uremia, medical condition produced by the toxic effects of abnormally high concentrations of nitrogenous substances in the blood as a result of the kidney’s failure to expel waste products by way of the urine. The end products of protein metabolism accumulate in the blood but are normally filtered

urena, (Urena lobata), plant of the family Malvaceae; its fibre is one of the bast fibre group. The plant, probably of Old World origin, grows wild in tropical and subtropical areas throughout the world. Urena has long been used for its fibre in Brazil, but it has been slow in achieving importance

urena, (Urena lobata), plant of the family Malvaceae; its fibre is one of the bast fibre group. The plant, probably of Old World origin, grows wild in tropical and subtropical areas throughout the world. Urena has long been used for its fibre in Brazil, but it has been slow in achieving importance

Abdul Qadeer Khan: …of the Dutch partner of URENCO. URENCO, a consortium of British, German, and Dutch companies, was established in 1971 to research and develop uranium enrichment through the use of ultracentrifuges, which are centrifuges that operate at extremely high speeds. Khan was granted a low-level security clearance, but, through lax oversight,…

natural gas: Russia: …second largest gas field is Urengoy, which was discovered there in 1966 and was estimated to have initial reserves as great as 8.1 tcm (286 tcf). Roughly three-quarters of this gas is found in the shallowest reservoir, 1,100 to 1,250 metres (3,600 to 4,100 feet) deep, which is Late Cretaceous…

Banks Islands: The northernmost islet, Uréparapara, is a volcanic cone that has been breached by the sea, thus creating Lorup Bay in its east coast. Several of the islands have active volcanoes. The islands’ inhabitants, who are mostly Melanesians, cultivate copra and coffee for export. There are airstrips on Mota…

Rosales: Characteristic morphological features: Members of the tribe Urereae (also known as Urticeae) are among the most conspicuous members of the family Urticaceae (the nettle family) because of their stinging hairs. The stings are frequently a short-term irritant, but contact with some species can cause pain or numbness that lasts for several days.…

ureter, duct that transmits urine from the kidney to the bladder. There normally is one ureter for each kidney. Each ureter is a narrow tube that is about 12 inches (30 cm) long. A ureter has thick contractile walls, and its diameter varies considerably at different points along its length. The

atresia and stenosis: Ureteric and urethral atresias and stenoses cause distension of the urinary tract above the obstruction, with impairment of kidney function and often infection.

animal development: Excretory organs: …the mesonephric duct, called the ureteric bud. The ureteric bud grows in the direction of the mesenchyme and becomes the ureter. Having penetrated the mass of mesenchyme, it starts to branch, producing the collecting tubules of the kidney; the mesenchyme, meanwhile, in response to the influence of the duct and…

atresia and stenosis: and urethral atresias and stenoses cause distension of the urinary tract above the obstruction, with impairment of kidney function and often infection.

urostomy, the surgical formation of a new channel for urine and liquid wastes following the removal of the bladder or ureters. See

urethra, duct that transmits urine from the bladder to the exterior of the body during urination. The urethra is held closed by the urethral sphincter, a muscular structure that helps keep urine in the bladder until voiding can occur. Because the urethra is anatomically linked with the reproductive

atresia and stenosis: Ureteric and urethral atresias and stenoses cause distension of the urinary tract above the obstruction, with impairment of kidney function and often infection.

urethral gland, in male placental mammals, any of the glands that branch off the internal wall of the urethra, the passageway for both urine and semen. The glands contribute mucus to the seminal fluid. They are located along the whole length of the urethra but are most numerous along the section of

atresia and stenosis: Ureteric and urethral atresias and stenoses cause distension of the urinary tract above the obstruction, with impairment of kidney function and often infection.

