Amarna, Tell el- Ancient city, Egypt. Located midway between Thebes and Memphis on the Nile River, it was built in the 14th century bc by the Egyptian king (pharaoh) Akhenaton, who moved his subjects there in order to found a new monotheistic religion. Artifacts discovered there in the 19th century included hundreds of cuneiform tablets. Archaeological finds of the late 20th century included sculptures and paintings.
amaryllis V.am-o-'ril-osN family Family Amaryllidaceae of the order Liliales, containing about 65 genera and at least 835 species of perennial herbaceous plants, found mostly in tropical and subtropical regions and prized for their showy flowers, which are borne on smooth, hollow stalks with few or no leaves. Many species are cultivated as garden ornamen¬ tals. Many tropical lily like plants also belong to the family, including the genera Haemanthus (Cape tulip, or blood lily), Alstroemeria (Peruvian lily), and Hippeastrum. Some are grown as houseplants.
Amaterasu V.am-a-'ter-o-siA (Omikami) In Shinto, the sun goddess from whom the Japanese royal family traditionally claims descent. She was given domain over heaven while her brother, the storm god Susanoo, was set to rule over the sea. The two produced children together, but Sus¬ anoo began to behave rudely and destructively, and Amaterasu withdrew in protest into a cave, plunging the world into darkness. She was lured out by the other gods and goddesses, and a rope was placed over its entrance to prevent her return. Her chief place of worship is the Grand Shrine of Ise, Shinto’s most important shrine.
Amati family Family of Italian violin makers in Cremona in the 16th and 17th centuries. Andrea (c. 1520-c. 1578) set the form of the modem violin. His two sons Antonio (c. 1550-1638) and Girolamo (1561-1630) worked together and were known as the brothers Amati. Girolamo’s son Nicolo (1596-1684), who like his forebears worked in Cremona, is regarded as the family’s finest craftsman. Among his famous pupils were Andrea Guarneri and Antonio Stradivari; Nicolo was succeeded by his son Girolamo (1649-1740). The great contribution of the Amatis to the devel¬ opment of the violin was their evolution of the flat, shallow model, which, as improved by Stradivari, is capable of producing a brilliant soprano tone.
Amazon In Greek mythology, a member of a race of women warriors. One of the labours of Heracles was to obtain the girdle of the Amazon queen Hippolyte. In another tale, Theseus attacked the Amazons, and they responded by invading Attica, where they were defeated; Theseus mar¬ ried the Amazon Antiope. In ancient Greek art, Amazons resembled Ath¬ ena (with weapons and helmet) and later Artemis (in a thin dress girded high for speed).
Amazon River Portuguese Rio Amazonas River, northern South America. It is the largest river in the world in volume and area of drain¬ age basin; only the Nile River of eastern and northeastern Africa exceeds it in length. It originates within 100 mi (160 km) of the Pacific Ocean in
the Peruvian Andes Mountains and flows some 4,000 mi (6,400 km) across northern Brazil into the Atlantic Ocean. Its Peruvian length is called the Maranon River; the stretch of river from the Brazilian border to the mouth of the Negro River is the Solimoes River. Its more than 1,000 known tributaries rise in the Guiana Highlands, the Brazilian Highlands, and (principally) the Andes; 7 of these are longer than 1,000 mi (1,600 km), and the Madeira River exceeds 2,000 mi (3,200 km). The Amazon can accommodate large freighters as far upriver as the city of Manaus, Braz., 1,000 mi (1,600 km) from the Atlantic. The first European descent was made by Francisco de Orellana in 1541-42; he is said to have given the river its name after reporting battles with tribes of women, whom he lik¬ ened to the Amazons of Greek legend. Pedro Teixeira achieved the first ascent in 1637-38, but the river remained little explored until the mid- 19th century. Many indigenous peoples originally lived along the river, but they moved inland as exploring parties and raiders (see bandeira ) sought to enslave them. The river was opened to world shipping in the mid-19th century; traffic increased exponentially with the coming of the rubber trade, which reached its height c. 1910 but soon declined. Its basin encompasses the world’s most extensive rainforest and is home to an extraordinary diversity of birds, mammals, and other wildlife. Since the 1960s the effects of economic exploitation on the region’s ecology and the destruction of the rainforest have generated worldwide concern.
Amazonia National Park Park, north-central Brazil, about halfway between the cities of Manaus and Belem, along the Tapajos River. Estab¬ lished in 1974, it has gradually expanded to cover about 3,300 sq mi (8,600 sq km) and contains an immense diversity of flora and fauna.
amban Manchu "minister" Representative of China’s Qing emperor who lived in the territory of a tributary state or dependency. In 1793 the Qing emperor Qianlong changed the procedure for selecting the Dalai Lama, and the Tibetans had to persuade the amban that they had complied. In 1904, when the British were trying to force Tibet to sign a trade treaty, the amban said he was powerless to negotiate for the Tibetans, an admis¬ sion that called into question the degree of control China exercised over Tibet. The ambans ’ role and authority continues to be debated by the Chi¬ nese government and advocates of Tibetan independence in the attempt to support their conflicting claims for Tibet’s status.
ambassador Highest-ranking diplomatic representative of one gov¬ ernment to another or to an international organization. As formally defined and recognized at the Congress of Vienna (1815), ambassadors were origi¬ nally regarded as personal representatives of their country’s chief execu¬ tive rather than of the whole country, and their rank entitled them to meet personally with the head of state of the host country. Originally, only the principal monarchies exchanged ambassadors; the U.S. did not appoint ambassadors until 1893. Since 1945 all nations have been recognized as equals, and ambassadors or their equivalents are sent to all countries with which diplomatic relations are maintained. Before the development of modern communications, ambassadors were entrusted with extensive powers; they have since been reduced to spokespeople for their foreign offices.
amber Fossil tree resin that occurs as irregular nodules, rods, or drop¬ like shapes in all shades of yellow with nuances of orange, brown, and, rarely, red. Milky-white opaque varieties are called bone amber. Hundreds of species of insects and plants are found as fossils in amber. Deeply coloured translucent to transparent amber is prized as gem material, and numerous ornamental carved objects and beads are made from amber. Amber has been found throughout the world, but the largest deposits occur along the shores of the Baltic Sea.
ambergris Vam-bor-.gris, , am-b3r-,gre\ Waxy substance (about 80% cholesterol) formed in the intestine of sperm whales, used chiefly as a spice in the East and for fixing the scent of fine perfumes in the West. It is thought to form as a collection of feces around indigestible parts of squid and other prey of the whale. Fresh ambergris is soft, black, and smelly; exposed to sunlight, air, and seawater, it hardens, fades, and develops a pleasant scent. It may wash ashore or be found floating or in the bodies of slaughtered whales. Pieces are usually small, but the largest have weighed almost 1,000 lb (450 kg).
amberjack Any of various popular marine game fishes (genus Seri- ola ), members of the jack family (Carangidae). Amberjacks are found worldwide. The greater amberjack of the tropical Atlantic is one of the largest jack species, often attaining a length of 6 ft (1.8 m).