains a number of pyramids, was conside...

Menkaure

(Encyclopedia)Menkaure mĭsərīˈnəs [key], fl. 2525? b.c., king of ancient Egypt, of the IV dynasty; successor of Khafre. He built the third pyramid at Giza. ...

Jaya Peak

(Encyclopedia)Jaya or Djaja Peak both: jäˈyə [key], highest mountain peak on Mt. Jayawijaya, in the Sudirman Mts., Papua prov., Indonesia, on W New Guinea, rising to 16,503 ft (5,031 m). It is the highest point ...

El Tajín

(Encyclopedia)El Tajín ĕl tähēnˈ [key], ruins, Veracruz state, E central Mexico, representing the remains of a pre-Columbian city-state that flourished in a.d. 100–1200. The site was associated with an ethni...

Khafre

(Encyclopedia)Khafre kĕfˈrĕn [key], fl. 2565 b.c., king of ancient Egypt, of the IV dynasty, and builder of the second pyramid at Giza. His face is perhaps that represented on the Great Sphinx. An obscure king, ...

Great Basin

(Encyclopedia)Great Basin, semiarid, N section of the Basin and Range province, the intermontane plateau region of W United States and N Mexico. Lying mostly in Nevada and extending into California, Oregon, Idaho, ...

Uni

(Encyclopedia)Uni o͞oˈnē [key], fl. c.2300 b.c., Egyptian official of the VI dynasty. His career is known through his private inscription. After rising from an obscure court position to a position of command, he...

Giza

(Encyclopedia)Giza, Gizeh äl jēˈzö [key], city (1990 est. pop. 2,680,500), capital of Giza governorate, N Egypt, surburb of Cairo. It is a manufacturing and agricultural trade center. Products include textiles...

metronome

(Encyclopedia)metronome mĕˈtrənōmˌ [key], in music, originally pyramid-shaped clockwork mechanism to indicate the exact tempo in which a work is to be performed. It has a double pendulum whose pace can be alte...