What are remora?

Remora are sucking or clinging fish, and they really do exist. The Roman writer Pliny the Elder (A.D. 23/24-79) claimed that a remora held fast the ship of the Roman general Mark Anthony in the Battle of Actium that he and Cleopatra fought against Octavius (later the Roman emperor Augustus) in 31 B.C. The word "remora" traces its roots to the Latin noun remora ("hindrance"). Remora still "attack" a ship in the same way they did in Anthony's time - they have a suction dish on their head that they use to cling to other fish and to ships.

What's a pysanka?

A pysanka is a Russian painted egg. An old legend says that if no pysankas are decorated, a chained monster with an evil eye will break its bonds and wipe out every living being on Earth. Traditionally, pysankas are decorated by making lines on an egg with liquid hot wax applied using a special tool - a tiny funnel fastened to a stick. The egg is then dipped into colored dyes, light colors first. To preserve each color, designs are made with hot wax lines after each dipping. Today, the custom continues of giving pysankas to relatives and friends as a token of love and friendship.

What's a haiku? Can you give me an example?

A haiku is a three-line poem usually consisting of 17 syllables: five in the first line, seven in the second, and five in the third. Haiku poets use this poetic form to reflect what they see around them. The action in most haiku is in the present tense. Haiku are short and simple, but they are meant to make a listener or reader think. Here's an example: It's by Matsuo Basho, a samurai who became one of Japan's greatest poets:

On the wide seashore

A stray blossom and the shells

make one drifting sand.

What does Catalhoyuk mean?

Catalhoyuk (pronounced: cha-tal-hoy-yuk) is a combination of two Turkish words - Catal means "twin" or "fork" and hoyuk means "a large mound or hill that has built up gradually over thousands of years and covers the successive remains of ancient communities." Catalhoyuk is actually two mounds - an east mound and a west mound. One of the first cities where people lived together farming and raising animals for food and clothing, it is also one of the largest and earliest prehistoric cities in the Middle East. Catalhoyuk's excavated architecture and monumental wall paintings and relief sculpture date the site to 7000-5000 B.C.

What's a "coat of arms"?

In the 12^th century, European knights adopted a new kind of helmet that completely covered the face. Since all armed knights now looked alike, each one started wearing a distinctive badge to let people know who he was. This badge, which was shaped like the shields on which knights usually displayed them, was called a coat of arms because the knights wore it on the cloth surcoat that protected their armor from rain and sun. Knights also displayed the badge on their shield, their horse's cloth coat, their banner, and their tomb.

Why do the same Latin names end sometimes in "us" and sometimes in "os"?

After the Romans conquered the Greek world, they borrowed many Greek words, changing the spelling only slightly to conform to their Latin language. Thus, instead of the Greek ending "os," the Romans used their "us" ending. For example, Herodotos (fifth-century Greek historian) is the Greek spelling of the name, and Herodotus is the Roman.

What's the connection between the Latin noun pecus and the English adjective "pecuniary"?

In ancient times, people used the barter system instead of coins or paper money. For example, a farmer who wanted to buy 12 sheep would give the owner of the sheep one cow. This was believed to be a fair exchange, as cows were considered more valuable than sheep. Gradually, the basic unit of exchange became cattle. The system, however, was cumbersome. Over time, the ancients changed to a coin-based monetary system. To express the idea of "money," the Romans used pecunia, a variation of their word for "cattle," pecudes. Today, we still have the word in the English language - pecuniary, meaning "relating to money."

What does bukhia mean?

The Mongols (Khubilai Khan was the best-known Mongol ruler, 1264""-1294) had a really efficient "pony express" system. Bukhia was the Mongol word for the riders. To keep themselves upright in their saddles, bukhia bound their chest, stomach, and head with sturdy leather bands. To signal an approaching station to prepare a fresh horse, a rider wore a belt of bells or sounded a horn. Instead of dismounting, the rider leaped onto the fresh horse""'s back and, within a few seconds, was back at a full gallop. For urgent dispatches, a single trustworthy rider tied himself to the saddle and rode without stopping for food or sleep until the message was delivered or he collapsed. By eating and sleeping in the saddle, an express rider could cover 250 miles per day.

What is the difference between a primary source and a secondary source?

