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Esfahan

(Encyclopedia)Esfahan ĭsˈfəhän [key], anc. Aspadana, city, capital of Esfahan prov., central Iran, on t...

Guiana Highlands

(Encyclopedia)Guiana Highlands, mountainous tableland, c.1,200 mi (1,930 km) long and from 200 to 600 mi (322–966 km) wide, N South America, bounded by the Orinoco and Amazon river basins, and by the coastal lowl...

Dardanelles

(Encyclopedia)Dardanelles chänäkˈkälĕ bōäzŭˈ [key], strait, c.40 mi (60 km) long and from 1 to 4 mi (1.6 to 6.4 km) wide, connecting the Aegean Sea with the Sea of Marmara and separating the Gallipoli peni...

sponge

(Encyclopedia)sponge, common name for members of the aquatic animal phylum Porifera, and for the dried, processed skeletons of certain species used to hold water. Over 4,500 living species are known; they are found...

Petra

(Encyclopedia)Petra pēˈtrə [key], ancient city, in present-day Jordan, known to the Arabs as Wadi Musa for the stream that flows through it. A narrow, winding pass between towering walls leads to the flat, open ...

Kirjath-jearim

(Encyclopedia)Kirjath-jearim kûrˈjăth-jēˈərĭm [key], in the Bible, ancient fortress and holy place, ancient Palestine, W of Jerusalem. It also appears as Kirjath, Kirjath-arim, Kirjath-baal, Baalah, and Baal...

Moeris

(Encyclopedia)Moeris mērˈĭs [key], ancient name of Lake Karun (Arab. Birket Qarun), c.90 sq mi (230 sq km), NE Egypt, in El Faiyum. The size of the lake is much reduced from that described by ancient travelers, ...

cremation

(Encyclopedia)cremation, disposal of a corpse by fire. It is an ancient and widespread practice, second only to burial. It has been found among the tribes of the Pacific Northwest, among Northern Athapascan bands i...

Zanoah

(Encyclopedia)Zanoah zənōˈə [key], in the Bible. 1 Town, SW ancient Palestine, W of Bethlehem. 2 Town, ancient Palestine, near Hebron. In First Chronicles, Jekuthiel is called the father (or founder) of Janoah....

Neusner, Jacob

(Encyclopedia)Neusner, Jacob, 1932–2016, American scholar and historian of Judaism, b. West Hartford, Conn, B.A. Harvard, 1953, M.A. Jewish Theological Seminary, 1960), Ph.D. Columbia, 1960. Regarded as the world...