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Quirinal

(Encyclopedia)Quirinal kwĭrˈĭnəl [key], one of the seven hills of Rome, NE of Capitoline Hill. It was the site of several ancient shrines and the quarter of the quirites, probably the aristocracy in the first c...

Italic languages

(Encyclopedia)Italic languages, subfamily of the Indo-European family of languages that may be divided into two groups. The first group consists of the ancient Italic languages and dialects that were once spoken in...

Alaric I

(Encyclopedia)Alaric I ălˈərĭk [key], c.370–410, Visigothic king. He headed the Visigothic troops serving Emperor Theodosius I. After the emperor's death (395) the troops rebelled and chose Alaric as their le...

triumphal arch

(Encyclopedia)CE5 Triumphal arch triumphal arch, monumental structure embodying one or more arched passages, frequently built to span a road and designed to honor a king or general or to commemorate a military ...

Rijeka

(Encyclopedia)Rijeka fēo͞oˈmē, Ital. fyo͞oˈmā [key], city (2011 pop. 128,624), W Croatia, on the Adriatic Sea and the Gulf of Quarnero. Croatia's largest seaport, the city's industries include shipbuilding, ...

Cumae

(Encyclopedia)Cumae kyo͞oˈmē [key], ancient city of Campania, Italy, near Naples. According to Strabo, it was the earliest Greek colony in Italy or Sicily, and it seems to have been founded c.750 b.c. by Chalcis...

Totila

(Encyclopedia)Totila bădyo͞oĭlˈə [key], d. 552, last king of the Ostrogoths (541–52). By defeating the Byzantines at Faenza and Mugello (542) and by taking Naples (543) and Rome (546), he became master of ce...

Cagliari

(Encyclopedia)Cagliari käˈlyärē [key], city, capital of Sardinia and of Cagliari prov., S Sardinia, Italy, ...

Punic Wars

(Encyclopedia)Punic Wars, three distinct conflicts between Carthage and Rome. When they began, Rome had nearly completed the conquest of Italy, while Carthage controlled NW Africa and the islands and the commerce o...

Catania

(Encyclopedia)Catania kätäˈnyä [key], city, capital of Catania prov., E Sicily, Italy, on the Gulf of C...