Sumer: Umma, Lagash, Bad-tibira, and Larsa. Each of these states comprised a walled city and its surrounding villages and land, and each worshipped its own deity, whose temple was the central structure of the city. Political power originally belonged to the citizens, but, as rivalry between…

Srong-brtsan-sgam-po: …the capital, the Tsuglagkhang, or Gtsug-lag-khang (Jokhang), Temple, which remains Tibetan Buddhism’s most sacred place.

Nikola Jokić is a Serbian professional basketball player who is one of the most versatile talents of his generation. Widely considered the best-passing center in the sport’s history, Jokić won three National Basketball Association (NBA) Most Valuable Player (MVP) awards (2021–22 and 2024) and led

Itō Jakuchū was a Japanese painter of the mid-Tokugawa period (1603–1867) who excelled in drawing flowers, fish, and birds, especially fowl, which he used to keep at his home in order to observe them closely. The son of a greengrocer, he first studied drawing with a painter of the Kanō school

joking relationship, relationship between two individuals or groups that allows or requires unusually free verbal or physical interaction. The relationship may be mutual (symmetrical) or formalized in such a way that one person or group does the teasing and the other is not allowed to retaliate

Yogyakarta, kotamadya (municipality) and capital, Yogyakarta daerah istimewa (special district), Java, Indonesia. It lies 18 miles (29 km) inland from the southern Java coast and near Mount Merapi (9,551 feet [2,911 metres]). In the 7th century the locality formed part of the Buddhist kingdom of

Joko Widodo is an Indonesian businessman, politician, and government official who served as governor of Jakarta (2012–14) and as president of Indonesia (2014–24). Joko Widodo, commonly called Jokowi, who attracted international attention with his populist style of campaigning and his anticorruption

glacier: Glacier floods: Glacier outburst floods, or jökulhlaups, can be spectacular or even catastrophic. These happen when drainage within a glacier is blocked by internal plastic flow and water is stored in or behind the glacier. The water eventually finds a narrow path to trickle out.…

Jökulsá á Fjöllum, river, northeastern Iceland, fed by the northern meltwaters of the Vatna Glacier in east-central Iceland; it flows northward for 128 miles (206 km) to Axar Fjord, an arm of the Greenland Sea. The river skirts the eastern margins of Ódádhahraun, an extensive lava field, and then

Yogyakarta, kotamadya (municipality) and capital, Yogyakarta daerah istimewa (special district), Java, Indonesia. It lies 18 miles (29 km) inland from the southern Java coast and near Mount Merapi (9,551 feet [2,911 metres]). In the 7th century the locality formed part of the Buddhist kingdom of

Go-Toba: …incident is known as the Jōkyū Disturbance (Jōkyū no ran), from the name of the period between 1219 and 1221 in which the incident occurred.

Go-Toba: …incident is known as the Jōkyū Disturbance (Jōkyū no ran), from the name of the period between 1219 and 1221 in which the incident occurred.

Arabian Desert: Physiography: …south, where the plateau of Al-Jawl (Jol) is located. The Ṭuwayq Mountains are the most prominent of the cuestas.

The Gambia: Ethnic groups: The Diola (Jola) are the people longest resident in the country; they are now located mostly in western Gambia. The largest group is the Malinke, comprising about one-third of the population. The Wolof, who are the dominant group in Senegal, also predominate in Banjul. The Fulani…

Ahmed al-Sharaa is a militant Islamist who became president (2025– ) of Syria’s interim government after leading the lightning offensive in 2024 that toppled the dynastic Pres. Bashar al-Assad. He commanded one of the leading factions of the Syrian Civil War (2011– ), known as Hayat Tahrir al-Sham

Eugene and Maria Jolas: Raised in Lorraine, France, Jolas worked as a journalist both in America and in France. As he rejected the industrial focus of American society in the 1920s, he also lost faith in newspaper reporting and became more interested in literature. The Jolases met in the United States and moved…

Eugene and Maria Jolas were American founders, along with Elliot Paul, of the revolutionary literary quarterly transition. Raised in Lorraine, France, Jolas worked as a journalist both in America and in France. As he rejected the industrial focus of American society in the 1920s, he also lost faith

