Columbia Encyclopedia

Search results

500 results found

Chellean-Abbevillian

(Encyclopedia)Chellean-Abbevillian: see Paleolithic period. ...

Metonic cycle

(Encyclopedia)Metonic cycle: see synodic period. ...

Clarendon, George William Frederick Villiers, 4th earl of

(Encyclopedia)Clarendon, George William Frederick Villiers, 4th earl of, 1800–1870, British statesman. He was ambassador (1833–39) to Spain during the difficult period of the Carlist war and then lord privy sea...

Old Stone Age

(Encyclopedia)Old Stone Age: see Paleolithic period. ...

Dione, in astronomy

(Encyclopedia)Dione dīōˈnē [key], in astronomy, one of the named moons, or natural satellites, of Saturn. Also known as Saturn IV (or S4), Dione is 695 mi (1,120 km) in diameter, orbits Saturn at a mean distanc...

growing season

(Encyclopedia)growing season, period during which plant growth takes place. In temperate climates the growing season is limited by seasonal changes in temperature and is defined as the period between the last killi...

Merovingian art and architecture

(Encyclopedia)Merovingian art and architecture mĕrˌəvĭnˈjēən [key]. This period is named for Merovech, the founder of the first Germanic-Frankish dynasty (c.a.d. 500–a.d. 751). The Merovingian period was m...

megalithic monument

(Encyclopedia)megalithic monument mĕgəlĭthˈĭk [key] [Gr.,=large stone], in archaeology, a construction involving one or several roughly hewn stone slabs of great size; it is usually of prehistoric antiquity. T...

nomad

(Encyclopedia)nomad nōˈmădˌ [key], one of a group of people without fixed habitation, especially pastoralists. (Some authorities prefer the terms “nonsedentary” or “migratory” rather than “nomadic” ...

Udmurt Republic

(Encyclopedia)Udmurt Republic o͝odˈmo͝ort, Rus. o͝odmo͞ortˈ [key] or Udmurtia, constituent republic (1990 pop. 1,620,000), 16,255 sq mi (42,100 sq km), European Russia, in the forested foothills of the Urals,...