This is an excellent question and an important distinction for anyone doing research. Primary sources are original accounts, objects, and documents that are created by participants in and eyewitnesses to an event. A secondary source is created by someone who was not present at an event when it took place. For example, the United States Constitution is a primary source, while a book that interprets the constitution's meaning is a secondary source. Anyone who uses secondary sources should be very careful to research the background of the author, as well as any other information that may cause the author to be biased with regard to the primary source.

What's a yoroi?

Yoroi is the name given to the traditional armor worn by the samurai, a class of warriors that dominated military life in Japan for 700 years. Made of rows of lacquered armor plates laced together with thick silk or leather cords, the yoroi was very tough and waterproof. The individual plates consisted of separate small plates fastened together and lacquered.

What is a mandala?

The word "mandala" means "circle," and it is used as an aid in meditation. As a representation of the realm of a Buddhist's holy being, a mandala is ultimately a map of a person's inner being. The mandala image helps the person meditating to concentrate - first on the whole circle and then slowly narrowing down the field of vision to focus only on the center. Mandalas may be painted, created from colored sand or chalk, or sculpted using materials such as butter or dough.

What or who is a kappa?

The ancient Japanese pictured kappas as creatures living in or near the water. According to tradition, a kappa was about the size of a young boy. It was considered very ugly, had greenish yellow skin, webbed fingers and toes, a head shaped like a saucer, and the long nose and round eyes of a monkey. A kappa was supposed to smell like fish and wore only a turtle shell on its back.

What is adobe?

Adobe is the Spanish word for sun-dried mudbricks. They are made by mixing earth, straw, and water in a large pit. When the consistency is right, the mud is put in large wooden molds and left to dry in the sun until it is hard. Adobe bricks, which are usually larger than modern red bricks, were often used to construct buildings with walls two to three feet thick. The thick walls of adobe buildings made good insulation, keeping the buildings warm in winter and cool in the summer. Adobe and similar types of earthen buildings have been used all around the world for thousands of years. Even today, it is said that more people live in earth buildings than any other kinds of structures.

What do Buddhists mean by karma?

According to Buddhists, karma, or "actions," sow seeds that later produce consequences. That is to say, whatever occurs happens because something causes it. In turn, every happening causes other happenings. Buddhists understand that good deeds have good results; bad deeds produce bad results. They also believe that karma's results can go beyond death to affect other lives.

What does mazel tov mean?

The biblical term mazel means "planet," "star," or "sign of the zodiac." Gradually, mazel came to mean "a sign of luck." Tov is the Hebrew word for "good." Gradually the expression developed and is frequently heard at weddings and joyous occasions to wish someone good luck.

What do Muslims mean by zakat?

Zakat is one of the Five Pillars or Five Foundations of Practice in Islam. It is the practice of giving a portion of one's wealth to charity. Muslims give zakat to needy people, including travelers. The donations are used to establish schools, colleges, and other facilities for pilgrims and other travelers. The other Pillars are: shahada (the belief that there is one God, Allah), salat (reciting five daily prayers), fasting (a month-long fast during a period known as Ramadan), and hajj (the making of a pilgrimage to the holy site of Mecca in Saudi Arabia).

What's a corvus?

During the wars against the Carthaginians from North Africa (third century B.C.), Roman shipbuilders devised a special boarding plank that had a large iron spike at one end. They nicknamed it "the raven" (corvus) because of its shape. The Romans knew their military strength lay in their army, while Carthage's strength lay in its navy, so they determined to turn sea battles into "land" battles. With the new plank, a Roman ship could now pull alongside a Carthaginian ship and drop the plank onto the enemy vessel. The corvus "grabbed" hold of the enemy ship and locked the two ships together. Roman soldiers quickly walked the plank onto the Carthaginian ship and fought as if on land.

What are mingqi?

In China, during the Han dynasty (206 B.C.-A.D. 8 and A.D. 23-220), royalty and nobility might be buried with expensive, specially made objects of jade and bronze, but most people bought objects that were mass-produced. These grave goods came to be known as mingqi ("bright objects" - that is, objects "made bright" by the burial ceremony). Fashioned primarily of clay, but also of wood, they included miniature figures of all kinds. Examples are painted figures on horseback and earthenware houses.

BACK