Columbia Encyclopedia

Search results

500 results found

Islamic art and architecture

(Encyclopedia)Islamic art and architecture, works of art and architecture created in countries where Islam has been dominant and embodying Muslim precepts in its themes. Among the ceramic types are unglazed wares...

Lake District

(Encyclopedia)Lake District, region of mountains and lakes, c.30 mi (50 km) in diameter, Cumbria, NW England. It includes the Cumbrian Mts. and part of the Furness peninsula. The district comprises 15 lakes, among ...

millet

(Encyclopedia)millet, common name for several species of grasses cultivated mainly for cereals in the Eastern Hemisphere and for forage and hay in North America. The principal varieties are the foxtail, pearl, and ...

Monticello

(Encyclopedia)Monticello mŏnˌtĭsĕlˈō, –chĕlˈō [key] [Ital.,=little mountain], estate, 640 acres (259 hectares), central Va., near Charlottesville; home of Thomas Jefferson for 56 years. The mansion, whic...

Leibovitz, Annie

(Encyclopedia)Leibovitz, Annie lēbˈəvĭts [key], 1949–, American photographer, b. Waterbury, Conn., as Anna-Lou Leibovitz. A celebrated portrait photographer, she began contributing photographs to Rolling Ston...

kiva

(Encyclopedia)kiva kēˈvə [key], large, underground ceremonial chamber, peculiar to the ancient and modern Pueblo. The modern kiva probably evolved from the slab houses (i.e., storage pits and dwellings that were...

National Museum of the American Indian

(Encyclopedia)National Museum of the American Indian, institution devoted to the collection, preservation, and presentation of the culture of the indigenous populations of the Western Hemisphere, a division of the ...

Mostar

(Encyclopedia)Mostar môˈstär [key], city (2013 pop. 65,286), in Bosnia and Herzegovina, on the Neretva River. Its name means “Old Bridge,” referring to the 16th-century stone bridge built by Ottoman sultan S...

amphitheater

(Encyclopedia)amphitheater ămˈfəthēˌətər, ămˈpə– [key], open structure used for the exhibition of gladiatorial contests, struggles of wild beasts, sham sea battles, and similar spectacles. There is no G...

Eggleston, William

(Encyclopedia)Eggleston, William (William Joseph Eggleston, Jr.), 1939–, American photographer credited with establishing color photography as an art form, b. Memphis Tenn. His early work in black and white was i...