Columbia Encyclopedia

Search results

500 results found

Banneker, Benjamin

(Encyclopedia)Banneker, Benjamin, 1731–1806, African-American inventor, astronomer, and mathematician, b. Baltimore co., Md., at what is now Ellicott's Mills. A free black, Banneker was essentially self-taught. H...

Sitter, Willem de

(Encyclopedia)Sitter, Willem de vĭlˈəm də sĭtˈər [key], 1872–1934, Dutch astronomer and mathematician. He was professor from 1908 at the Univ. of Leiden and in 1919 became director of its observatory. His ...

Bhaskara

(Encyclopedia)Bhaskara əchärˈyə [key] [Skt.,=learned], b. 1114, Indian mathematician and astronomer. According to the custom, he put his learned treatises into verse, adding, however, explanations in prose. His...

Celsius, Anders

(Encyclopedia)Celsius, Anders änˈdərs sĕlˈsēŭs [key], 1701–44, Swedish astronomer. While professor of astronomy at the Univ. of Uppsala (1730–44), he traveled through Germany, France, and Italy, visiting...

Seferis, George

(Encyclopedia)Seferis, George sĕfĕrˈēs [key] (Giorgos Sefiriades), 1900–1971, Greek poet. Educated at the Univ. of Paris, he returned to Greece, where he had a distinguished career as a diplomat, including se...

Papagos, Alexander

(Encyclopedia)Papagos, Alexander päˈpägôs [key], 1883–1955, Greek soldier and political leader. Commissioned an officer in the Greek army in 1906, he rose rapidly through the ranks. In 1935 he became minister...

Gardner, Percy

(Encyclopedia)Gardner, Percy, 1846–1937, English classical archaeologist. He served as field assistant to W. M. Flinders Petrie, helping him excavate Naucritus, a Greek settlement in Egypt. From 1887 to 1925 he w...

Naucratis

(Encyclopedia)Naucratis nŏkˈrətĭs [key], ancient city of Egypt, on the Canopic branch of the Nile, 45 mi (72 km) SE of Alexandria. It was probably given (7th cent. b.c.) by Psamtik to Greek colonists from Milet...

Murray, Gilbert

(Encyclopedia)Murray, Gilbert (George Gilbert Aimé Murray), 1866–1957, British classical scholar, b. Sydney, Australia. In 1908 Murray was appointed regius professor of Greek at Oxford. He is best known as a Gre...

Harrison, Jane Ellen

(Encyclopedia)Harrison, Jane Ellen, 1850–1928, English classical scholar. She applied archaeological discoveries in the interpretation of Greek religion. Her works include Prolegomena to the Study of Greek Religi...

Browse by Subject