Columbia Encyclopedia

Search results

500 results found

Dean, Bashford

(Encyclopedia)Dean, Bashford, 1867–1928, American zoologist and armor expert, b. New York City, grad. College of the City of New York, 1886, Ph.D. Columbia, 1890. He taught zoology at Columbia (1891–1927), serv...

Menéndez Pidal, Ramón

(Encyclopedia)Menéndez Pidal, Ramón rämōnˈ mānānˈdĕth pēᵺälˈ [key], 1869–1968, Spanish scholar and philologist. Menéndez Pidal was a noted authority on Spanish epic literature and the Spanish langu...

Guicciardini, Francesco

(Encyclopedia)Guicciardini, Francesco fränchāsˈkō gwēt-chärdēˈnē [key], 1483–1540, Italian historian and statesman. He represented (1512–14) his native Florence at the court of Spain, held offices in t...

Gesta Romanorum

(Encyclopedia)Gesta Romanorum jĕsˈtə rōˌmənôrˈəm [key], medieval collection of Latin stories. Although the title means “Deeds of the Romans,” the tales have very little to do with actual Roman history....

Witowt

(Encyclopedia)Witowt or Witold vĭtˈôft, –ôlt [key], Lithuanian Vytautas, 1350–1430, grand duke of Lithuania (1401–30). In 1382, Witowt, as well as his father, was imprisoned by Ladislaus Jagiello (see Lad...

Elbląg

(Encyclopedia)Elbląg ĕlˈbĭng [key], city, Warmińsko-Mazurskie prov., N Poland. A seaport near the Vist...

saddle

(Encyclopedia)saddle, seat or pad to support the rider on an animal, chiefly a horse. The saddles mentioned in the Bible are generally considered to have been saddlecloths. The ancient Greeks sometimes used saddlec...

Acominatus, Michael

(Encyclopedia)Acominatus, Michael kōnēāˈtēz [key], c.1140–1220, Byzantine writer and metropolitan of Athens. Acominatus' speeches, poems, and letters give much information about medieval Athens, which he, a ...

Taylor, Francis Henry

(Encyclopedia)Taylor, Francis Henry, 1903–57, American museum director, b. Philadelphia, studied throughout Europe. He began his museum career as assistant curator (1927–28) and then curator of medieval art (19...

Browse by Subject