Magdalenian V.mag-do-'le-ne-onX culture Stone-tool industry and artistic tradition of Upper Paleolithic Europe. It was named after the type site, La Madeleine in southwestern France. The Magdalenians lived some 11,000-17,000 years ago, at a time when reindeer, wild horses, and bison formed large herds. They appear to have lived a semi-settled life sur¬ rounded by abundant food. They killed animals with spears, snares, and traps and lived in caves, rock shelters, and tents. Magdalenian stone tools include blades, burins (chisel-like tools), scrapers, borers, and projectile points. Their bone tools—often engraved with animal images—include adzes, hammers, spearheads, harpoons, and eyed needles. Cave art in the early period is characterized by coarse black drawings, while that of the later period includes beautifully rendered realistic figures in polychrome, such as those at Altamira, Spain. Magdalenian culture disappeared as the climate warmed at the end of the fourth (Wiirm) glacial period (c. 10,000 bc) and herd animals became scarce.
Magdeburg Vmag-do-.burkV City (pop., 2002 est.: 229,755), capital of Saxony-Anhalt state, east-central Germany. Located on the Elbe River, it was a trading settlement as early as the 9th century, and by the 13th cen¬ tury it was a leading member of the Hanseatic League. It embraced the Reformation in 1524 and was governed by Protestant titular archbishops. In 1631, during the Thirty Years' War, it was burned and sacked. Captured by the French during the Napoleonic Wars, it soon passed to the Prus¬ sians, and in 1815 it became the capital of the province of Saxony. It was heavily bombed during World War II. One of Germany’s most important inland ports, it is a railroad junction. The composer Georg Philipp Telemann
The cathedral at Magdeburg, Germany.
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Magellan Xmo-'jel-onV Ferdinand Portuguese Fernao de Magalhaes Spanish Fernando de Magallanes (b. c. 1480, Sab- rosa, or Porto?, Port.—d. April 27, 1521, Mactan, Phil.) Portuguese navi¬ gator and explorer. Born to the nobility, Magellan from 1505 served in expeditions to the East Indies and Africa. Having twice asked King Man¬ uel I for a higher rank and been refused, he went to Spain in 1517 and offered his services to King Charles I (later Emperor Charles V), propos¬ ing to sail west to the Moluccas (Spice Islands) to prove that they lay in Spanish rather than Portuguese territory. In 1519 he left Sevilla with five ships and 270 men. He sailed around South America, quelling a mutiny on the way, and discovered the Strait of Magellan. With three ships left,
Magellan crossed the “Sea of the South,” which he later called the Pacific Ocean because of their calm crossing. He was killed by natives in the Philippines, but two of his ships reached the Moluccas, and one, the Vic¬ toria , commanded by Juan de Elcano (14767-1526), continued west to Spain, accomplishing the first circumnavigation of the world in 1522.
Magellan, Strait of Spanish Estrecho de Magallanes
Va-'stra-cho-tha-.ma-ga-'lya-nasV Strait, linking the Atlantic Ocean and Pacific Ocean, between the southern tip of South America and Tierra del Fuego. It extends westward from the Atlantic between Cape VTrgenes and Cape Espfritu Santo and curves northwest at Froward Cape to reach the Pacific. Lying mostly within Chilean territorial waters, it is about 350 mi (560 km) long and 2-20 mi (3-32 km) wide. Named for Spanish navi¬ gator Ferdinand Magellan, the first European to pass there (1520), it remained an important shipping route until the Panama Canal opened in
Magellanic \,ma-j3-Ta-nik\ Cloud Either of two irregular companion galaxies of the Milky Way Galaxy, named for Ferdinand Magellan, whose crew discovered them during the first voyage around the world. They share a gaseous envelope and lie about 22° apart in the sky near the southern celestial pole (see celestial sphere). They are visible to the unaided eye in the Southern Hemisphere but cannot be seen from northern lati¬ tudes. The Large Magellanic Cloud is more than 150,000 light-years from Earth; the Small Magellanic Cloud is roughly 200,000 light-years away. They are excellent laboratories for the study of the formation and evolu¬ tion of STARS.
Magenta Nmo-'jen-toV, Battle of (June 4, 1859) Battle fought during the Franco-Piedmontese war against the Austrians (second War of Italian Independence) in Lombardy, northern Italy. The narrow French victory over the Austrians was an important step toward Italian independence, leading many districts and cities to throw off Austrian rule and join the cause of Italian unity.
Maggiore \ma-'jo-ra. Lake ancient Lacus Verbanus Lake, north¬ ern Italy and southern Switzerland, bordered on the north by the Swiss Alps. Occupying an area of 82 sq mi (212 sq km), it is Italy’s second larg¬ est lake. It is 34 mi (54 km) long, with a maximum width of 7 mi (11 km) and a maximum depth of 1,220 ft (372 m). Traversed from north to south by the Ticino River, it is also fed by the Tresa River from Lake Lugano on the east. It is a popular resort area.
Magherafelt Vma-kro-'fehA District (pop., 2001: 39,780), central Northern Ireland. It is bounded by the River Bann, Lake Neaghon, and the Sperrin Mountains. It was formerly part of County Londonderry but was organized as a separate district in 1973. The town of Magherafelt, originally settled as an English company (Plantation of Ulster) town, is the seat of the district and its marketing centre.
Maghrib Vms-grobV or Maghreb Region of North Africa bordering the Mediterranean Sea. It comprises the coastal plains of Morocco, Alge¬ ria, Tunisia, and, often, Libya. In earlier times the term sometimes included parts of Muslim Spain. During Roman times the region was called Africa Minor, but, following the Muslim conquests of the 7th-8th centuries, it came to be known as the Maghrib (“West”) inasmuch as it comprised the most westerly reaches of the Muslim world. The region has since developed its own unique culture within the larger Islamic world. Berbers and Arabs are the two main ethnic groups. Arabic is the predominant language. Berber and French are also widely spoken.
Magi \'ma-jl\ In Christian tradition, wise men from the East who came to pay homage to the infant Jesus. According to Matthew 2:1-12, they followed a miraculous guiding star to Bethlehem and brought gifts of “gold and frankincense and myrrh.” Herod asked them to report the location of Jesus’ birth on their return journey, but an angel warned them of his evil intentions. In later Christian tradition they were said to be kings and were given the names Melchior, Balthasar, and Gaspar. Their visit was seen as evidence that the Gentiles as well as the Jews would worship Jesus, and it is celebrated in the feast of Ephiphany. See also magus. See photograph on opposite page.
magic Use of means (such as charms or spells) believed to have super¬ natural power over natural forces. It constitutes the core of many reli¬ gious systems and plays a central social role in many nonliterate cultures. Magic is often distinguished from religion as being more impersonal and mechanical and emphasizing technique. Its techniques are usually regarded as means to specific ends (an enemy’s defeat, rainfall, etc.).
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magic realism ► magnet I 1167
although another view ascribes a more symbolic, expressive character to such activity. Thus, a rainmaking ritual may both elicit rainfall and stress the symbolic importance of rain and the agricultural activities associated with it. Both the magician and the magical rite are typically surrounded by taboos, purification procedures, and other activities that draw the par¬ ticipants into the magical sphere. Strains of magic in Western tradition, formerly associated with heretics, alchemists, witches, and sorcerers, per¬ sist in modem times in the activities of satanists and others. The art of entertaining by performing apparently magical feats (sometimes called conjuring) relies on the use of sleight of hand and other means. See also SHAMAN, VODUN, WITCHCRAFT AND SORCERY.