Pausanias \po-'sa-ne-9s\ (fl. ad 143-176) Greek traveler and geogra¬ pher. His Description of Greece is an invaluable guide to ancient ruins. He describes the religious art and architecture of Olympia and Delphi, the pictures and inscriptions at Athens, the statue of Athena on the Acropolis, and (outside the city) the monuments of famous men and of Athenians fallen in battle. According to James George Frazer, without Pausanias the ruins of Greece would be “a labyrinth without a clue, a riddle without an answer.”
pa vane \po-'van\ Stately court dance introduced from southern Europe into England in the 16th century. The dance, consisting of forward and backward steps to music in duple time, was originally used to open ceremonial balls; later its steps became livelier and it came to be paired with the quick galliard in triple time.
Pavarotti, Luciano (b. Oct. 12,
1935, Modena, Italy) Italian tenor.
He started out as a schoolteacher, beginning his vocal training only in his 20s. He made his professional debut in 1961, then debuted at La Scala in 1965 and at the Metropoli¬ tan Opera in 1968. He retained the beautiful tone and thrilling high notes that his audiences loved into his 60s, nurturing his broad appeal by recording many light pieces in addition to the traditional Italian rep¬ ertoire in which he specialized. The most famous male classical singer of the late 20th century, he came to personify the Italian tenor worldwide.
pavement Durable surfacing of a road, path, court, patio, plaza, air¬ strip, or other such area. The Romans, the greatest road builders of the ancient world, built their roads of stone and concrete. By ad 75 several methods of road construction were known in India, including brick and stone slab pavements, and street paving was common in towns. Smaller
.inus Pauling, photograph by Yousuf (arsh.
5 KARSH-RAPHO/PHOTO RESEARCHERS
Pavane, "The Dance in the Garden" illumination from the Roman de la rose, Toulouse, early 16th century; in the British Library (Harley MS 4425, fol.
14v)
REPRODUCED BY PERMISSION OF THE BRITISH LIBRARY
© 2006 Encyclopaedia Britannica, Inc.
1460 I Pavese ► Paz Estenssoro
cobblestones began to be used for European paving in the late Middle Ages. The 18th—19th century saw the development of pavement systems (e.g., macadam) that used light road surfaces of broken or crushed stone. Modern flexible pavements contain sand and gravel or crushed stone com¬ pacted with a bituminous binder (e.g., asphalt or tar); such a pavement has enough plasticity to absorb shock. Rigid pavements are made of con¬ crete, composed of coarse and fine aggregate and portland cement, and usually reinforced with steel rod or mesh.
Pavese \pa-'va-sa\, Cesare (b. Sept. 9, 1908, Santo Stefano Belbo, Italy—d. Aug. 27, 1950, Turin) Italian poet, critic, novelist, and transla¬ tor. Pavese founded, and was long an editor with, the publishing house of Einaudi. Denied a creative outlet by fascist control of literature, he did translations in the 1930s and ’40s that introduced many modem U.S. and English writers to Italy. Much of his own work appeared between the end of World War II and his death by suicide at age 41; some was published posthumously. His best works include Dialogues with Leucd (1947), poetic conversations on the human condition; the novel The Moon and the Bonfire (1950); and the journal This Business of Living (1952).
Pavia \pa-'ve-o\ ancient Ticinum City (pop., 2001 prelim.: 71,074), Lombardy, northern Italy. Located on the Ticino River, the site was origi¬ nally a settlement of the Papiria tribe; it was conquered by Rome c. 220 bc. Pillaged by Attila and Odoacer in the 5th century ad, it became a cen¬ tre of Gothic resistance against the Byzantine Empire. Ruled by the Vis¬ conti family (see Gian Galeazzo Visconti) from c. 1359, it became a leading Italian city-state. In 1525 it was the scene of a decisive victory by the Holy Roman emperor Charles V over the French under Francis I, who was captured. It was active in the Risorgimento and joined the King¬ dom of Italy in 1859. It still retains the ancient plan of the Roman for¬ tified town, and medieval structures remain. The University of Pavia (founded 1361) is linked with the ancient law school, which dates to 825. Pavia is a centre of communications, agriculture, and industry.
Pavlov Vpav-.loA, Ivan (Petrovich) (b. Sept. 26, 1849, Ryazan, Russia—d. Feb. 27, 1936, Leningrad) Russian physiologist. He is known chiefly for the concept of the conditioned reflex. In his classic experiment, he found that a hungry dog trained to associate the sound of a bell with food salivated at the sound even in the absence of food. He expanded on Charles Sherrington’s explanation of the spinal reflex. He also tried to apply his laws to human psychoses and language function. His ability to reduce a complex situation to a simple experiment and his pioneering studies relating human behaviour to the nervous system laid the basis for the scientific analysis of behaviour. After the Russian Revolution, he became an outspoken opponent of the communist government. He won a 1904 Nobel Prize for his work on digestive secretions.
Pavlova Vpav-lo-voV Anna (Pavlovna) (b. Feb. 12, 1881, St. Petersburg, Russia—d. Jan. 23,
_ 1931, The Hague, Neth.) Russian
ballet dancer. She studied at the wm Imperial Ballet School from 1891
and joined the Mariinsky Theatre com¬ pany in 1899, becoming prima bal- wm lerina in 1906. In 1913 she left
y Russia to tour with her own com¬
pany, which showcased her outstand¬ ing performances in classical ballets such as Giselle ; the most famous numbers were a succession of short solos such as The Dying Swan, cho¬ reographed for her by Michel Fokine.
Her tours took ballet to audiences in many countries for the first time and did much to popularize ballet world¬ wide.
pawnbroking Business of advancing loans to customers who have pledged household goods or personal belongings as security. The pawnbroker’s trade is one of the old¬ est known, having existed 2,000- 3,000 years ago in China, as well as in ancient Greece and Rome. Pawn¬ broking was common in medieval
Europe despite laws against usury. Private pawnbrokers were usually those exempt from the laws, notably the Jews. In 1462 the Franciscans set up the montes pietatis, which granted interest-free loans to the poor, though they were later forced to charge interest to prevent premature exhaustion of their funds. Public pawnshops existed briefly in the Middle Ages but were reestablished in the 18th century to free debtors from the high interest rates of private pawnshops. Most European countries now maintain public pawnshops; in the U.S. only private pawnshops exist. Social-welfare programs and increased access to easy credit has led to a decline in pawnbroking’s importance. See also interest, consumer credit, CREDIT CARD.
Pawnee \po-'ne\ North American Plains Indian people living mainly in Oklahoma, U.S. Their language belongs to the Caddoan language stock, and their name is derived from the Caddoan word meaning “horn,” a ref¬ erence to their unique hairstyle. They once lived along the Platte River in what is now Nebraska. The Pawnee tribe comprised four relatively independent bands, each divided into villages. They lived in large, dome¬ shaped, earth-covered lodges but used tepees on buffalo hunts. Women raised corn, squash, and beans, and they harvested a grain similar to wild rice. Chiefs, priests, and shamans constituted the dominant class. Pawnee religion centred on a variety of deities, including the supreme being Tirawa, the sun god, and morning and evening stars. The Pawnee had military societies, and many Pawnee served as scouts for the U.S. armies of the frontier. Pawnee lands were ceded to the U.S. in the mid-19th cen¬ tury, and most Pawnee were relocated to a reservation in Oklahoma. They number about 2,500.