Eugene and Maria Jolas: The Jolases met in the United States and moved to Paris after their marriage in 1926. There Jolas sought to provide a forum for international writers with the establishment of the periodical transition (1927–30, 1932–39). Dedicated to the original, the revolutionary, and the experimental, transition published…

Dolly Parton: Music career: …of such songs as “Jolene” and “Love Is Like a Butterfly” (both 1974). About the same time, Parton began to cross over to the pop music market, and in 1978 she won a Grammy Award for her song “Here You Come Again” and was named entertainer of the year…

Jessica Chastain: …in the title role of Jolene. The following year she played Desdemona in an Off-Broadway production of Othello. She shared a role with Helen Mirren in the thriller The Debt (2010), about Mossad agents haunted by their past. Chastain’s true breakthrough came in 2011, when she appeared in several movies,…

Niger River, principal river of western Africa. With a length of 2,600 miles (4,200 km), it is the third longest river in Africa, after the Nile and the Congo. The Niger is believed to have been named by the Greeks. Along its course it is known by several names. These include the Joliba (Malinke:

Georges Bizet: …Jolie Fille de Perth (1867; The Fair Maid of Perth) had a libretto capable of eliciting or focusing the latent musical and dramatic powers that Bizet eventually proved to possess. The chief interest of Les Pêcheurs de perles lies in its exotic Oriental setting and the choral writing, which is…

Angelina Jolie is an American actress and director known for her sex appeal and edginess as well as for her humanitarian work. She won an Academy Award for her supporting role as a mental patient in Girl, Interrupted (1999). Jolie, daughter of actor Jon Voight, spent much of her childhood in New

Joliet, city, seat (1845) of Will county, northeastern Illinois, U.S. It lies on the Des Plaines River, about 40 miles (65 km) southwest of downtown Chicago. Settled in 1833, it was initially named Juliet by James B. Campbell, a settler from Ottawa and an official with the Board of Canal

Louis Jolliet was a French Canadian explorer and cartographer who, with Father Jacques Marquette, was the first white man to traverse the Mississippi River from its confluence with the Wisconsin to the mouth of the Arkansas River in Arkansas. Jolliet received a Jesuit education in New France (now

Frédéric and Irène Joliot-Curie: …the same year she met Frédéric Joliot in her mother’s laboratory; she was to find in him a mate who shared her interest in science, sports, humanism, and the arts.

Frédéric and Irène Joliot-Curie: …the same year she met Frédéric Joliot in her mother’s laboratory; she was to find in him a mate who shared her interest in science, sports, humanism, and the arts.

Frédéric and Irène Joliot-Curie were French physical chemists, husband and wife, who were jointly awarded the 1935 Nobel Prize for Chemistry for their discovery of new radioactive isotopes prepared artificially. They were the son-in-law and daughter of Nobel Prize winners Pierre and Marie Curie.

Frédéric and Irène Joliot-Curie: Irène Curie from 1912 to 1914 prepared for her baccalauréat at the Collège Sévigné and in 1918 became her mother’s assistant at the Institut du Radium of the University of Paris. In 1925 she presented her doctoral thesis on the alpha rays of polonium. In…

André Jolivet was a French composer noted for his sophisticated, expressive experiments with rhythm and new sonorities. Interested in drama, painting, and literature as a young man, Jolivet soon turned to music and studied seriously with the avant-garde composer Edgard Varèse, among others. His

Elizabeth Jolley was a British-born Australian novelist and short-story writer whose dryly comic work features eccentric characters and examines relationships between women. Jolley was raised in a German-speaking household in England. She moved from England to Australia in 1959, and her work often

Louis Jolliet was a French Canadian explorer and cartographer who, with Father Jacques Marquette, was the first white man to traverse the Mississippi River from its confluence with the Wisconsin to the mouth of the Arkansas River in Arkansas. Jolliet received a Jesuit education in New France (now

jollof rice, seasoned rice dish from West Africa. It is generally made with rice, tomatoes, and a variety of spices, though preparations and ingredients can differ between countries. Jollof rice likely originated in the Senegambian region (the modern-day countries of Senegal and The Gambia) before

jollof rice: Jollof wars: …to be called the “jollof wars” and center on differences in preparation and ingredients. People with roots in Cameroon, Ghana, Liberia, Nigeria, and Sierra Leone have all laid claim to the best variation of jollof rice. In general, those from The Gambia and Senegal, where the dish originated,