renal system disease: Obstruction: …of the urethral wall (urethral stricture); and by congenital valve or diaphragm (membranous malformation). Although not a part of the excretory tract, the prostate lies close to the bladder neck, and in older men it is an important cause of obstruction; fibrous disease of the bladder neck can also…

urethritis, infection and inflammation of the urethra, the channel for passage of urine from the urinary bladder to the outside. Urethritis is more frequent in males than in females. The causes of urethritis vary with age, sexual practices, and hygienic standards. Urethritis due to fecal

Urewera National Park, park in northeastern North Island, New Zealand. Established in 1954, it has an area of 821 square miles (2,127 square km) and has the largest expanse of indigenous forest in the North Island. The park is located in a region between Wairoa and Rotorua, remote from European

Harold C. Urey was an American scientist awarded the Nobel Prize for Chemistry in 1934 for his discovery of the heavy form of hydrogen known as deuterium. He was a key figure in the development of the atomic bomb and made fundamental contributions to a widely accepted theory of the origin of the

Harold C. Urey was an American scientist awarded the Nobel Prize for Chemistry in 1934 for his discovery of the heavy form of hydrogen known as deuterium. He was a key figure in the development of the atomic bomb and made fundamental contributions to a widely accepted theory of the origin of the

pyroxene: Chemical composition: include johannsenite [CaMnSi2O6], and kosmochlor (ureyite) [NaCrSi2O6]. Johannsenite involves the substitution of manganese for iron in hedenbergite. Kosmochlor has chromium (Cr) in place of iron or aluminum in a sodic pyroxene.

Yemen: Justice: …of Sharīʿah (Islamic law) and ʿurf (tribal custom). In the south the legal system was a mixture of Sharīʿah in matters of personal status (e.g., marriage, divorce, inheritance) and British commercial and common law (modified to suit the needs of the Marxist government) and, in rural areas, a combination of…

Şanlıurfa, city, southeastern Turkey. It lies in a fertile plain and is ringed by limestone hills on three sides. The city, of great age, controls a strategic pass to the south through which runs a road used since antiquity to travel between Anatolia and northern Mesopotamia. The modern name

Honoré d’ Urfé was a French author whose pastoral romance L’Astrée (1607–27; Astrea) was extremely popular in the 17th century and inspired many later writers. D’Urfé was born into a family of ancient nobility. He grew up in the Forez region of southeastern France and was educated at the Collège de

Islamic arts: Indian literature in Persian: ʿUrfī, who left Shīrāz for India and died in his mid-30s in Lahore (1592), is without doubt one of the few genuine masters of Persian poetry, especially in his qaṣīdahs. His verses pile up linguistic difficulties, yet their dark, glowing quality cannot fail to touch…

Ulaanbaatar, capital and largest city of Mongolia. It is situated on the Tuul River on a windswept plateau at an elevation of 4,430 feet (1,350 metres). The city originated as a seasonal migratory abode of the Mongolian princes and in 1639 finally attained permanence on the present site with the

Urgench, city, south-central Uzbekistan. The city lies along the Shavat Canal and the Amu Darya (river). Urgench was founded when the inhabitants of the ancient city of Urgench, near present-day Kunya-Urgench, 80 miles (130 km) to the northwest, moved there in the mid-17th century because of their

Robert Bly: …the Insatiable Soul (1994) and The Urge to Travel Long Distances (2005) are preoccupied with the pastoral landscape of Minnesota. Bly employed the Arabic ghazal form in the poems comprising The Night Abraham Called to the Stars (2001) and My Sentence Was a Thousand Years of Joy (2005). He also…

geochronology: Classification of stratified rocks: …a successionally lowest category, the Primary (Urgebirge), composed mainly of crystalline rocks, (2) an intermediate category, or the Secondary (Flötzgebirge), composed of layered or stratified rocks containing fossils, and (3) a final or successionally youngest sequence of alluvial and related unconsolidated sediments (Angeschwemmtgebirge) thought to represent the most recent record…

Urgench, city, south-central Uzbekistan. The city lies along the Shavat Canal and the Amu Darya (river). Urgench was founded when the inhabitants of the ancient city of Urgench, near present-day Kunya-Urgench, 80 miles (130 km) to the northwest, moved there in the mid-17th century because of their

