Catégorie : Langues
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Español de América - lengua y litteratura.
Por otra parte, en algunas ocasiones el conquistador español se negó a aceptar el indigenismo y llamó con voces hispánicas a plantas y animales propios de América, aunsin que realmente correspondiese a la especie; así, es posible observar cosas como lagarto ‘caimán’, tigre ‘jaguar’, león ‘puma’, pavo ‘guajolote’. Pero, aparte de lo anterior, se deben mencionar los llamados americanismos semánticos, es decir, palabras que en América aluden a otros significados que en Europa y, en el cas...
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Lenguas aborígenes de Hispanoamérica - lengua y litteratura.
ni-k-on-ita-s : ‘yo lo veré allá’. Los morfemas constituyentes de la palabra significan: ni- : 1ª persona singular-k- : a él, lo-on- : allá-ita- : raíz verbal ver -s : futuro El náhuatl huasteca es prefijador y sufijador. 3 QUECHUA jamu-wa-rqa-nki-chu : ‘¿viniste por mí?’ Los morfemas constituyentes de la palabra significan: jamu : raíz verbal venir -wa- : tú me, tú a mí-rqa- : pasado simple-nki- : 2ª persona singular-chu : interrogativo El quechua es sufijador. 4 AIMARA uta-ja-nka-sk-t-wa...
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Boer War - history.
On January 10, 1900, the British general Frederick S. Roberts was sent to replace Buller as commander in chief. (Buller, however, remained to fight throughout the war.)Early in February, Roberts ordered the British commander John D. P. French north to relieve the city of Kimberley; French’s objective was attained four days later.Simultaneously, Roberts undertook a northeastward march from Cape Colony into the Orange Free State. Attacked by the Afrikaner general Piet Cronje on February 27,Roberts...
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Idi Amin - history.
moderate his policies, the rulers of other African states elected him chair of the Organization of African Unity for a one-year term in 1975. In 1976 Palestinian and West German terrorists hijacked an Air France plane with a large number of Israeli passengers, and Amin allowed them to land at Entebbe Airportand use it as a base. An Israeli commando raid successfully rescued more than 100 hostages; three hostages, all of the terrorists, an Israeli commander, and 20 to 40Ugandan soldiers were kill...
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Algerian War of Independence - history.
In September 1956 the ALN stepped up guerrilla warfare within Algiers itself. Over the following months, Algerian civilians planted bombs in French cafés and public places,which significantly increased French civilian casualties. The French authorities arrested and tortured large numbers of guerrilla suspects, many of whom died underinterrogation. Ultimately, French forces tracked down most of the guerrillas, ending the so-called Battle of Algiers in the summer of 1957. The losses suffered by th...
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Aksum - history.
IV RELIGION Little is known about Aksumite religion before the conversion of King Ezana to Christianity. The names of some of the gods who were worshipped have survived. The chiefgod was Astar, associated with the Greek god Zeus. Mahrem was a war god, like the Greek god Ares, and a patron of the royal family. It is not known how the gods wereworshipped, though the remains of a number of religious buildings still exist. The largest such structure still standing is in Yeha. In these buildings, ar...
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Shang Dynasty - history.
dependents, and sacrificial victims lay among and beyond the buildings. The Xiaotun settlement was linked to a complex of settlements and craft centers bordering thefoothills of the Taihang Shan to the west. The absence of a wall around the site suggests the Late Shang kings were confident they could defend their settlement againstattacks from outsiders. On the north side of the Huan River, a Shang cemetery at Xibeigang contains the burial pits of eight of the last nine Shang kings. (Another tom...
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Stonehenge - history.
Plan of StonehengeThis plan of Stonehenge shows the general arrangement of the monument and the most famous component features, including theAltar Stone at the center, the trilithons consisting of two uprights and a lintel, the Heel Stone, and the Slaughter Stone. Thesignificance of the arrangement of the stones is unclear, though it probably was related to astronomical observations and religiousrituals timed to coincide with particular astronomical events, such as the summer solstice.© Microsof...
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Sumer - history.
By the 23rd century BC the power of the Sumerians had declined to such an extent that they could no longer defend themselves against foreign invasion. The Semitic ruler Sargon I (reigned about 2335-2279 BC), called The Great, succeeded in conquering the entire country. Sargon founded a new capital, called Agade, in the far north of Sumer and made it the richest and most powerful city in the world. The people of northern Sumer and the conquering invaders, fusing gradually, became known ethnical...
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Africa - history.
Africa’s other major mountainous regions occur at the northern and southern fringes of the continent. The Atlas Mountains, a system of high ranges, extend for 2,200 km(1,400 mi) across Morocco, Algeria, and Tunisia, roughly parallel to the northern coast. These ranges enclose a number of broad inland basins and plateaus. In the west, theHigh (or Grand) Atlas contains Toubkal (4,165 m/ 13,665 ft), the highest peak of the system. Toward the east, the Atlas consists of two parallel ranges: the Tell...