Jolly balance, device, now largely obsolete, for determining the specific gravity (relative density) of solids and liquids. Invented by the 19th-century German physicist Philipp von Jolly, it consists in its usual form of a long, delicate, helical spring suspended by one end in front of a graduated

Jolly Roger, flag design used by pirates and privateers to frighten the crews of other ships into submission. The Jolly Roger is most recognizable by its white skull-and-crossbones design on a black background, but the flags of individual pirates also carried other design elements for

George Jolly was an actor-manager who, after obscure beginnings, emerged as the leader of the last troupe of English strolling players in a tradition that influenced the German theatre. Early in his career Jolly was reportedly employed at the Fortune Theatre in London. Traveling in Germany in 1648,

Hopefield: In 1953 Keith Jolly, an archaeologist working with Singer, discovered fragments of a hominin skull known as Saldanha man (formerly Hopefield man). The skull, which dates from the same period as the fauna, is very similar to those found in 1921 at Broken Hill, Northern Rhodesia (now…

Connaraceae: The genus Jollydora, with six species distributed in West Africa, produces flowers and fruits directly on the wood of the trunk and larger branches, a condition called cauliflory.

whiteware: Processing: …addition to these standard processes, jiggering is employed in the manufacture of tableware. Jiggering involves the mixing of a plastic mass and turning it on a wheel beneath a template to a specified size and shape.

Jolo: The main population centres are Jolo town, Parang, Patikul, and Talipaw.

Jolo, island and town, southwestern Philippines. The island, in the Sulu Archipelago between the Sulu (west) and Celebes (east) seas, is characterized by lush tropical vegetation, many short streams, and several extinct volcanoes, including Mount Tumatangas at 2,664 feet (812 metres). Mount Dajo

Tausug, one of the largest of the Muslim (sometimes called Moro) ethnic groups of the southwestern Philippines. They live primarily in the Sulu Archipelago, southwest of the island of Mindanao, mainly in the Jolo island cluster. There are, however, significant migrant (or immigrant) communities of

African literature: Xhosa: James J.R. Jolobe attempted in his poetry to blend nostalgia for the Xhosa past with an acceptance of the Christian present. (Indeed, many early writers of prose and verse had Christian backgrounds that were the result of their having attended missionary schools, and so shared…

Senegal: History of Senegal: …leader Njajan Njay founded the Jolof kingdom, which in the 16th century split into the competing Wolof states of Walo, Kajor, Baol, Sine, and Salum. Islamic influence spread throughout the region in variable strength; it gained new impetus in the late 17th century, and after 1776 Tukulor Muslims established a…

Alfred E. Green: …Berlin (1943); and the biopic The Jolson Story (1946), a box-office hit that starred Larry Parks as the famed entertainer, with Jolson dubbing his songs. The Fabulous Dorseys (1947) was one of the few biopics that had the stars—Jimmy and Tommy Dorsey—appearing as themselves, while Copacabana (1947) featured Groucho Marx…

Al Jolson was a popular American singer and blackface comedian of the musical stage and motion pictures, from before World War I to 1940. His unique singing style and personal magnetism established an immediate rapport with audiences. Taken to the United States when he was seven years old, Jolson

Laverne Cox: …Promising Young Woman (2020), and Jolt (2021).

Skype: …P2P technology was retained by Joltid, a company founded by Zennström and Friis, and licensed by eBay. Because it operates over existing Internet connections and does not require a dedicated network of cables, Skype can offer most core services—including in-network long-distance calling—for free, which is why some consider Skype a…

Joe DiMaggio was an American professional baseball player who was an outstanding hitter and fielder and one of the best all-around players in the history of the game. DiMaggio was the son of Italian immigrants who made their living by fishing. He quit school at 14 and at 17 joined his brother

Luo, people living among several Bantu-speaking peoples in the flat country near Lake Victoria in western Kenya and northern Tanzania. More than four million strong, the Luo constitute the fourth largest ethnic group in Kenya (about one-tenth of the population) after the Kikuyu (with whom they

Andrée Brunet and Pierre Brunet: Brunet and Joly each competed individually before their Olympic debut in 1924. Brunet became a national hero in France by winning consecutive national titles between 1924 and 1930. Joly was the French women’s champion from 1921 to 1931.

