Antoninus Pius X.an-to-'nI-nos-'pI-osX in full Caesar Titus Aelius Hadrianus Antoninus Augustus Pius (b. Sept. 19, 86, Lanuvium, Latium— d. March 7, 161, Lorium, Etruria) Roman emperor (ad 138—
161). Of Gallic origins, he served as consul (120) before being assigned judicial administrative duties in Italy.
He later governed the province of Asia (c. 134). He became an adviser to Hadrian and in 138 was made Hadrian’s heir. On accession he had the deceased emperor declared a god; for such dutiful acts he was named Pius (“Pious”). He quelled rebellions in Britain and other prov¬ inces and built the Antonine Wall.
Antonioni X.an-.to-ne-'o-neV Michelangelo (b. Sept. 29, 1912,
Ferrara, Italy) Italian film director and producer. He wrote film reviews and studied filmmaking before directing his short film The People of the Po Valley (1947). His first majoi Antoninus Pius, marble bust; in the Brit- film, The Girl Friends (1955), was j s h Museum, followed by the international sue- reproduced by courtesy of the trustees of the
cesses L’avventura (1960), Eclipse BRmSHMUSEUM _
(1962), and Blow-up (1966). His
other films include The Red Desert (1964), Zabriskie Point (1970), and The Passenger (1974). In Antonioni’s films, plot and dialogue are sub¬ ordinated to the visual image, which becomes a metaphor of human exist¬ ence rather than a record of it.
Antony, Mark Latin Marcus Antonius (b. c. 83—d. August, 30 bc) Roman general. After military service (57-54), he joined the staff of his relative Julius Caesar. He helped Caesar drive Pompey from Italy in 49 and in 44 was made co-consul. After Caesar’s assassination, Octavian (later Caesar Augustus) initially opposed Antony but later formed the Second Triumvirate with Antony and Lepidus. Antony helped defeat republican forces at Philippi and took control of Rome’s eastern provinces.
On a mission to Egypt to question Cleopatra about her loyalty, he became her lover (41-40). He returned to Italy in 40 to settle dif¬ ferences with Octavian, whereupon he received command of the eastern provinces. To strengthen his posi¬ tion, he agreed to marry Octavian’s sister Octavia. When relations with Octavian again collapsed, he headed for Syria and sent for Cleopatra for aid. Octavian sent Octavia to him, and, when Antony ordered her back to Rome, a fatal breach opened. The Triumvirate ended in 32, leaving Antony little support in Rome. He divorced Octavia, and Octavian declared war on Cleopatra. Antony lost the Battle of Actium, and he and Cleopatra fled to Egypt, pursued by Octa¬ vian. When resistance became futile, they committed suicide.
Antrim Town and district (pop., 2001: 48,366), Northern Ireland. It is also the name of a former Northern Irish county. The town borders Lough Neagh. In 1798 it was the scene of a battle in which several thousand nationalist insurgents led by Henry J. McCracken were defeated by the British. A busy market centre, Antrim town was formerly an important locale for the linen industry. The area has evidence of human inhabita¬ tion dating to c. 6000 bc. Anglo-Norman adventurers arrived in the 12th century ad, and the area became part of the earldom of Ulster. The inva¬ sion by Edward Bruce from Scotland in 1315 caused the decline of Brit¬ ish power. In the 1973 administrative reorganization of Northern Ireland, the county was divided into several districts.
Antwerp French Anvers \a n -'ver\ Flemish Antwerpen \'ant-,ver-p9n\ City (pop., 2000 est.: 446,500), capital of Antwerp prov¬ ince, Belgium. One of the world’s major seaports, it is located 55 mi (88 km) southeast of the North Sea. Because it lies in the Flemish-speaking part of Belgium, it plays the role of unofficial capital of Flanders. It
Antiion
WILLIAM E. FERGUSON
"Portrait of a Man," panel painting by Antonello da Messina, c. 1472; in the National Gallery, London.
COURTESY OF THE TRUSTEES OF THE NATIONAL GALLERY, LONDON
Mark Antony, detail of a marble bust; in the Vatican Museum.
AUNARI/ART RESOURCE
© 2006 Encyclopaedia Britannica, Inc.
