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Olympia, city, ancient Greece

(Encyclopedia)Olympia, ancient city, important center of the worship of Zeus in ancient Greece, in Elis near the Alpheus (now Alfiós) R. It was the scene of the Olympic games. The great temple of Zeus was especial...

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...

Palenque

(Encyclopedia)Palenque pälāngˈkĕ [key], ancient city of the Maya in Chiapas, S Mexico, in the Usumacinta Valley. Its architectural elegance, adapted to tropical and topographical conditions, was a high point in...

sanctuary

(Encyclopedia)sanctuary, sacred place, especially the most sacred part of a sacred place. In ancient times and in the Middle Ages, a sanctuary served as asylum, a place of refuge for persons fleeing from violence o...

Varanasi

(Encyclopedia)Varanasi bənäˈrĭz [key], city (1991 pop. 1,030,863), Uttar Pradesh state, N central India, on the Ganges River. Although a rail hub and trade center, Varanasi is chiefly important as a holy city. ...

Galway, city, Republic of Ireland

(Encyclopedia)Galway, city, seat of Co. Galway, W Republic of Ireland, on Galway Bay near the mouth of the Corrib River. Industries include tourism, food processing, ...

Inns of Court

(Encyclopedia)Inns of Court, collective name of the four legal societies in London that have the exclusive right of admission to the bar. These societies—Lincoln's Inn, Gray's Inn, the Inner Temple, and the Middl...

Greek architecture

(Encyclopedia)Greek architecture the art of building that arose on the shores of the Aegean Sea and flourished in the ancient world. In addition to temples, the Greeks also built a number of other kinds of struct...

Tikal

(Encyclopedia)Tikal tēkälˈ [key], ruined city of the Classic Period of the Maya, N central Petén, Guatemala. The largest and possibly the oldest of the Maya cities, Tikal consists of nine groups of courts and p...

Changzhou

(Encyclopedia)Changzhou or Changchow both: chängˈjōˈ [key], city, S Jiangsu prov., E central China,...