John Joly was an Irish geologist and physicist who, soon after 1898, estimated the age of the Earth at 100,000,000 years. He also developed a method for extracting radium (1914) and pioneered its use in cancer treatment. Joly was educated at Trinity College, Dublin, where he became professor of

puppetry: Styles of puppet theatre: Yves Joly stripped the art of the puppet to its bare essentials by performing hand puppet acts with his bare hands, without any puppets. The same effect was achieved by the Russian puppeteer Sergey Obraztsov with a performance of charm and wit that was quite…

National Dialogue Quartet: …effect when its participants selected Mehdi Jomaa as the head of the new government. Encouraged by the implementation of the road map, members of the opposition returned to the National Constituent Assembly in late 2013.

Sven Holm: …Happy”), corruption of language in Jomfrutur (1966; “Maiden Voyage”), and ignorance in Termush, Atlanterkysten (1967; Eng. trans. 1969). In his intense prose poem on the theme of human suffering, Syv passioner (1971; “Seven Passions”), Holm offered a utopian alternative to the psychological breakdown and envisioned collapse of the Western way…

Afghanistan, multiethnic landlocked country located in the heart of south-central Asia. Lying along important trade routes connecting southern and eastern Asia to Europe and the Middle East, Afghanistan has long been a prize sought by empire builders, and for millennia great armies have attempted

Iran, a mountainous, arid, and ethnically diverse country of southwestern Asia. The country maintains a rich and distinctive cultural and social continuity dating back to the Achaemenian period, which began in 550 bce. Since 1979 it has become known for its unique brand of Islamic republic.

Henri, baron de Jomini was a French general, military critic, and historian whose systematic attempt to define the principles of warfare made him one of the founders of modern military thought. Jomini began his military career by offering his services as a volunteer staff member in the French army

Henri, baron de Jomini was a French general, military critic, and historian whose systematic attempt to define the principles of warfare made him one of the founders of modern military thought. Jomini began his military career by offering his services as a volunteer staff member in the French army

Niccolò Jommelli was a composer of religious music and operas, notable as an innovator in his use of the orchestra. Jommelli’s first two operas were comic: L’errore amoroso (Naples, 1737) and Odoardo (Florence, 1738). He went to Rome in 1740 and produced two serious operas there, his first in the

African music: History: The jomolo of the Baule and the log xylophones of northern Mozambique—for example, the dimbila of the Makonde or the mangwilo of the Shirima—are virtually identical instruments.

Jōmon culture, earliest major culture of prehistoric Japan, characterized by pottery decorated with cord-pattern (jōmon) impressions or reliefs. For some time there has been uncertainty about assigning dates to the Jōmon period, particularly to its onset. The earliest date given is about 10,500

Jōmon ware, Japanese Neolithic pottery dating from approximately 10,500 to roughly 300 bce, depending on the specific site. This early pottery takes its name from the impressed rope patterns (jōmon means “cord pattern”) that often decorate it. The name has come to denote not only the pottery itself

Jōmon ware, Japanese Neolithic pottery dating from approximately 10,500 to roughly 300 bce, depending on the specific site. This early pottery takes its name from the impressed rope patterns (jōmon means “cord pattern”) that often decorate it. The name has come to denote not only the pottery itself

Vanuatu: History of Vanuatu: …inspired the transformation of the Jon (or John) Frum cargo cult on Tanna into an important anti-European political movement. After the war, local political initiatives originated in concern over land ownership. At that time more than one-third of the New Hebrides continued to be owned by foreigners.

Franciscus Junius, the Younger was a language and literary scholar whose works stimulated interest in the study of Anglo-Saxon (Old English) and the cognate old Germanic languages. Son of Franciscus Junius, a French Protestant theologian, he was educated in theology and became a pastor in the

Jonah was one of the 12 Minor Prophets in the Hebrew Bible and Christian Old Testament. His narrative is part of a larger book, The Twelve, in the Jewish canon, and stands alone as the Book of Jonah in Christian scripture. The account, which opposes the narrow Jewish nationalism of the time, was

Sir Lennox Berkeley: …first major work, the oratorio Jonah, was performed. In 1936 he met Benjamin Britten, with whom he collaborated on an orchestral work, Mont Juic (1937). The two composers maintained a strong professional, as well as personal, association.