Russia: Tatar rule: …former kingdom of Khwārezm, including Urgench, the cultural capital of the Jucids. Control of the Slavic lands was exercised through the native princes, some of whom spent much of their time at the Mongol capital, and through agents charged with overseeing the activities of the princes and particularly the fiscal…

Urgench, city, south-central Uzbekistan. The city lies along the Shavat Canal and the Amu Darya (river). Urgench was founded when the inhabitants of the ancient city of Urgench, near present-day Kunya-Urgench, 80 miles (130 km) to the northwest, moved there in the mid-17th century because of their

Claudius: Early life: …original material: his first wife, Plautia Urgulanilla, had Etruscan blood, and her family was probably able to put Claudius in touch with authentic Etruscan traditions. After divorcing Urgulanilla, he in turn married Aelia Paetina, Valeria Messalina, who was his wife at his accession, and, finally, Agrippina the Younger. By his…

Şanlıurfa, city, southeastern Turkey. It lies in a fertile plain and is ringed by limestone hills on three sides. The city, of great age, controls a strategic pass to the south through which runs a road used since antiquity to travel between Anatolia and northern Mesopotamia. The modern name

Hattusilis III: …overthrowing his nephew Urhi-Teshub (Mursilis III).

Anatolia: The neo-Hittite states from c. 1180 to 700 bce: …king with the Hurrian name Urhilinas—one of the leaders of the coalition against Assyria in 853—records that he has built a throne and erected a monument for the Semitic goddess Bahalatis. Another contemporary of Shalmaneser III was Halpa-Runtiyas of Patina, whose name has also been found in the Hieroglyphic Luwian…

Urhobo, a people of the northwestern part of the Niger River delta in extreme southern Nigeria. They speak a language of the Benue-Congo branch of the Niger-Congo language family. The term Sobo is used by ethnographers as a cover term for both the Urhobo and their neighbours, the Isoko, but the two

Uri, canton, central Switzerland, traversed by the steep-sided valleys of the Reuss River and its tributaries. About one-half of the canton’s area is reckoned as productive. Forests occupy part of the canton, and more than 20 percent of the unproductive area in Uri is covered with glaciers. The

URL: …the above example is a URI (Uniform Resource Identifier) fragment. The number sign, known in this context as an anchor, acts like a bookmark within the resource, instructing the Web browser to show the content at that particular point. For example, a number sign followed by a word is an…

Democratic Party of Korea: …and Roh’s supporters established the Uri Party in 2003. In the 2004 elections the MDP retained only 9 seats in the National Assembly, while the Uri Party captured a majority, winning 152 of a possible 299 seats. Just prior to the parliamentary elections, the MDP sided with the conservative GNP…

murre, any of certain black and white seabirds comprising the genus Uria of the auk family, Alcidae. In British usage the two species of Uria are called guillemots, along with Cepphus species. Murres are about 40 cm (16 inches) long. They nest in vast numbers on sheer cliffs, each pair laying a

murre: The common murre (U. aalge) breeds from the Arctic Circle south to Nova Scotia, California, Portugal, and Korea. Atlantic populations include the so-called bridled, or ringed, murre, a mutation that shows, in breeding season, a ring around the eye and a thin, white stripe behind the…

murre: The thick-billed, or Brünnich’s, murre (U. lomvia), with a somewhat heavier beak, often nests farther north, to Ellesmere Island and other islands within the Arctic Circle, where the common murre is absent. There is some overlap in breeding grounds, however, and the two species nest in…

Bathsheba: …Kings 1, 2), wife of Uriah the Hittite; she later became one of the wives of King David and the mother of King Solomon.

urial, (Ovis orientalis), medium-size, rather stout-bodied wild sheep, distributed from northwest India and Ladakh to southwest Russia, Afghanistan, Pakistan, and Iran. Six to nine subspecies are usually recognized; they differ in the colour and size of the winter neck-ruff of males, as well as in

