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Sodoma, Il

(Encyclopedia)Sodoma, Il ēl sôˈdōmä [key], c.1477–1549, Sienese painter, whose real name was Giovanni Antonio Bazzi. Born in Vercelli, Piedmont, he went to Rome c.1508. Commissioned by Pope Julius II, he pai...

Cambrai, League of

(Encyclopedia)Cambrai, League of, 1508–10, alliance formed by Holy Roman Emperor Maximilian I, King Louis XII of France, Pope Julius II, King Ferdinand V of Aragón, and several Italian city-states against the re...

Ariovistus

(Encyclopedia)Ariovistus ârˌēōvĭsˈtəs [key], fl. 58 b.c., Germanic chieftain, leader of the Suebi. He crossed the Rhine c.71 b.c., defeated the Aedui, and came to dominate much of Gaul (see Gallic Wars). In ...

Majorian

(Encyclopedia)Majorian (Julius Maiorianus) məjôrˈēən [key], d.461, Roman emperor of the West (457–61). He became emperor after he and Ricimer had deposed Avitus. An able and honest ruler, Majorian enacted la...

Arusha

(Encyclopedia)Arusha əro͞oˈshə [key], city (2020 pop. 493,000), capital of Arusha prov., NE Tanzania. It is an industrial and administrative center, connected by rail with Tanga on ...

Piso

(Encyclopedia)Piso pīˈsō [key], distinguished family of the ancient Roman gens Calpurnia. One of the best-known members was Lucius Calpurnius Piso Caesoninus, d. after 43 b.c., father-in-law of Julius Caesar. As...

Catiline

(Encyclopedia)Catiline (Lucius Sergius Catilina) kătˈĭlīn [key], c.108 b.c.–62 b.c., Roman politician and conspirator. At first a conservative and a partisan of Sulla, he was praetor in 68 b.c. and governor o...

Helvetia

(Encyclopedia)Helvetia hĕlvĕˈshə [key], region of central Europe, occupying the plateau between the Alps and the Jura mts. The name is derived from the Roman term for its inhabitants, the predominantly Celtic H...

Frontinus

(Encyclopedia)Frontinus (Sextus Julius Frontinus) frŏntīˈnəs [key], fl. a.d. 74, Roman administrator and writer. As governor of Britain from a.d. 74 or a.d. 75 to a.d. 78, he reduced the Silures, a rebellious t...

irony

(Encyclopedia)irony, figure of speech in which what is stated is not what is meant. The user of irony assumes that his reader or listener understands the concealed meaning of his statement. Perhaps the simplest for...