Arabia

Roman province created out of the former kingdom of the Nabataeans and the adjacent Syrian cities of Gerasa and Philadelphia (modern Jarash and 'Amman, Jordan, respectively), after the formal annexation of the Nabataean kingdom by the Roman emperor Trajan in AD 105. The province was bounded by the western coast of the Sinai Peninsula, the present Syrian-Lebanese border to

Arabia

Roman province created out of the former kingdom of the Nabataeans and the adjacent Syrian cities of Gerasa and Philadelphia (modern Jarash and 'Amman, Jordan, respectively), after the formal annexation of the Nabataean kingdom by the Roman emperor Trajan in AD 105. The province was bounded by the western coast of the Sinai Peninsula, the present Syrian-Lebanese border to

Xiongnu

Of the same origins as the Chinese,

Baikonur

Also spelled �Baykonur, Baykonyr, or Bajkonur, �also called �Tyuratam, or Turatam, � former Soviet and current Russian space centre in south-central Kazakstan. Baikonur was a Soviet code name for the centre, but American analysts often called it Tyuratam, after the railroad station at Tyuratam (Leninsk), the nearest large city. Baikonur lies on the north bank of the Syr Darya, about 100 miles (160 km) northwest of Qyzylorda. The Soviet Union's secretiveness about

Ocean, Antarctic Circumpolar Current

The Southern Ocean links the major oceans by a deep circumpolar belt in the 50� - 60� S range. In this belt flows the Antarctic Circumpolar Current from west to east, encircling the globe at high latitudes. It transports 125 million cubic metres of seawater per second over a path of about 24,000 kilometres and is the most important factor in diminishing the differences between oceans.

Biblical Literature, Other Pentateuchal theories

This documentary theory of the composition of the Pentateuch has been challenged by eminent 20th-century scholars who have offered alternative or additional methods of analysis and interpretation. Form criticism, for example, has stressed particular literary forms and the historical setting out of which they arose: the sagas, laws, legends, and other forms and

Spotsylvania Court House, Battle Of

(May 8 - 19, 1864), Union failure to smash or outflank Confederate forces defending Richmond, Virginia, during the American Civil War. Following the Battle of the Wilderness (May 5 - 6), Union General Ulysses S. Grant moved his left flank forward, engaging the Confederate forces of General Robert E. Lee at Spotsylvania Court House, Virginia. The battle raged for about a week and a half, and

Locke, Bobby

A meticulous putter who was considered among the best in golf, Locke won the Vardon Trophy for lowest scoring average among male professional golfers in 1946, 1950, and 1954. Nine times the winner of the South African Open championship (1935, 1937 - 40, 1946, 1950 - 51, and 1955) and six times the winner of the South

Constantine Ii

The second son of Constantine the Great (ruled 306 - 337), he was given the title of caesar by his father on March 1, 317. When Constantine the Great died in 337, Constantine II and his brothers, Constans and Constantius II, each adopted the title augustus and divided the empire among themselves. Constantine II became ruler

Spoonerism

Reversal of the initial letters or syllables of two or more words, such as �I have a half-warmed fish in my mind� (for �half-formed wish�) and �a blushing crow� (for �a crushing blow�). The word was derived from the name of William Archibald Spooner (1844 - 1930), a distinguished Anglican clergyman and warden of New College, Oxford, a nervous man who committed many �spoonerisms.� Such transpositions

Arts, South Asian

The Maurya Empire collapsed in the early years of the 2nd century BC, and with it passed the art with which it was intimately related. The sculpture that is found throughout India from the middle of the 2nd century BC is startlingly different, but the process by which this change took place in a relatively short period of time is not fully understood. Several schools, sharing

Wicomico

County, southeastern Maryland, U.S., bordered by Delaware to the north, the Pocomoke River to the east, the Wicomico River to the southwest, and the Nanticoke River to the west and northwest. Salisbury, the county seat, developed as the commercial centre of the Delmarva Peninsula and became one of the largest ports in Maryland. Parklands include Wicomico Demonstration

Benda, Wladyslaw Theodor

Benda studied art in Krak�w, Pol., and in Vienna before coming to the United States in 1899. He settled in New York City, becoming a U.S. citizen in 1911. Benda's illustrations were published in books and in a number of magazines. He is best remembered for his masks, which were used in theatre and dance performances

Ear Disease

The child born deaf or with a severe hearing impairment cannot acquire speech by the normal process but must attend special classes or a school for the deaf to be taught speech and lipreading. Most of these children have remnants of the sense of hearing that can be utilized in their schooling by the use of aids to amplify sound. The child with a moderate or mild hearing

