tateuch (first five books of the Old Testament) is their sole norm of reli¬ gious observance. Jews who returned to their homeland after the Babylonian Exile would not accept their help in building the Second Temple of Jerusalem. Consequently, in the 4th century bc the Samaritans built their own temple in Nabulus, at the base of Mount Gerizim, in the present-day West Bank. The modern population (about 500 persons) is distributed between Nabulus and the city of Holon in Israel. All live in semi-isolation, marrying only within their own community. They pray in Hebrew but have adopted Arabic as their vernacular.
Samarkand \,sa-m3r-'kand\ or Samarqand City (pop., 1999 est.: 362,300), east-central Uzbekistan. One of the oldest cities in Central Asia, it was known as Maracanda in the 4th century bc and was captured by Alexander the Great in 329. From the 6th century ad it was ruled by vari¬ ous Turkish, Arab, and Persian groups and was an important point on the Silk Road from China to Europe until its destruction by Genghis Khan in 1220. It became the capital of the empire of Timur (Tamerlane) c. 1370; he made it the most important economic and cultural centre in the region. The old city contains many fine examples of Central Asian architecture, some dating to the 14th century; this area was designated a UNESCO World Heritage site in 2001. It became a provincial capital of the Russian Empire in 1887, and it grew considerably during the Soviet period.
samba Ballroom dance of Brazilian origin, popularized in the U.S. and Europe in the 1940s. Danced to music in 4 A time with a syncopated rhythm, the dance is characterized by simple forward and backward steps and tilting, rocking body movements. In Brazil an older African type of samba is also danced in circles or double lines as a group dance. For decades the samba has dominated Brazilian popular music.
Sambhar Vsam-boiA Lake Salt lake, east-central Rajasthan state, India. Located west of Jaipur, it is about 90 sq mi (230 sq km) in area and is India’s largest lake. The soluble sodium compounds stored in the lake’s underlying silt have accumulated by the evaporation of water brought down by annual river flooding. The lake’s bed, usually dry in the hot months, becomes cov¬ ered by salt sheets, which from a distance resemble snow.
Sam ha in See Halloween
Sami \'sa-me\ or Lapp Any of the descendants of ancient nomadic peoples who inhabited northern Scandinavia. They may be Paleo-Siberian or alpine peoples from central Europe. Reindeer hunting was the basis of their life from earliest times; herding was the basis of their economy until recently. They became nomadic a few centuries ago. The three Sami lan¬ guages, mutually unintelligible, are sometimes considered dialects of one language of the Finno-Ugric branch of the Uralic family. They number about 70,000.
samizdat \'sa-mez-,dat\ System whereby literature suppressed by the Soviet government was clandestinely written, printed, and distributed; also, the literature itself. Samizdat began appearing in the 1950s, first in Moscow and Leningrad, then throughout the Soviet Union. It typically took the form of carbon copies of typewritten sheets that were passed from reader to reader. The subjects included dissident activities, protests addressed to the regime, transcripts of political trials, analyses of socio¬ economic and cultural themes, and even pornography. Samizdat disap¬ peared when media outlets independent of the government emerged in the early 1990s.
Samkara See Sankara
Samkhya Vsoq-kya, 'som-kyaV One of the six orthodox systems (dar- shans) of Indian philosophy. It adopts a consistent dualism between matter and soul (see prakriti and purusha), which are sufficient to account for the existence of the universe; it does not hypothesize the existence of a god. Samkhya also makes a thoroughgoing distinction between psychological and physical functions on the one hand and pure “personhood” on the other.
Samnite Any member of an ancient warlike tribe of the mountainous centre of southern Italy. The Samnites were probably related to the Sab¬ ines. Originally allies of Rome against the Gauls (354 bc), they later fought three wars against the Romans (343-341, 316-304, 298-290). Though defeated, the Samnites later helped Pyrrhus and Hannibal in their wars against Rome. They also fought in the Social War and unsuccessfully took part in the civil war against Sulla (82 bc).
Samoa officially Independent State of Samoa formerly West¬ ern Samoa Island country, central South Pacific Ocean, among the westernmost of the island nations of Polynesia. Area: 1,093 sq mi (2,831 sq
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1676 I Samoa ► Samuelson
km). Population (2005 est.): 185,000. Capitaclass="underline" Apia (on Upolu Island). The people are mainly Polynesian, closely akin to Tongans and to New Zealand’s Maori. Languages: Samoan, English (both official). Religion: Christianity (mostly Protestant; also Roman Catholic, other Christians). Currency: tala. Samoa is part of the Samoan archipelago and consists of two major islands, Upolu and Savai’i, both of which are volcanic. There are also seven small islands, two of which, Apolima and Manono, are inhab¬ ited. Samoa has a developing economy based mainly on agriculture, with some light manufacturing, fishing, lumbering, and tourism. It is a consti¬ tutional monarchy with one legislative house; the paramount chief is the head of state, and the head of government is the prime minister. Polyne¬ sians inhabited the islands for thousands of years before Europeans arrived there in the 18th century. The islands were contested by the U.S., Britain, and Germany until 1899, when they were divided between the U.S. and Germany. In 1914 Western Samoa was occupied by New Zealand, which received it as a League of Nations mandate in 1920. After World War II it became a UN trust territory administered by New Zealand. It achieved independence in 1962. In 1997 the word Western was dropped from the country’s name.
Samoa, American See American Samoa
Samory in full Samory Toure Xsa-'mor-e-tu-'raV (b. c. 1830, near Sarranko, Upper Guinea—d. June 2, 1900, Gabon, French Congo) Mus¬ lim reformer and military adventurer. A member of the Malinke people, Samory in 1868 proclaimed himself a religious chief and led a band of warriors in establishing a chiefdom in the Kankan region of Guinea. He fought the French in 1883, 1886, and 1891, managing to expand into the Sudan, but he was ultimately forced to transfer his kingdom to the upper Ivory Coast. Captured in 1898, he died two years later.
Samos \'sa-,mos\ Island (pop., 1991:42,000), Greece. In the Aegean Sea, Samos is located off the western coast of Turkey, from which it is separated by the Samos Strait. Wooded and mountainous, the island has an area of 184 sq mi (476 sq km). Settled by the Ionians in the 11th century bc, it was a leading commercial centre of Greece by the 7th century bc. It was noted for its cultural achievements, especially in sculpture, during the 6th- century-Bc reign of Polycrates. Ruled successively by Persia, Athens, Sparta, Rome, Byzantium, and Turkey, it was annexed to Greece in 1912. The island is fertile and produces wine, olives, fruit, cotton, and tobacco.
Samoyed or Samoyede Vsa-mo-.yedX Breed of sturdily built, husky-
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typically believed to be a cosmological pillar that supports the vault of heaven. Because it is the axis around which the heavens revolve, all life depends on it as the source of all good. In one legend, the creator-smith Ilmarinen forged the sampo for Louhi, the hag-goddess of the underworld, and then stole it back, resulting in its near-destruction. In the Kalevala, sampo is a magic mill that grinds out an endless supply of salt, gold, and meal for its possessor.