China: Foreign relations: …Chengde area known as the Urianghad tribes. The Urianghad tribes surrendered to the Hongwu emperor and were incorporated into China’s frontier defense system under a Chinese military headquarters. Because they served the Yongle emperor as a loyal rear guard during his seizure of the throne, he rewarded them with virtual…

Tyvan, any member of an ethnolinguistic group inhabiting the autonomous republic of Tyva (Tuva) in south-central Russia; the group also constitutes a small minority in the northwestern part of Mongolia. The Tyvans are a Turkic-speaking people with Mongol influences. They live among the headwaters

Álvaro Uribe is a Colombian politician who served as president of Colombia (2002–10). Uribe earned a law degree from the University of Antioquia, Medellín, and later studied management and administration at Harvard University. In the mid-1970s he worked in the state government of Antioquia before

Álvaro Uribe is a Colombian politician who served as president of Colombia (2002–10). Uribe earned a law degree from the University of Antioquia, Medellín, and later studied management and administration at Harvard University. In the mid-1970s he worked in the state government of Antioquia before

Latin American art: Trends, c. 1970–present: Juan Camilo Uribe of Colombia combined a Sacred Heart print with another of an admired Venezuelan doctor to create his own collage valentine in Declaration of Love to Venezuela (1976).

The War of a Thousand Days: …two most important Liberal leaders, Rafael Uribe Uribe and Benjamín Herrera, surrendered after negotiating peace treaties promising amnesty, free elections, and political and monetary reform. Panama seceded soon after the war.

José Evaristo Uriburu was an Argentine statesman who was his country’s president in 1895–98. Born into an old aristocratic family, Uriburu earned his doctoral degree in law in 1854 and then entered public life. He served in various government positions and held important diplomatic posts in several

José Félix Uriburu was an Argentine soldier who led the military coup that in September 1930 overthrew the liberal regime of President Hipólito Irigoyen and restored the old landed oligarchy to the political power it had lost after the revolution of 1916. Uriburu was a member of the Argentine

uric acid, a compound belonging to the purine group, and the chief form in which nitrogen, resulting from the breakdown of protein during digestion, is excreted by reptiles and birds. Small quantities of uric acid (about 0.7 gram per day) are excreted by humans as a product of the breakdown of

Longmyndian: …as the Eastern and Western Uriconian, geographically separated from each other but similar in lithology and probably broadly contemporaneous. The Eastern and Western Uriconian consist of lavas, tuffs, and intrusive igneous bodies; they are separated from the overlying Stretton Series by a prominent unconformity. Elsewhere, in the Charnwood Forest and…

metabolism: Pyrimidine ribonucleotides: …the phosphorylation of UMP to UDP and thence to UTP by interaction with two molecules of ATP. Uridine triphosphate (UTP) can be converted to the other pyrimidine building block of RNA, cytidine triphosphate (CTP). In bacteria, the nitrogen for this in reaction [74] is derived from ammonia; in higher animals,…

metabolism: Pyrimidine ribonucleotides: …yield the parent pyrimidine nucleotide, uridylic acid (UMP; reaction [73]).

metabolism: Fragmentation of other sugars: …reactions requiring as a coenzyme uridine triphosphate (UTP). Fructose may also be phosphorylated in animal cells through the action of hexokinase [1], in which case fructose 6-phosphate is the product, or in liver tissue via a fructokinase that gives rise to fructose 1-phosphate [17]. ATP supplies the phosphate group in…

metabolism: Pyrimidine ribonucleotides: …yield the parent pyrimidine nucleotide, uridylic acid (UMP; reaction [73]).

