Monday, April 04, 2005

Egypt, Ancient, Predynastic Egypt

The peoples of predynastic Egypt were the successors of the Paleolithic inhabitants of northeastern Africa, who had spread over much of its area; during wet phases they had left remains in regions as inhospitable as the Great Sand Sea. The final desiccation of the Sahara was not complete until the end of the 3rd millennium BC; over thousands of years people must have

Jewish Religious Year

The cycle of Sabbaths and holidays that are commonly observed by the Jewish religious community—and officially in Israel by the Jewish secular community as well. The Sabbath and festivals are bound to the Jewish calendar, reoccur at fixed intervals, and are celebrated at home and in the synagogue according to ritual set forth in Jewish law and hallowed by Jewish

Sunday, April 03, 2005

Yadin, Yigael

Yadin, the son of an archaeologist, was educated at Hebrew University (M.A., 1945; Ph.D., 1955). He was a member of the Haganah military organization from 1932 to 1948 and served as chief of the general staff of the Israel Defense Forces from 1949 to

Saturday, April 02, 2005

Portico

The portico is a principal feature of Greek temple architecture and thus a prominent element in Roman and all subsequent classically inspired structures. The types of portico furnish the main terms

Friday, April 01, 2005

Pleurococcus

Pleurococcus is found as a thin, green covering on the moist, shaded side of trees, rocks, and soil. Because it grows on the north (or shaded) side of trees, stone walls, and fences, Pleurococcus is an

Yodo River

Japanese  Yodo-gawa,  river, central western Honshu, Japan. The Yodo is the sole outlet of Lake Biwa, the country's largest freshwater lake, from which it issues in a southwesterly direction to Osaka Bay, connecting the Kyoto Basin with the Osaka Plain. It was a major means of transportation and communication during the Tokugawa period (1603–1867). The river is dammed for hydroelectricity and

Tuesday, March 29, 2005

Factor, Max, Jr.

(FRANCIS FACTOR), U.S. cosmetician who, with his father, developed Pan-Cake makeup so actors would not appear green in colour motion pictures and, when it began to be worn offscreen as well, mass-produced it and built their company into an international cosmetics empire (b. Aug. 18, 1904--d. June 7, 1996).

Monday, March 28, 2005

Andalusia

Andalusia possesses the most varied terrain and vegetation in all Spain. Striking contrasts exist between alpine mountains and pine forests at high elevations, arid and barren deserts, and fertile irrigated plains that support plantations of subtropical fruits. The topography of Andalusia is divided by mountain ranges into several distinct zones, each running

Sunday, March 27, 2005

Suceava

Judet (county), northeastern Romania, and bounded on the north by Ukraine. The Eastern Carpathian Mountains and the sub-Carpathians occupy the western two-thirds of the county, and the Suceava Plateau lies in the east. The Siret River flows southeastward, marking the county's eastern border, and the Suceava and Bistrita rivers also drain southeastward. Suceava (q.v.) city