A map from 1873 of the Ganges River delta in what was at the time the Bengal province of British India. The map shows the main course of the Ganges River, the Hoogly and Hooringotta distributaries, and the Sunderbunds at the mouth of the...

Augustus, born Gaius Octavius Thurinus, was adopted by his great-uncle Julius Caesar in 44 BC, and between then and 27 BC was officially named Gaius Julius Caesar. After 27 BC, he was named Gaius Julius Caesar Augustus. Because of the...

A map from 1898 of New Hampshire and Vermont. "New Hampshire, one of the thirteen original States. Settled by English Puritans at Dover and Portsmouth 1623. Named for Hampshire County, England, called the 'Granite State.’ Ratified United...

Sandstone promontory with a pool of water at its base; shaded oasis in the western U.S. deser; Zuni Indians call it "A'ts'ina" (Place of writings on the rock); Anglo-Americans called it "Inscription Rock"; travelers left signatures,...

A box for holding books among the Romans. These boxes were of cylindrical form. There does not appear to have been any difference between the capsa and scrinium, except that the latter word was usually applied to those boxes which held a...

A baker, from pinsere, to pound, since corn was pounded in mortars before the invention of mills. At Rome bread was originally made at home by the women of the house; and there were no persons at Rome who made baking a trade, or any...

A cart or wagon. It had commonly two wheels, but sometimes four, and it was then called the plaustrum majus. Besides the wheels and axle the plaustrum consisted of a strong pole (temo), to the hinder part of which was fastened a table of...

Puteal, properly means the enclosure surrounding the opening of a well, to protect persons from falling into it. It was either round or square, and seems usually to have been of the height of three or four feet from the ground. It was...

Sphinx is a Greek word signifying 'strangler,' applied to certain symbolical forms of Egyptian origin, having the body of a lion, a human or an animal head, and two wings. Various other combinations of animal forms have been called by...

A facsimile from a map by Samuel Champlain (1613) of the vicinity of Quebec on the St. Lawrence River, where on 3 July, 1608, Champlain laid the foundations of the city which still bears the name of Quebec. The map is keyed to show (A)...

An athletic game, in which all the powers of the fighter were called into action. The pancratium was one of the games or gymnastic contests which were exhibited at all the great festivals of Greece; it consisted of boxing and wrestling,...

A map of Massachusetts Bay and Cape Cod showing the area of early Norse exploration in America. "In 986 A.D. a Norseman named Herjulfson, who was voyaging from Iceland to Greenland, was driven by a gale far out of his reckoning to the W....

A map from 1899 of Mexico showing the general climate divisions of the region, including areas of warm climate, temperate climate, and cold climate. "The Tropic of Cancer crosses Mexico near the center. The low, hot, and moist coast...

A map from 1898 of Oregon showing the capital of Salem, principal cities and towns, railroads, mountain systems, lakes, rivers, and coastal features. "Oregon, name derived from Spanish word signifying 'Wild Thyme,’ so called on account...

A map of England (Britannia) under the Roman Empire, from the time of the first invasion by Julius Caesar (55 BC) extending to the invasion of the Saxons (AD 449). The Roman Period of control of Britannia is generally considered AD 43 to...

Abydos is the Greek name of the ancient Egyptian town called Abdju. It was the capital of the eighth nome of Upper Egypt and the main cult center of Osiris. Within the region, there are many archaeological sites.

Amphyces, Frontlets. A frontal, a broad band or plate of metal, which ladies of rank wore above the forehead as part of the head-dress. The frontal of a horse was called by the same name. The annexed cut exhibits the frontal on the head...

A knife with only one edge, which formed a straight line. The blade was pointed, and its back curved. It was used for a variety of purposes, but chiefly for killing animals either in the slaughter house, or in hunting, or at the altars...

The surrounding of the punchmark with a band bearing a name, and the introduction of a head in its center, gradually led to the perfect reverse. There is a remarkable series of so-called 'encased' coins struck in Magna Graecia, of which...

The first writer who deserves the name of a historian is Herodotus, hence called the Father of History. Herodotus was born in the Dorian colony of Halicarnassus in Caria, in the year 484 B.C., and accordingly about the time of the...

The Age of Pericles. The interval of about fifty years between the close of the Persian and the beginning of the Peloponnesian war has been called the Age of Pericles, -a somewhat misleading term, as Pericles was at the head of Athenian...

This picture shows a scale size comparison between a human and a dinosaur called Sauroposeidon. Sauroposeidon was a huge Sauropod from the early Cretaceous Period (around 112 million years ago). Scientists estimate that it reached a...

Galileo Galilei (15 February 1564 - 8 January 1642) was a Tuscan (Italian) physicist, mathematician, astronomer, and philosopher who played a major role in the scientific revolution. His achievements include improvements to the telescope...

These pages are part of a site called Evolution that accompanies a textbook by the same name. Mark Ridley is the author. In this section, he describes how artificial selection has provided many examples of evolutionary change. Examples...