Uriel, in the Jewish and Christian Apocrypha and Pseudepigrapha, a leading angel, sometimes ranked as an archangel with Michael, Gabriel, and Raphael. Because his name in Hebrew means “fire of God” or “light of God,” he has been variously identified in Jewish traditions as an angel of thunder and

Karl Gutzkow: …and topical satirical comedy; and Uriel Acosta (1846), which uses the story of the martyrdom of that forerunner of Spinoza to make a plea for religious freedom. By this time he had published the novel Blasedow und seine Söhne (1838; “Blasedow and His Sons”), a humorous satire on the educational…

André Gide: Symbolist period: His works “Narcissus” (1891), Le Voyage d’Urien (1893; Urien’s Voyage), and “The Lovers’ Attempt” (1893) belong to this period.

feast: The significance of seasonal renewal in ancient Mesopotamia: …removed, and the priest (urigallu) hit him in the face and enjoined him to pray for the forgiveness of his sins and the sins of his people. After a profession of innocence, the priest absolved the king, restored his regal insignia, and performed ceremonies with the king to ensure…

religious dress: Early sacerdotal dress: …which the divinatory devices of Urim and Thummim were kept. The book of Exodus specifies that it was to be woven of golden and linen threads dyed blue, purple, and scarlet (28:15). Because of its oracular function, it was called the “breastpiece of judgment.” On the face of the breastplate…

urinalysis, laboratory examination of a sample of urine to obtain clinical information. Most of the substances normally excreted in the urine are metabolic products dissolved or suspended in water. A deviation from normal in the concentration of urinary constituents or the abnormal presence of

urinary bladder, in most vertebrates, except birds, organ for the temporary storage of urine from the kidneys, connected to the kidneys by means of tubular structures called ureters. A urinary bladder is present in fish as an expansible part of the urinary duct, in amphibians and bladder-possessing

fluke: The urinary blood fluke (S. haematobium), which lives in the veins of the urinary bladder, occurs mainly in Africa, southern Europe, and the Middle East. Eggs, laid in the veins, break through the vein wall into the bladder and are voided during urination. The larval fluke…

renal system disease: Disorders of urine flow: Incontinence, the involuntary passage of urine (or feces), may be due to a faulty nerve supply, which either leaves the sphincters relaxed or allows them to be overcome by distension of the bladder. Comatose and disturbed patients, especially among the elderly, are commonly incontinent. Apart…

schistosomiasis: Types and process of infection: (3) Vesical, or urinary, schistosomiasis is caused by S. haematobium, found throughout Africa and the Middle East.

annelid: Excretory system: The basic units of the annelid excretory system are either protonephridia, which have tubules (solenocytes) that end blindly within cells, contain flagella (whiplike projections), and are joined to a common duct that drains to the outside; or metanephridia, which are funnel-shaped structures containing…

annelid: Excretory system: The basic units of the annelid excretory system are either protonephridia, which have tubules (solenocytes) that end blindly within cells, contain flagella (whiplike projections), and are joined to a common duct that drains to the outside; or metanephridia, which are funnel-shaped structures containing…

urinary tract infection (UTI), in humans, inflammation of the renal system characterized by frequent and painful urination and caused by the invasion of microorganisms, usually bacteria, into the urethra and bladder. Infection of the urinary tract can result in either minor or major illness. For

urinary tract obstruction, blockage or constriction at any point in the urinary tract that impedes the normal flow of urine and causes urine to be retained in the bladder or kidneys. When an obstruction causes urine to become backed up into the kidneys, the condition is known as hydronephrosis.

urination, the process of excreting urine from the urinary bladder. Nerve centres for the control of urination are located in the spinal cord, the brainstem, and the cerebral cortex (the outer substance of the large upper portion of the brain). Both involuntary and voluntary muscles are involved.

urine, liquid or semisolid solution of metabolic wastes and certain other, often toxic, substances that the excretory organs withdraw from the circulatory fluids and expel from the body. The composition of urine tends to mirror the water needs of the organism. Freshwater animals usually excrete

