Columbia Encyclopedia

Search results

500 results found

Nabonidus

(Encyclopedia)Nabonidus năbənīˈdəs [key], d. 538? b.c., last king of the Chaldaean dynasty of Babylonia. He was not of Nebuchadnezzar's family, and it is possible that he usurped the throne. He was absorbed in...

Artaxerxes II

(Encyclopedia)Artaxerxes II, d. 358 b.c., king of ancient Persia (404–358 b.c.), son and successor of Darius II. He is sometimes called in Greek Artaxerxes Mnemon [the thoughtful]. Early in his reign Cyrus the Yo...

Astyages

(Encyclopedia)Astyages ăstīˈəjēz [key], fl. 6th cent. b.c., king of the Medes (584–c.550 b.c.), son and successor of Cyaxares. His rule was harsh, and he was unpopular. His daughter is alleged to have marrie...

Cunaxa

(Encyclopedia)Cunaxa kyo͞onăkˈsə [key], ancient town of Babylonia, near the Euphrates River, NE of Ctesiphon. It was the scene of a battle (401 b.c.) between Cyrus the Younger and Artaxerxes II, described by Xe...

Great Appalachian Valley

(Encyclopedia)Great Appalachian Valley: see under Appalachian Mountains. ...

Great Artesian Basin

(Encyclopedia)Great Artesian Basin, c.670,000 sq mi (1,735,300 sq km), between the Eastern Highlands and the Western Plateau, E central Australia, extending S from the Gulf of Carpentaria, Queensland, to NE South A...

Great Australian Bight

(Encyclopedia)Great Australian Bight, wide bay of the Indian Ocean, indenting the southern coast of Australia in Western Australia and South Australia. An unbroken line of cliffs c.200 ft (60 m) high runs along muc...

Great Barrier Reef

(Encyclopedia)Great Barrier Reef, largest complex of coral reef in the world, c.1,250 mi (2,000 km) long, in the Coral Sea, forming a natural breakwater for the coast of Queensland, NE Australia. Composed of more t...

Great Bear Lake

(Encyclopedia)Great Bear Lake, largest lake of Canada and fourth largest of North America, c.12,275 sq mi (31,800 sq km), c.190 mi (310 km) long and from 25 to 110 mi (40–177 km) wide, Northwest Territories, on t...

Great Dismal Swamp

(Encyclopedia)Great Dismal Swamp, SE Va. and NE N.C. With dense forests and tangled undergrowth, the wetlands are a favorite site for sportsmen and naturalists. It once may have covered nearly 2,200 sq mi (5,700 sq...