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tomb

(Encyclopedia)tomb, vault or chamber constructed either partly or entirely above ground as a place of interment. Although it is often used as a synonym for grave, the word is derived from the Greek tymbos [burial g...

stonework

(Encyclopedia)stonework, term applied to various types of work—that of the lapidary who shapes, cuts, and polishes gemstones or engraves them for seals and ornaments; of the jeweler or artisan who mounts or encru...

Menkaure

(Encyclopedia)Menkaure mĭsərīˈnəs [key], fl. 2525? b.c., king of ancient Egypt, of the IV dynasty; successor of Khafre. He built the third pyramid at Giza. ...

Migingo Islands

(Encyclopedia)Migingo Islands, small, rocky islands in Lake Victoria, E Africa, off Kenya north of the Tanzanian border. The group consists of Migingo, Ugingo, and Pyramid Island. According to a boundary set by the...

Egyptian architecture

(Encyclopedia)Egyptian architecture, the architecture of the ancient Egyptians, formulated prior to 3000 b.c. and lasting through the Ptolemaic period (323–30 b.c.). Egyptian architectural development parallel...

Jaya Peak

(Encyclopedia)Jaya or Djaja Peak both: jäˈyə [key], highest mountain peak on Mt. Jayawijaya, in the Sudirman Mts., Papua prov., Indonesia, on W New Guinea, rising to 16,503 ft (5,031 m). It is the highest point ...

El Tajín

(Encyclopedia)El Tajín ĕl tähēnˈ [key], ruins, Veracruz state, E central Mexico, representing the remains of a pre-Columbian city-state that flourished in a.d. 100–1200. The site was associated with an ethni...

Khafre

(Encyclopedia)Khafre kĕfˈrĕn [key], fl. 2565 b.c., king of ancient Egypt, of the IV dynasty, and builder of the second pyramid at Giza. His face is perhaps that represented on the Great Sphinx. An obscure king, ...

Olmec

(Encyclopedia)Olmec ōlˈmĕk [key], term denoting the culture of ancient Mexican natives inhabiting the tropical coastal plain of the contemporary states of Veracruz and Tabasco, between 1300 and 400 b.c. The term...

Uni

(Encyclopedia)Uni o͞oˈnē [key], fl. c.2300 b.c., Egyptian official of the VI dynasty. His career is known through his private inscription. After rising from an obscure court position to a position of command, he...