Columbia Encyclopedia

Search results

500 results found

Galuppi, Baldassare

(Encyclopedia)Galuppi, Baldassare bäldäs-säˈrā gälo͞opˈpē [key], 1706–85, Italian composer. A pupil of Lotti, he developed the opera buffa style in the period between Scarlatti and Mozart, and he also wr...

dolmen

(Encyclopedia)dolmen dŏlˈmĕn, dōl– [key] [Breton,=stone table], burial chamber consisting of two or more upright stone slabs supporting a capstone or table, typical of the Neolithic period in Europe. See mega...

Severing, Wilhelm Karl

(Encyclopedia)Severing, Wilhelm Karl vĭlˈhĕlm kärl zāˈvəring [key], 1875–1952, German statesman. A Social Democrat, he served (1907–33) in the Reichstag, was German minister of the interior (1928–30), ...

Priene

(Encyclopedia)Priene prīēˈnē [key], ancient Ionian city of W Asia Minor, near the mouth of the Maeander (now Menderes) River. It was rebuilt in the 4th cent. b.c. and was the site of a temple of Athena Polias. ...

daylight saving time

(Encyclopedia)daylight saving time (DST), time observed when clocks and other timepieces are set ahead so that the sun will rise and set later in the day as measured by civil time. The amount of daylight on a given...

Prakrit

(Encyclopedia)Prakrit präˈkrĭt [key], any of a number of languages belonging to the Indic group of the Indo-Iranian subfamily of the Indo-European family of languages (see Indo-Iranian). The Prakrits are usually...

Bronze Age

(Encyclopedia)Bronze Age, period in the development of technology when metals were first used regularly in the manufacture of tools and weapons. Pure copper and bronze, an alloy of copper and tin, were used indiscr...

week

(Encyclopedia)week, period of time shorter than the month, commonly seven days. The ancient Egyptians used a 10-day period, as did the French under the short-lived French Revolutionary calendar. In many regions a f...

Henry of Huntingdon

(Encyclopedia)Henry of Huntingdon, d. 1155, English chronicler, archdeacon of Huntingdon. His Historia Anglorum is important not because it gives many new facts but because it was much used by later writers. It is ...

Hermonthis

(Encyclopedia)Hermonthis hərmŏnˈthĭs [key], ancient city, N Egypt, 8 mi (13 km) S of Thebes. It was founded in prehistoric times and was prominent during the period of Roman supremacy. Originally the shrine of ...