86 I antyesti ► Apache
received municipal rights in 1291 and became a member of the Hanseatic League by 1315. As a distribution centre for Spanish and Portuguese trade, it became the commercial and financial capital of Europe in the 16th cen¬ tury. Following destructive invasions it went into decline but began to revive after Napoleon’s improvement of the harbour c. 1803. It was part of the Kingdom of the Netherlands (1815-30), then was ceded to Belgian nationalists. Its current economic life centres around shipping, port-related activities, and major manufacturing.
antyesti \ant-'yes-te\ Hindu funeral rites. They generally involve cre¬ mation followed by disposal of the ashes in a sacred river. As soon as possible after death, the body is removed to the cremation grounds, usu¬ ally on the riverbank. The eldest son of the deceased and a priest perform the final rites. For 10 days, the mourners are considered impure as they perform rites intended to provide the soul of the deceased with a new spiritual body for the next life. At a prescribed date, the bones are col¬ lected and buried or immersed in a river.
Anu Va-.niA Mesopotamian sky god. He belonged to a triad that included Bel and Ea. Though he was the highest god, his role in mythology, hymns, and cult was small. The father of all gods, evil spirits, and demons, and the god of kings and the calendar, he was depicted with headdress and horns signifying strength. His Sumerian counterpart, An, was originally envisaged as a great bull; he probably began as a god of herders.
Anu Va-.nuV, Chao (b. 1767—d. 1835, Bangkok, Siam) Ruler of the central Lao kingdom of Vientiane (r. 1804-29). In his youth Anu fought with the Siamese against the Burmans (Burmese) and won Siamese respect for his military prowess. Chosen by them to be king of Vientiane, he undertook major public works and cultivated good relations with Viet¬ nam. He had the Siamese appoint his son ruler of the southern Lao prin¬ cipality of Champassak and began to plot a rebellion for Lao independence. His armies nearly reached Bangkok, but the revolt was quelled and Vientiane was sacked and later razed. Anu fled to the forests but was captured, punished, and killed.
Anubis Xo-'nii-bosX Ancient Egyptian god of the dead, represented as a jackal or as a man with the head of a jackal. In the Early Dynastic period and the Old Kingdom he was preeminent as lord of the dead, but he was later overshadowed by Osiris. Anubis was associated with the care of the dead and was credited with the invention of embalming, an art he first practiced on the corpse of Osiris. Later assigned the role of conducting souls into the underworld, he was sometimes identified in the Greco- Roman world with Hermes.
Anuradhapura Xo-'nur-o-do-.pur-oV (c. 3rd century Bc-10th century ad) Sinhalese kingdom centred at Anuradhapura in Sri Lanka. Though plagued by invasions from southern India (which took actual control of the kingdom several times) and internal strife among warring clans, the kingdom of Anuradhapura developed a high degree of culture. Its com¬ plex irrigation system is often considered its major achievement. The modern city of Anuradhapura (pop. 2001 prelim.: 56,632) contains vast Buddhist ruins and a bo tree grown from a slip of the tree under which the historical Buddha is said to have reached Enlightenment.
Anvers See Antwerp
anvil Iron block on which metal is placed for shaping, originally by hand with a hammer. The blacksmith’s anvil is usually of wrought iron (some¬ times of cast iron), with a smooth working surface of hardened steel. A projecting conical beak, or horn, at one end is used for hammering curved pieces of metal. When power hammers are used, the anvil is supported on a heavy block, which in turn rests on a strong foundation of timber and masonry or concrete. See also smithing.
anxiety In psychology, a feeling of dread, fear, or apprehension, often with no clear justification. Anxiety differs from true fear in that it is typi¬ cally the product of subjective, internal emotional states rather than a response to a clear and actual danger. It is marked by physiological signs such as sweating, tension, and increased pulse, by doubt concerning the reality and nature of the perceived threat, and by self-doubt about one’s capacity to cope with it. Some anxiety inevitably arises in the course of daily life and is normal; but persistent, intense, chronic, or recurring anxi¬ ety not justified by real-life stresses is usually regarded as a sign of an emotional disorder. See also stress.