Columbia Encyclopedia

Search results

280 results found

Aram

(Encyclopedia)Aram āˈrăm [key], ancient country and people centered in Damascus in S Syria between the 11th and 8th cent. b.c. The Bible records constant contacts between the Hebrews and Aram. The Aramaeans spok...

Osroene

(Encyclopedia)Osroene ŏsrōēˈnē [key], ancient kingdom of NW Mesopotamia, in present-day SE Turkey and NE Syria. Edessa was its capital. It broke away (2d cent. b.c.) from the Seleucid empire and formed a separ...

Maspero, Gaston Camille Charles

(Encyclopedia)Maspero, Sir Gaston Camille Charles gästôNˈ kämēˈyə shärl mäspərōˈ [key], 1846–1916, French Egyptologist. He taught at the Collège de France and was director of archaeology in Egypt, wh...

Berbers

(Encyclopedia)Berbers, aboriginal Caucasoid peoples of N Africa, called Imazighen in the Tamazight language. They inhabit the lands lying between the Sahara and the Mediterranean Sea and between Egypt and the Atlan...

Severus (Lucius Septimius Severus), Roman emperor

(Encyclopedia)Severus or Septimius Severus (Lucius Septimius Severus) sĕptĭmˈēəs sēvēˈrəs [key], 146–211, Roman emperor (193–211), b. Africa. He was campaigning in Pannonia and Illyria when the emperor...

Luoyang

(Encyclopedia)Luoyang or Loyang both: lô-yäng [key], city (1994 est. pop. 863,300), NW Henan prov., China, on the Luo River. The city is the hub of several highways and is located on the Longhai RR. A new industr...

Kaifeng

(Encyclopedia)Kaifeng kī-fŭng [key], city (1994 est. pop. 535,300), NE Henan prov., China, on the Longhai RR. It is a commercial, agricultural, and industrial center. Manufactures include agricultural machinery, ...

lexicography

(Encyclopedia)lexicography, the applied study of the meaning, evolution, and function of the vocabulary units of a language for the purpose of compilation in book form—in short, the process of dictionary making. ...

Cuth

(Encyclopedia)Cuth kyo͞oˈthə [key], ancient city of Mesopotamia, near Babylon. The inhabitants, when settled in Samaria, introduced the worship of Nergal. In later times the Jews called the Samarians Cuthites (2...

Kuraish

(Encyclopedia)Kuraish ko͞orīshˈ [key], ancient Bedouin tribe near Mecca to which Muhammad belonged. At one time camel drivers and caravan guides, they became, after acquiring custody of the Kaaba (5th cent.), on...