Columbia Encyclopedia

(Encyclopedia) Strabo strāˈbō [key], b. c.63 b.c., d. after a.d. 21, Greek geographer, historian, and philosopher, b. Amasya, Pontus. He studied in Asia Minor, Greece, Rome, and Alexandria and traveled in Europe,...

(Encyclopedia) sedge, common name for members of the Cyperaceae, a family of grasslike and rushlike herbs found in all parts of the world, especially in marshes of subarctic and temperate zones. The name sedge is al...

(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....

(Encyclopedia) Lystra lĭsˈtrə [key], ancient city of Lycaonia, S Asia Minor, in present Turkey. The Acts of the Apostles reports that it was visited by Paul and Barnabas. An ancient altar found there mentioned th...

(Encyclopedia) Japhia jəfīˈə [key], in the Bible. 1 King of Lachish slain by Joshua. 2 Son of David. 3 Town, N central ancient Palestine, the present-day Yafa, Israel. Remains of an ancient synagogue were found ...

(Encyclopedia) Breasted, James Henry brĕsˈtĭd [key], 1865–1935, American Egyptologist, b. Rockford, Ill., grad. North Central College, 1888, M.A. Yale, 1891, Ph.D. Univ. of Berlin, 1894. He began teaching at th...

(Encyclopedia) Egyptian language, extinct language of ancient Egypt, a member of the Afroasiatic family of languages (see Afroasiatic languages). The development of ancient Egyptian is usually divided into four peri...

(Encyclopedia) Taylor, Henry Osborn, 1856–1941, American historian and legal scholar, b. New York City. His lifework was the study of ancient and medieval civilizations. Among his books are Ancient Ideals (1896); ...

(Encyclopedia) Mishima, Yukio yo͞oˈkēō mĭshˈēmä [key], 1925–70, Japanese author, b. Tokyo. His original name was Kimitake Hiraoka and he was born into a samurai family. Mishima wrote novels, short stories,...

(Encyclopedia) goat, ruminant mammal with hollow horns and coarse hair belonging to the genus Capra of the cattle family and closely related to the sheep. True wild goats, all of Old World origin, include the Persia...