Columbia Encyclopedia

Search results

500 results found

Amazon, in Greek mythology

(Encyclopedia)Amazon ămˈəzŏn [key], in Greek mythology, one of a tribe of warlike women who lived in Asia Minor. The Amazons had a matriarchal society, in which women fought and governed while men performed the...

Karakul sheep

(Encyclopedia)Karakul sheep kărˈəkəl [key], breed native to central Asia. The newborn lambs usually have tightly curled black fur and are skinned before they are three days old to provide the commercial lambski...

Poston, Charles Debrill

(Encyclopedia)Poston, Charles Debrill pōsˈtən [key], 1825–1902, American explorer and author, b. Hardin co., Ky. After practicing law in Tennessee, he moved to California in 1850 and from there led a party to ...

ass

(Encyclopedia)ass, hoofed, herbivorous mammal of the genus Equus, closely related to the horse. It is distinguished from the horse by its small size, large head, long ears, and small hooves. There are three living ...

Derbe

(Encyclopedia)Derbe dûrˈbē [key], ancient town of Lycaonia, Asia Minor. The Acts of the Apostles relates that Paul and Barnabas fled there from Iconium. ...

Malay Archipelago

(Encyclopedia)Malay Archipelago, great island group of SE Asia, formerly called the East Indies. Lying between the Asian mainland and Australia, and separating the Pacific Ocean from the Indian Ocean, it includes B...

Singapore Strait

(Encyclopedia)Singapore Strait, channel, 30 mi (48 km) long and 10 mi (16.1 km) wide, between Singapore island and the Riau Archipelago, Indonesia. It links the Strait of Malacca with the South China Sea and is a m...

Alexandria Troas

(Encyclopedia)Alexandria Troas trōˈăs [key], ancient Greek seaport city, Mysia, NW Asia Minor, called Troas in the Bible. It was important under the Greeks and Romans. ...

Trogyllium

(Encyclopedia)Trogyllium trōjĭlˈēəm [key], promontory, W Asia Minor, jutting out into the Aegean Sea just S of Samos. The Acts of the Apostles reports that St. Paul stopped there. ...

East Indies

(Encyclopedia)East Indies, name formerly used for the Malay Archipelago, but also more restrictively for Indonesia and more widely to include SE Asia. It once referred chiefly to India. ...