Though he originally seemed a champion to Greeks seeking relief from the Roman threat, his defeat by Sulla (86) destroyed that hope. When it became necessary, he extorted money and supplies from his Greek territories in Asia Minor. Greek revolts led to cruel reprisals. Greece turned to Rome after 86 but suffered under the harsh demands of both until Mithradates was conclusively defeated by Pompey. He was one of the few leaders to successfully challenge Roman expansion in Asia.
Mithraism Vmith-ro-.i-zomV Ancient Iranian religion based on the wor¬ ship of Mithra, the greatest of Iranian deities before the coming of Zoro¬ aster in the 6th century bc. It spread from India through Persia and the Hellenic world; in the 3rd-4th century ad, soldiers of the Roman empire carried it as far west as Spain, Britain, and Germany. The most important Mithraic ceremony was the sacrifice of the bull, an event associated with the creation of the world. Mithraic ceremonies were held by torchlight in subterranean caverns. A form of Mithraism in which the old Persian cer¬ emonies were given a Platonic interpretation was popular in the 2nd-3rd century ad in the Roman empire, where Mithra was honored as the patron of loyalty to the emperor. After Constantine I accepted Christianity in the early 4th century, Mithraism rapidly declined.
mitigating circumstance See extenuating circumstance
Mitilini See Lesbos
Mitla \'met-la\ Village and archaeological site, Oaxaca state, southern Mexico. It lies at an elevation of 4,855 ft (1,480 m), surrounded by the mountains of the Sierra Madre del Sur. It was established as a sacred burial site by the Zapotec, who used it until c. ad 900. The Mixtec moved down from northern Oaxaca sometime between 900 and 1500 and took posses¬ sion of Mitla. The modem village, composed of thatched huts and adobe houses, serves as a base for the study of the ruins.
Mito Vme-to\ Japanese han (domain) belonging to one of the three branches of the Tokugawa family from which the shogun was chosen dur¬ ing the Tokugawa period. During the 19th century, nationalists from Mito adopted the slogan “Sonno joi” (“Revere the emperor, expel the barbar¬ ians”). Tokugawa Nariaki (1800-60), daimyo of Mito at the time of Com¬ modore Matthew Perry’s mission to Japan, called for Japan’s continued isolation, supported by greater national unity and military renovation. See also li Naosuke; Meiji Restoration; Yoshida Shoin.
Paris
CUCHE MUSEES NATIONAUX, PARIS
mitosis \ml-'to-sos\ Cell division, or reproduction, in which a cell gives rise to two genetically identical daughter cells. Strictly applied, the term describes the duplication and distribution of chromosomes. Prior to mito¬ sis, each chromosome is replicated, producing two strands (chromatids) attached at a centromere. During mitosis, the membrane around the cell’s nucleus dissolves and the chromatids of each chromosome are separated and pulled to each end of the cell. As the nuclear membrane re-forms around each set of chromosomes, the cytoplasm of the parent cell begins to divide to form two daughter cells. Following mitosis, the cell mem¬ brane pinches in to separate the daughter cells. Mitosis is essential to life because it provides new cells for growth and for replacement of worn-out cells. It may take minutes or hours, depending on the kind of cells and species of organisms. It is influenced by time of day, temperature, and chemicals. See also centromere, meiosis.
A. prophase
B. late prophase (metaphase)
D.anaphase
separated chromatid
E. telophase
chromosome
uncoiling
nuclear
membrane
re-forming
Stages of mitosis. A. Prophase. Replicated chromosomes, consisting of two daugh¬ ter strands (chromatids) attached by a centromere, coil and contract. Two pairs of specialized organelles (centrioles) begin to move apart, forming a bridge of hollow protein cylinders known as microtubules (spindle fibres) between them. Microtu¬ bules also extend in a radial array (aster) from the centrioles to the poles of the cell. B. Late prophase. As the centrioles move apart, the nuclear membrane breaks down and microtubules extend from each centromere to opposite sides or poles of the cell. C. Metaphase. The centromeres align in a plane midway between the poles known as the equator, or metaphase plate. During late metaphase, each cen¬ tromere divides into two, freeing sister chromatids from each other. D. Anaphase. Sister chromatids are drawn to opposite ends as centromeric microtubules shorten and polar microtubules lengthen, causing the poles to move farther apart. E. Telo¬ phase. Chromosomes uncoil, microtubules disappear, and the nuclear membrane re-forms around each set of daughter chromosomes. The cytoplasm begins to pinch in to create two daughter cells.
