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Europa, in astronomy

(Encyclopedia)Europa yo͝orōˈpə [key], in astronomy, one of the 39 known moons, or natural satellites, of Jupiter. Magnetic-field data collected by the space probe Galileo in 2002 strongly indicated a liquid-wat...

Neptune, in astronomy

(Encyclopedia)Neptune, in astronomy, 8th planet from the sun at a mean distance of about 2.8 billion mi (4.5 billion km) with an orbit lying between those of Uranus and the dwarf planet Pluto; its period of revolut...

Bacchanalia

(Encyclopedia)Bacchanalia băkənāˈlēə [key], in Roman religion, festival in honor of Bacchus, god of wine. Originally a religious ceremony, like the Liberalia, it gradually became an occasion for drunken, lice...

Attis

(Encyclopedia)Attis āˈ– [key], in Phrygian religion, vegetation god. When Nana ate the fruit of the almond tree, which had been generated by the blood of either Agdistis or of Cybele, she conceived Attis. Later...

Acca Larentia

(Encyclopedia)Acca Larentia –tīˈnə [key], in Roman mythology, wife of the shepherd Faustulus and foster mother of Romulus and Remus. Her 12 sons founded the priesthood of the Arval Brothers. According to one l...

lemures

(Encyclopedia)lemures lĕmˈərāsˌ, –yərēzˌ [key], in Roman religion, vampirelike ghosts of the dead; also called larvae. To exorcise these malevolent spirits from the home, the Romans held rites, the Lemuri...

Mivart, St. George Jackson

(Encyclopedia)Mivart, St. George Jackson mīˈvərt [key], 1827–1900, English anatomist and biologist. He contributed important anatomical studies of the insectivores and carnivores. He was converted to Roman Cat...

Artemis

(Encyclopedia)Artemis ärˈtəmĭs [key], in Greek religion and mythology, Olympian goddess, daughter of Zeus and Leto and twin sister of Apollo. Artemis' early worship, especially at Ephesus, identified her as an ...

Liber

(Encyclopedia)Liber līˈbər [key], in Roman religion, god of fertility and wine. He was usually identified with Bacchus, the Latin equivalent of Dionysus. His consort Libera was identified with Persephone or Aria...

Apis

(Encyclopedia)Apis āˈpĭs [key], in Egyptian religion, sacred bull of Memphis, said to be the incarnation of Osiris or of Ptah. His worship spread throughout the Mediterranean world and was particularly important...