Burdigalian Stage

In France the Burdigalian Stage is represented by rocks, especially shell beds, produced by a continuing transgression

Ucayali River

Spanish �R�o Ucayali, � headwater of the Amazon, formed by the junction of the Apur�mac and Urubamba rivers in east-central Peru. The Ucayali meanders northward from this junction for about 910 miles (1,465 km) through a densely forested floodplain east of the Andes to its junction with the Mara��n River, 55 miles (90 km) south-southwest of Iquitos. This confluence is considered to mark the head of the Amazon.

Arts, Islamic, Architecture in Iraq, Syria, and Anatolia

In Iraq, northern Mesopotamia, Syria, and Egypt (after 1171), the architectural monuments do not, on the whole, appear as overwhelmingly impressive as those of Iran, largely because the taste of Umayyad and 'Abbasid times continued to dominate mosque architecture. It is in the construction of new building types, particularly the madrasah, that the most originality is apparent.

Gezer

The excavations at Gezer sponsored by the Palestine Exploration Fund during 1902 - 05 and 1907 - 09 disclosed strata covering most periods

Tiffany, Louis Comfort

The son of the famous jeweler Charles Lewis Tiffany, Louis studied under the American painters George Inness and Samuel

Orange River

River in southern Africa, one of the longest rivers on the continent and one of the longest south of the Tropic of Capricorn. After rising in the Lesotho Highlands, less than 125 miles (200 kilometres) from the Indian Ocean, the river flows to the Atlantic Ocean in a generally westerly direction for some 1,300 miles. The Orange traverses the veld region of South Africa, after which

Sabha

The sabha differs from the panchayat (caste or subcaste council) in that its scope is much larger; rather than

Ring

Basically, a ring consists of three parts: the circle, or hoop;

Cartwright, Peter

His father, a veteran of the Revolutionary War, took his family to Kentucky in 1790. There Cartwright had little opportunity for schooling but was exposed to the rude surroundings of the frontier, becoming a gambler at cards and horse racing. This way of life came to

Cambridge Platform

Basic document of New England Congregationalism, prepared in Cambridge, Mass. (U.S.), in 1648. It provided for all the details of church government, including the principle that was basic to Congregationalism, the autonomy of the local congregation. In doctrinal matters, the Cambridge Platform incorporated the Westminster Confession, the creedal statement of Presbyterianism

George

Byname �George of Podebrady, �Czech� Jir� z Podebrad� king of Bohemia from 1458. As head of the conservative Utraquist faction of Hussite Protestants, he established himself as a power when Bohemia was still under Habsburg rule, and he was thereafter unanimously elected king by the estates. A nationalist and Hussite king of a prosperous state, he incurred the enmity

Gadamer, Hans-georg

The son of a chemistry professor, Gadamer studied the humanities at the universities

Loren, Sophia

Before working in the cinema, Sofia Scicolone changed her name to Sofia Lazzaro for work in the foto-romanzo, popular pulp magazines that used still photographs

Coal Mining, Auger mining

Auger mining is usually associated with contour strip mining. With this method, the coal is removed by drilling auger holes from the last contour cut and extracting it in the same manner that shavings are produced by a carpenter's bit. Coal recovery rates approach 60 percent with this method. The cutting heads of some augers are as high as 2.5 metres. As each stem works its

Ilam

The surrounding region is a continuation of the valley of Mesopotamia

Adana

City, south-central Turkey, situated in the plain of Cilicia, on the Seyhan River (the ancient Sarus River). An agricultural and industrial centre and the nation's fourth largest city, it probably overlies a Hittite settlement that dates from approximately 1400 BC; and its history has been profoundly influenced by its location at the foot of the Taurus Mountain passes leading

Scipio Africanus The Elder

Latin �Scipio Africanus Major�, in full �Publius Cornelius Scipio Africanus� Roman general noted for his victory over the Carthaginian leader Hannibal in the great Battle of Zama (202 BC), ending the Second Punic War. For his victory he won the surname Africanus (201 BC).

Atlanta

The city owes its existence to the railroads, the routes of which were

Anatexis

In geology, the differential, or partial, melting of rocks. Each mineral in a rock has its own melting temperature, which is decreased to varying degrees by its close association with other minerals. In addition to the melting temperature of each individual mineral, pressure, temperature, and the presence of volatiles all influence the melting temperature of a mineral

Ad Valorem Tax

Ad valorem rates, which have come into increased use, have the important advantage of adjusting the

Sunderland, Charles Spencer, 3rd Earl Of, Baron Spencer Of Wormleighton

The son of the 2nd Earl of Sunderland and the son-in-law of the Duke of Marlborough, he succeeded

Discount Store

In merchandising, retail store that sells products at prices lower than those asked by traditional retail outlets. Some, like department stores, offer wide assortments of goods; others specialize in such merchandise as jewelry, electronic equipment, or electrical appliances. Food stores also have been operated on the discount principle. Stores that are open only

Heusler Alloy

Any of the first magnetic alloys composed of metals that, in their pure state, are not magnetic. The alloys are named after Fritz Heusler, 19th-century German mining engineer and chemist. Heusler alloys consist of approximately two parts of copper, one of manganese, and one of tin. The tin may be replaced by aluminum, arsenic, antimony, bismuth, or boron; the copper may be replaced

Audubon, John James

The illegitimate son of a French merchant, planter, and slave trader and a Creole woman of Saint-Domingue, Audubon and his illegitimate half-sister (who was also born

Swamp Eel

Any of about 15 species of slim, eel-like fish comprising the order Synbranchiformes. Swamp eels, unrelated to true eels (Anguilliformes), are found in fresh and brackish waters of the tropics. They appear to be related to the order Perciformes. They range from about 20 to 70 centimetres (8 to 28 inches) in length and either are scaleless or have very small scales. The dorsal and anal

Arts, Islamic

The literary, performing, and visual arts of the vast populations of the Middle East and elsewhere that adopted the Islamic faith from the 7th century onward. These adherents of the faith have created such an immense variety of literatures, performing arts, visual arts, and music that it virtually defies any comprehensive definition. In the narrowest sense, the arts

Atacama

Regi�n, northern Chile. It is bounded on the east by Argentina and on the west by the Pacific Ocean. Created as a province in 1843 and as a regi�n in 1974, it includes Cha�aral, Copiap�, and Huasco provincias and San F�lix and San Ambrosio islands, which lie in the Pacific about 500 miles (800 km) west of Cha�aral, the main port. The Atacama Desert covers much of the regi�n. North of Copiap� (q.v.), the