© 2006 Encyclopaedia Britannica, Inc.
Ambler ► American Anti-Slavery Society I 57
Ambler, Eric (b. June 28, 1909, London, Eng.—d. Oct. 22, 1998, Lon¬ don) British author of espionage and crime novels. Among his works are The Dark Frontier (1936), Epitaph for a Spy (1938), A Coffin for Dimi- trios (1939), Journey into Fear (1940; film, 1942), and The Light of Day (1962). In contrast to earlier British spy stories, in which xenophobic, romantic heroes defeated vast conspiracies to dominate the world, Ambler’s tales were of ordinary, educated Englishmen thrust by chance or curiosity into danger. Notable for its gritty realism, Ambler’s fiction was a major influence on writers such as Graham Greene and John Le Carre.
Ambon \am-'bon\ Island of the Moluccas, Indonesia. Located in the Malay Archipelago, it is 31 mi (50 km) long and 10 mi (16 km) wide, with an area of 294 sq mi (761 sq km). Its chief port is also called Ambon (pop., 2000: 205,664). The island is subject to earthquakes and volcanic activity; Mount Salhatu (3,405 ft [1,038 m]) is its highest point. The clove trade first attracted the Portuguese, who founded a settlement in 1521. The Dutch ousted the Portuguese in 1605, took over the spice trade, and in 1623 killed English settlers in the Amboina Massacre. The British cap¬ tured Ambon in 1796 and 1810, but it was restored to the Dutch in 1814. The Japanese occupied it during World War II. Retaken by the Dutch in 1945, it became part of Indonesia in 1949. A short-lived independence movement there in 1950 was soon suppressed.
Ambrose, Saint (b. 339, Augusta Treverorum, Belgica, Gaul—d. 397, Milan; feast day December 7)
Bishop of Milan. Raised in Rome, he became a Roman provincial gover¬ nor. As a compromise candidate, he was unexpectedly elevated from unbaptized layman to bishop of Milan in 374. He established the medieval concept of the Christian emperor as subject to episcopal advice and censure when he forced the emperor Theodosius to seek for¬ giveness from the bishop, and he opposed tolerance for adherents of Arianism. He wrote theological trea¬ tises influenced by Greek philoso¬ phy, including On the Holy Spirit and On the Duties of Ministers, as well as a series of hymns. His bril¬ liant sermons and personal example converted St. Augustine.
AMC See American Motors Corp.
AME Church See African Method¬ ist Episcopal Church
Amelung Vam-9-taq\ glass U.S. glass produced between 1784 and c.
1795 by John Frederick Amelung.
Born in Bremen, Ger., he founded the New Bremen Glass Manufactory near Frederick, Md., U.S., with financial support from German and U.S. promoters. He attempted to set up a crafts community, importing glass- workers and other craftsmen from Germany, but the industry failed when Congress defeated Amelung’s petition for a loan in 1790. Few authentic pieces of Amelung glass survive, most of them presentation pieces deco¬ rated with restrained engraving.
amen Expression of agreement or confirmation used in worship by Jews, Christians, and Muslims. The word derives from a Semitic root meaning “fixed” or “sure.” The Greek Old Testament usually translates it as “so be it”; in the English Bible it is often translated as “verily” or “truly.” By the 4th century bc, it was a common response to a doxology or other prayer in the Jewish temple liturgy. By the 2nd century ad, Christians had adopted it in the liturgy of the Eucharist, and in Christian worship a final amen now often sums up and confirms a prayer or hymn. Though less common in Islam, it is used after reading of the first sura.
Amen See Amon
Amenemhet Va-mo-nom-'heA I (fl. 20th century bc) Egyptian pharaoh (r. 1938-08 bc) who founded the 12th dynasty (1938-1756) and, with provincial governors, restored unity to Egypt after the civil war that fol¬ lowed the death of his predecessor, Montuhotep IV. He moved the capi¬
tal from Thebes to near modern-day Al-Lisht, south of Memphis. He extended Egyptian control up the Nile and fortified the delta. Reaffirm¬ ing the Egyptian monarchy’s claim to divinity, he also enlarged the Temple of Amon at Thebes. In 1918 bc he made his son, Sesostris I, his coruler. He was assassinated 10 years later.