Jonah crab, North American crab species (Cancer borealis) closely related to the Dungeness crab

Megan Fox: …Jennifer’s Body (2009), and in Jonah Hex (2010) she portrayed a prostitute with a heart of gold. In 2014 she appeared as the intrepid and ambitious broadcast journalist April O’Neil in the live-action big-screen reboot Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles; she reprised the role two years later in Teenage Mutant Ninja…

Jonah I was the archbishop of Washington and New York (2008–09), archbishop of Washington (2009–12), and metropolitan of All America and Canada (2008–12), or primate, of the Orthodox Church in America (OCA). He was the first American-born convert to hold the church’s highest position but was forced

Zora Neale Hurston: Hurston and the Harlem Renaissance: …she published her first novel, Jonah’s Gourd Vine, which was well received by critics for its portrayal of African American life uncluttered by stock figures or sentimentality. Mules and Men, a study of folkways among the African American population of Florida, followed in 1935. Their Eyes Were Watching God (1937),…

Book of Jonah, the fifth of 12 Old Testament books that bear the names of the Minor Prophets, embraced in a single book, The Twelve, in the Hebrew Bible. Unlike other Old Testament prophetic books, Jonah is not a collection of the prophet’s oracles but primarily a narrative about the man. Jonah is

Ibn Janāḥ was perhaps the most important medieval Hebrew grammarian and lexicographer. Known as the founder of the study of Hebrew syntax, he established the rules of biblical exegesis and clarified many difficult passages. Trained as a physician, Ibn Janāh practiced medicine, but, out of profound

Jonas was the first independent metropolitan of Moscow, elected in 1448. Until the 15th century the Orthodox Church had depended upon the patriarch of Constantinople to choose its ecclesiastical head, usually a Greek, to fill the position of metropolitan of Kiev (later metropolitan of Moscow). In

Jonah was one of the 12 Minor Prophets in the Hebrew Bible and Christian Old Testament. His narrative is part of a larger book, The Twelve, in the Jewish canon, and stands alone as the Book of Jonah in Christian scripture. The account, which opposes the narrow Jewish nationalism of the time, was

Jonas Brothers, American soft-rock band noted for its combination of optimism, catchy tunes, and cover-boy good looks. The members were Paul Kevin Jonas II (b. November 5, 1987, Teaneck, New Jersey, U.S.), Joseph (“Joe”) Adam Jonas (b. August 15, 1989, Casa Grande, Arizona), and Nicholas (“Nick”)

Jonas Brothers: …new Disney series, JONAS (later JONAS L.A.). The half-hour show (in the vein of the Monkees’ eponymous television series) featured Kevin, Nick, and Joe as the fictional Lucas brothers, pop stars who are also high school students. They also appeared in Camp Rock 2: The Final Jam (2010).

mirror for princes: …On the Royal Office by Jonas of Orléans, which centres on the community of the faithful and draws on Isidore and Pseudo-Cyprianus, offered a clear distinction between the tyrant and the just ruler in relation to their engagement with the moral imperatives of a Christian community.

Book of Jonah, the fifth of 12 Old Testament books that bear the names of the Minor Prophets, embraced in a single book, The Twelve, in the Hebrew Bible. Unlike other Old Testament prophetic books, Jonah is not a collection of the prophet’s oracles but primarily a narrative about the man. Jonah is

Vienna: Evolution of the modern city: …mayors Theodor Körner (1945–51) and Franz Jonas (1951–65), both of whom later became presidents of the republic. The Austrian State Treaty was signed in the Belvedere on May 15, 1955, leading to independence and the withdrawal of all Allied occupation troops.

Jonas Brothers: ), Joseph (“Joe”) Adam Jonas (b. August 15, 1989, Casa Grande, Arizona), and Nicholas (“Nick”) Jerry Jonas (b. September 16, 1992, Dallas, Texas).

Jonas Brothers: ), Joseph (“Joe”) Adam Jonas (b. August 15, 1989, Casa Grande, Arizona), and Nicholas (“Nick”) Jerry Jonas (b. September 16, 1992, Dallas, Texas).