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Qin Dynasty - history.
Terra-Cotta Tomb FiguresMore than 6,000 life-size terra-cotta soldiers and horses were produced for the tomb of the first Chinese emperor, Qin Shihuangdi.The figures remained buried near his burial mound from 210 bc until their discovery in 1974. Since then, they have beenpainstakingly restored to stand in their original formation.Wolfgang Kaehler/Corbis A nomadic empire named Xiongnu (Hsiung-nu) controlled the vast steppe land in northern Asia. During the Warring States period, the northern Chi...
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Roman Art and Architecture - history.
house, records office, and basilica. Imperial Forum, RomeThe Roman Forum was founded at the beginning of the Roman republic (around 500 bc), and it continued to develop into the late 2ndcentury ad. Among the ruins seen here are the Temple of Antoninus and Faustina (since converted into a church, background, left),the foundations of the Basilica Julia (foreground, center), and the three remaining columns of the Temple of Castor and Pollux(background, right).Donadoni/Bruce Coleman, Inc. The basili...
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Roman Empire - history.
the master of Rome. Three years later the Senate proclaimed him Augustus, the supreme ruler. III THE EMPIRE UNDER AUGUSTUS Roman Emperor AugustusAugustus, the first Roman emperor, brought peace, order, and prosperity to Rome after the civil wars that followed the assassinationof Roman leader Julius Caesar. Caesar had adopted the young Octavian, later known as Augustus, as his heir. After a victory overMark Antony and Cleopatra at Actium, Augustus had absolute power over the entire Roman Empire....
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Han Dynasty - history.
of merit rather than birth. Written examinations were adopted as a means of determining the best qualified people, although use of the examinations in actually makingappointments was limited. A school was established at the capital for training government officials. The administrative bureaucracy was systematized, and a career civilservice was created and extended through much of the empire. Although personally interested in the magical side of Daoism, Wudi made a descendent of Confucius the sup...
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Inca Empire - history.
rediscovered the site in 1911.© Microsoft Corporation. All Rights Reserved. Inca society was strictly organized, from the emperor and royal family down to the peasants. The emperor was thought to be descended from the sun god, Inti, and hetherefore ruled with divine authority. All power rested in his hands. Only the influence of custom and the fear of revolt checked the emperor’s power. The emperor had oneofficial wife, but he had many royal concubines and his children by these wives often numbe...
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Indus Valley Civilization - history.
Stone Tablets from Mohenjo-DaroThese stone tablets were found at Mohenjo-Daro, an archaeological site in modern Pakistan. The city of Mohenjo-Daro flourishedduring the Indus Valley civilization (2500?-1700 bc). Merchants used the stone tablets, which show examples of pictographic writing,to mark their goods.Charles and Josette Lenars/Corbis The Indus Valley civilization was first defined by the British archaeologist Sir John Marshall's diggings at Mohenjo-Daro and M. S. Vat's excavations at Hara...
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Maya Civilization - history.
III CLASSIC PERIOD Maya Ruins, El SalvadorThe Maya occupied a large part of Central America, and their civilization reached its height between ad 300 and 900. Many ruins ofthe ancient civilization have been excavated in El Salvador, including huge limestone pyramids.Susan McCartney/Photo Researchers, Inc. Classic Maya civilization became more complex in about AD 300 as the population increased and centers in the highlands and the lowlands engaged in both cooperation and competition with each o...
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Mesopotamia - history.
AssyriaAssyria flourished in the region the ancient Greeks called Mesopotamia. An Assyrian king established what was probably the firstcentrally organized empire in the Middle East, between 1813 and 1780 bc. In defending their territory from nomadic invasions,Assyrians gained a reputation in the ancient Middle East for being relentless and ruthless warriors.© Microsoft Corporation. All Rights Reserved. Beginning about 1350 BC, Assyria, a north Mesopotamian kingdom, began to assert itself. Assyr...
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Pyramids (Egypt) - history.
out, to the king’s burial chamber, which ideally was located directly underneath the pyramid’s center point. Sometimes, in addition to the burial chamber, there werestorage chambers within the pyramid. These chambers held objects used in burial rituals as well as items for the deceased to use in the afterlife. Some of these items werevaluable, and in later years people robbed many of the pyramids and stole the objects. Pyramid of Khafre at GizaThe pyramids at Giza in Egypt are among the best-kno...
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Assyria - history.
Assyrian ReliefThis Assyrian relief, made of alabaster, was found at the palace of Assyrian king Sargon II at Khorsabad (now in Iraq). It depictstimber from valuable cedars of Lebanon being shipped by sea. More than 2,500 years old, the sculpture is now in the Louvre in Paris,France.Giraudon/Art Resource, NY Assyrian culture resembled that of Babylonia in most respects. Except for the royal annals, for example, Assyrian literature was practically identical with its Babyloniancounterpart, and the...