Amenhotep Va-mon-'ho-.tepV II (fl. 15th century bc) Egyptian pharaoh (r. 1514-1493 bc), son and successor of Ahmose I. Amenhotep extended Egyptian rule southward to the Third Cataract of the Nile while also main¬ taining rule in the northeast. He pio¬ neered the transition away from pyramidal tombs to rock-cut tombs in the Valley of the Kings in western Thebes. The royal mortuary temples were erected at the edge of the desert during his reign, though the location of his own tomb is unknown.
Amenhotep III (fl. 14th century bc) Egyptian pharaoh (r. 1390-53 bc) during a time of prosperity. Early in his reign he led a military campaign south of Egypt, but otherwise his rule was peaceful. His reign is noted for the expansion of diplomacy with Syria, Cyprus, Babylon, and Assyria, and the construction of public build¬ ings in Memphis, Thebes, and Nubia, including portions of the temples at Luxor and Karnak. He broke with tradition by marrying Tiy, a commoner, with whom he shared his rule. He was succeeded by his son Akhenaton.
Amenhotep IV See Akhenaton
amenorrhea \,a- 1 men-3- , re-9\
Lack of menstruation. Signs of pri¬ mary amenorrhea (failure to start menstruating by age 16) include infantile reproductive organs, lack of breasts and pubic hair, dwarfism, and deficient muscle development. In secondary amenorrhea (abnormal cessation of cycles once started), the genitals atrophy and pubic hair diminishes. Not itself a disease, amenorrhea reflects a failure in the balance among the hypothalamus, pituitary gland, ovaries, and uterus; tumours, injuries, or diseases of these can lead to amenorrhea. Other causes include systemic diseases, emotional shock, stress, hormone over- or underproduction, anorexia nervosa, absence of ovaries or uterus, pregnancy, lactation, and menopause. Infrequent menstruation or amenorrhea not resulting from organic disease is not harmful.
America See Central America, North America, South America America Online See AOL Time Warner Inc.
American Airlines Major U.S. airline. American was created through a merger of several smaller U.S. airlines and incorporated in 1934. It con¬ tinued to buy the routes of other airlines, becoming an international car¬ rier in the 1970s; its routes include South America, the Caribbean, Europe, and the western Pacific. Its parent company, AMR Corp., also has hold¬ ings in food services, hotels, and airport ground services. The company acquired Trans World Airlines in 2001.
American aloe See century plant
American Anti-Slavery Society Main activist arm of the U.S. abo¬ lition movement, which sought an immediate end to slavery in the coun-
St. Ambrose, detail from a stained- glass window; in St. Michael's Church, Kirby-le-Soken, Essex, Eng.
E & E IMAGE LIBRARY/HERITAGE-IMAGES
Amenhotep II offering sacrifices, statue, 15th century bc; in the Egyptian Museum, Cairo
BY COURTESY OF THE EGYPTIAN MUSEUM; PHOTOGRAPH, HIRMER FOTOARCHIV, MUNCHEN
Amenhotep III, head of a statue from western Thebes, c. 1390 bc
REPRODUCED BY COURTESY OF THE TRUSTEES OF THE BRITISH MUSEUM
© 2006 Encyclopaedia Britannica, Inc.
58 I American Association ► American Indian Movement
try (see abolitionism). Cofounded in 1833 by William Lloyd Garrison and Arthur Tappan, it promoted the formation of state and local auxiliaries to agitate for abolition. Despite violent opposition, by 1840 the group had 2,000 auxiliaries and more than 150,000 members, including Theodore Weld and Wendell Phillips. Its most effective public meetings featured tes¬ timony by former slaves, including Frederick Douglass and William Wells Brown. In 1839 it split into two factions: a radical group led by Garrison that denounced the Constitution as supportive of slavery and a moderate faction led by Tappan that led to the birth of the Liberty Party.