Justus Jonas was a German religious reformer and legal scholar. A colleague of Martin Luther, he played a prominent role in the early Reformation conferences, particularly at Marburg (1529) and at Augsburg (1530), where he helped draft the Augsburg Confession, a fundamental statement of Lutheran

Jonas Brothers: The members were Paul Kevin Jonas II (b. November 5, 1987, Teaneck, New Jersey, U.S.), Joseph (“Joe”) Adam Jonas (b. August 15, 1989, Casa Grande, Arizona), and Nicholas (“Nick”) Jerry Jonas (b. September 16, 1992, Dallas, Texas).

Jonas Brothers: …1989, Casa Grande, Arizona), and Nicholas (“Nick”) Jerry Jonas (b. September 16, 1992, Dallas, Texas).

Jonas Brothers: …1989, Casa Grande, Arizona), and Nicholas (“Nick”) Jerry Jonas (b. September 16, 1992, Dallas, Texas).

Jonas Brothers: The members were Paul Kevin Jonas II (b. November 5, 1987, Teaneck, New Jersey, U.S.), Joseph (“Joe”) Adam Jonas (b. August 15, 1989, Casa Grande, Arizona), and Nicholas (“Nick”) Jerry Jonas (b. September 16, 1992, Dallas, Texas).

Jóhannes Bjarni Jónasson was an Icelandic poet and reformer whose works reflect his resistance to the political and economic trends that he perceived as threatening Iceland’s traditional democracy. The son of a poor farmer, Jónasson studied at Reykjavík Teacher’s Training College and worked first

Jonathan, in the Hebrew Bible (Old Testament) books 1 and 2 Samuel, the eldest son of King Saul. Jonathan’s intrepidity and fidelity to his friend, the future king David, make him one of the most admired figures in the Bible. Jonathan is first mentioned in 1 Samuel 13:2, when he defeated a garrison

Jonathan, who celebrated his 192nd birthday on December 4, 2024, is considered the oldest living land animal ever. A Seychelles giant tortoise, he is also the oldest living chelonian (turtles, tortoises, and terrapins) known to science. He lives and is cared for on the grounds of Plantation House,

biblical literature: The Aramaic Targums: It is ascribed to Jonathan ben Uzziel, a pupil of Hillel, the famous rabbinic sage of the 1st century bce–1st century ce, though it is in fact a composite work of varying ages. In its present form, it discloses a dependence on Onkelos, though it is less literal.

Jonathan Cape: …on January 1, 1921, opened Jonathan Cape, Publishers. Their first publication was a reissue of C.M. Doughty’s 1888 classic, Travels in Arabia Deserta; the partners persuaded T.E. Lawrence (“Lawrence of Arabia”) to write an introduction to the volume, which helped make it a success.

Mark Van Doren: …and three book-length narrative poems: Jonathan Gentry (1931), about the settling of the Midwest by three generations of Gentrys, their experience in the Civil War, and the end of a long-held dream of a paradise beyond the Appalachian Mountains; A Winter Diary (1935), the poetic record of a winter spent…

Neil Diamond: …sound track for the film Jonathan Livingston Seagull (1973), which earned him a Grammy Award. He went on to release a string of successful albums during the 1970s, including Serenade (1974), Beautiful Noise (1976), Love at the Greek (1977), You Don’t Bring Me Flowers (1978; featuring a duet with Barbra…

Jonathan Maccabeus was a Jewish general, a son of the priest Mattathias, who took over the leadership of the Maccabean revolt after the death of his elder brother Judas. A brilliant diplomat, if not quite so good a soldier as his elder brother, Jonathan refused all compromise with the superior

Henry Fielding: Maturity.: …far the most important is The Life of Mr. Jonathan Wild the Great. Here, narrating the life of a notorious criminal of the day, Fielding satirizes human greatness, or rather human greatness confused with power over others. Permanently topical, Jonathan Wild, with the exception of some passages by his older…

flag of Lesotho: The prime minister, Chief Leabua Jonathan, wanted to use the flag of his own ruling Basotho National Party, which had four equal horizontal stripes from top to bottom of blue, white, red, and green. Other parties objected, and instead the national flag displayed green, red, and blue vertically with…

Goodluck Jonathan is a Nigerian zoologist and politician who served as vice president (2007–10) and president (2010–15) of Nigeria. Jonathan, of the Ijo (Ijaw) ethnic group and a Christian, was born and raised in the region of the Niger delta in what is now Bayelsa state. He attended Christian