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Mitra In Vedic Hinduism, one of the gods in the category of Adityas, or sovereign principles of the universe. He represents friendship, integrity, harmony, and all other qualities necessary to maintain order in human existence. He is usually paired with Varuna, the guardian of the cosmic
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Mitre ► Moab I 1271
order, whose powers he complements as guardian of the human order. As spirit of the day, he is sometimes associated with the sun. His Iranian counterpart is Mithra.
Mitre \'me-tra\ / Bartolome (b. June 26, 1821, Buenos Aires—d. Jan. 18, 1906, Buenos Aires) President of Argentina (1862-68). An exiled critic of the dictator Juan Manuel de Rosas, he helped defeat Rosas by leading Uruguayan forces against him, then led a successful campaign to make Buenos Aires the capital of a united Argentina. Once elected presi¬ dent, he suppressed the rural caudillos, extended mail and telegraph ser¬ vice, organized public finances, established new courts, and founded the newspaper La Nation (1870) and the Argentine Academy of History. See also Justo Jose de Urquiza.
Mitscher Vmich-orV Marc A(ndrew) (b. Jan. 26, 1887, Hillsboro, Wis., U.S.—d. Feb. 3, 1947, Norfolk, Va.) U.S. naval officer. A graduate of the U.S. Naval Academy at Annapolis, Md. (1910), Mitscher qualified as the 33rd naval pilot in 1916. In the years that followed, he helped develop naval aviation and integrate it into the fleet. In World War II he commanded the aircraft carrier Hornet in the Battle of Midway. He later commanded aircraft carrier attacks in the battles of the Philippine Sea and Leyte Gulf and at Iwo Jima and Okinawa. In 1946 he was promoted to admiral and made commander in chief of the U.S. Atlantic fleet.
Mitsubishi Corp. Loose consortium of independent Japanese compa¬ nies. The first Mitsubishi company was a trading and shipping concern established in 1873 by Iwasaki Yataro. Several subsidiaries were created after World War I, and by the 1930s Mitsubishi was Japan’s second-largest zaibatsu. During World War II it was a major military contractor, its best- known product being the Zero fighter plane. By the end of the war Mit¬ subishi controlled some 200 companies. The zaibatsu was broken up by U.S. occupation forces, and the stock of the subsidiary firms was sold to the public. After the occupation, the independent Mitsubishi companies began to reassociate. The group today consists of hundreds of worldwide subsidiaries and affiliates organized into several business groups such as chemicals, electronics, and machinery.
Mitterrand \me-t9-'ra n \, Francois (-Maurice-Marie) (b. Oct. 26, 1916, Jarnac, France—d. Jan. 8,
1996, Paris) President of France (1981-95). After serving in World War II, he was elected to the National Assembly (1946) and held cabinet posts in 11 Fourth Republic govern¬ ments (1947-58). Moving to the political left, he opposed Charles de Gaulle’s government and ran unsuc¬ cessfully against him in 1965 but won 32% of the vote. In 1971 he became secretary of the French Socialist Party and made it the major¬ ity party of the left, which led to his election as president in 1981. With a leftist majority in the National Assembly, he introduced radical eco¬ nomic reforms, which were modified when a right-wing majority regained power in 1986. Reelected president in 1988, he strongly promoted Euro¬ pean integration. His domestic policy was less successful, and France experienced high unemployment. In 1991 he appointed Edith Cresson (b. 1934) prime minister, the first French woman to hold that office (1991-92). A defeat for the Socialists in the leg¬ islative elections of 1993 further moderated Mitterrand’s policies.