Mer

Among the Cheremis and Udmurts (also called Votyaks), a district where people would gather periodically to hold religious festivals and perform sacrifices to nature gods. The word mer is derived from the Russian mir, �village community.� The people within the mer usually were of common origin; their customs were similar, and they may even have possessed names and ownership

Moschus, John

Moschus began his monastic

Iligan

City, northern Mindanao, Philippines. On the southeastern shore of Iligan Bay, it is the island's major industrial city and an important port at the mouth of the Iligan River. Its growth has stemmed largely from the proximity of the Agus River, with its great hydropower potential harnessed at Maria Cristina Falls. Industries include steel, calcium-carbide, and ferroalloy

Adams, John, Special topics

Finally, seminal essays on Adams's personality and ideology can be found in several books that focus on larger themes during the Revolutionary era. These include Bernard Bailyn, Faces of Revolution: Personalities and Themes in the Struggle for American Independence (1990, reissued 1992); Edmund S. Morgan, The Meaning of Independence: John Adams, George Washington, Thomas Jefferson (1976, reissued 1978); and Gordon S. Wood, The Creation of the American Republic, 1776 - 1787 (1969, reissued 1998).

Caucasian Languages, Phonology

A characteristic feature of the sound system of the Abkhazo-Adyghian languages is a rather limited number of distinctive vowels - a and {schwa} (pronounced as the a in English �sofa�). Some scholars consider it possible to posit only one vowel, which, depending on the position, can be realized in different ways: a, {schwa}, i, o, e. On the other hand, the languages are notable for a great

Turkey, Government

Following a period of authoritarian, one-party rule under the first president of the republic, Mustafa Kemal (Atat�rk; 1923 - 38), and his successor, Ismet In�n� (1938 - 50), multiparty democracy was instituted in 1950. Parliamentary democracy has for the most part remained in force since that date, although it has been interrupted by brief periods of military government at times when civilian

Mozaffar Od-din Shah

The son of the Qajar ruler Naser od-Din Shah, Mozaffar od-Din was named crown prince and sent as governor to the northern province of Azerbaijan in 1861. He spent his 35 years as crown prince in the pursuit of pleasure; his relations with his father were frequently

Scale

In zoology, small plate that forms part of the skin of certain animals. Scales provide protection from the environment and from predators. Fish scales are formed of bone from the deeper, or dermal, skin layer. The elasmobranchs (e.g., sharks) have placoid scales; these are bony, spiny projections with an enamel-like covering. Ganoid scales, which are found on such fishes as

Sha'nabi, Mount Ash-

Arabic �Jabal Ash-sha 'nabi, �also spelled �Djebel Chambi, � mountain (5,066 feet [1,544 m]) that is the highest in Tunisia. It is part of a spur of the Teb�ssa (Tabassah) Mountains, which are part of the Saharan Atlas Mountains. The mountain lies near the Algerian border, 6 miles (10 km) west-northwest of Al-Qasrayn (Kasserine).

Bhaktivedanta, A(bhay) C(haranaravinda)

In 1920 Bhaktivedanta completed his B.A. in chemistry at the Scottish Churches' College in Calcutta; by that time, his family had arranged a marriage for him, and he later established

Cypress Vine

(Ipomoea quamoclit), tropical American twining climber naturalized in southern North America. It has star-shaped scarlet, pink, or white blooms amid deep green, deeply lobed leaves. It is a member of the morning glory family (Convolvulaceae) and is an annual. The closely related star ipomoea (I. coccinea), with crimson flowers and heart-shaped leaves,

Ascension

In Christian belief, the ascent of Jesus Christ into heaven on the 40th day after his Resurrection (Easter being reckoned as the first day). According to the first chapter of The Acts of the Apostles, after appearing to the Apostles on various occasions during a period of 40 days, Jesus was taken up in their presence and was then hidden from them by a cloud, a frequent biblical

Ascension

In Christian belief, the ascent of Jesus Christ into heaven on the 40th day after his Resurrection (Easter being reckoned as the first day). According to the first chapter of The Acts of the Apostles, after appearing to the Apostles on various occasions during a period of 40 days, Jesus was taken up in their presence and was then hidden from them by a cloud, a frequent biblical

Garibaldi, Giuseppe

Italian patriot and soldier of the Risorgimento, a republican who, through his conquest of Sicily and Naples with his guerrilla Redshirts, contributed to the achievement of Italian unification under the royal House of Savoy.

Xylophone

(from Greek xylon and phone: �wood� and �sound�), percussion instrument consisting of a set of graduated, tuned wooden bars supported at nodal (nonvibrating) points and struck with padded mallets. The xylophone possibly originated in Southeast Asia or Oceania and today exists in forms as simple as two