Western theatre: Broadway: …operatic repertoire and, as with Urinetown (2001), in employing the musical for social commentary. In addition, the boundaries of the genre were increasingly blurred, as in Julie Taymor’s production of Carlo Gozzi’s The Green Bird (2000). Likewise, the “dance play” Contact (1999), a series of unconnected scenes with no original…

urogenital system, in vertebrates, the organs concerned with reproduction and urinary excretion. Although their functions are unrelated, the structures involved in excretion and reproduction are morphologically associated and often use common ducts. The major structures of the urinary system in

Leon Uris was an American novelist known for panoramic, action-filled works such as the World War II novel Battle Cry (1953) and Exodus (1958), which deals with the struggle to establish and defend the state of Israel. During World War II, Uris dropped out of high school to join the Marine Corps.

Leon Uris was an American novelist known for panoramic, action-filled works such as the World War II novel Battle Cry (1953) and Exodus (1958), which deals with the struggle to establish and defend the state of Israel. During World War II, Uris dropped out of high school to join the Marine Corps.

Urizen, character in the mythology of William Blake. A godlike figure, Urizen personifies reason and law, and Blake believed him to be the true deity worshipped by his contemporaries. Blake first told Urizen’s story, the struggle against the chaos caused by the loss of a true human spirit, in the

Arabic literature: Categories and forms: The urjūzah (a poem composed in rajaz) was also utilized for verbal display and other types of didactic and even obscene poetry.

Hattusilis III: …overthrowing his nephew Urhi-Teshub (Mursilis III).

URL, compact string of numbers, letters, and symbols that a computer uses to find a resource on a network and act upon it. URLs are often colloquially referred to as Web addresses, or simply addresses, since Web pages are the most common resources that users employ URLs to find. However, all files

Brian Urlacher is an American professional gridiron football player known for his aggressive play and hard-hitting tackling. In his senior year of high school, in Lovington, New Mexico, Urlacher played both wide receiver and safety on a team that went 14–0 and won the state football championship.

Brian Urlacher is an American professional gridiron football player known for his aggressive play and hard-hitting tackling. In his senior year of high school, in Lovington, New Mexico, Urlacher played both wide receiver and safety on a team that went 14–0 and won the state football championship.

Gil de Siloé was recognized as the greatest Spanish sculptor of the 15th century. His origins are still a matter of dispute. The many names by which Gil is known are evidence of the confusion surrounding his origin. Urliones, or Urlienes, probably refers to Orléans, and Emberres, or Amberes,

Gil de Siloé was recognized as the greatest Spanish sculptor of the 15th century. His origins are still a matter of dispute. The many names by which Gil is known are evidence of the confusion surrounding his origin. Urliones, or Urlienes, probably refers to Orléans, and Emberres, or Amberes,

Protestantism: Germany: J.A. Urlsperger (1728–1806) sought to promote piety by organizing the Christentumsgesellschaft (“A Society for Christianity”), the German counterpart of the British Society for Promoting Christian Knowledge. Out of it grew the Basel Mission Society. G.C. Storr (1746–1804) and J.F. Flatt (1759–1821) represented the “Old Tübingen…

Austronesian languages: Major subgroups: …which is known today as Proto-Oceanic. The Oceanic hypothesis maintains that all Austronesian languages east of a line that runs through Indonesian New Guinea at approximately 138° E longitude—except for Palauan and Chamorro of western Micronesia—are descended from a single protolanguage spoken many generations after the initial breakup of Proto-Austronesian…

Orūmīyeh, city, capital of West Āz̄arbāyjān province, northwestern Iran. It lies just west of Lake Urmia on a large fertile plain that yields grains, fruits, tobacco, and other crops. The population is mainly Azeri and Kurdish, with Assyrian and Armenian minorities. The remains of ancient

Lake Urmia, lake in northwestern Iran that is the largest lake in the Middle East. It covers an area that varies from 2,000 to 2,300 square miles (5,200 to 6,000 square km). Like the Dead Sea, it is remarkable for the extreme salinity of its waters. Since 1967 it has enjoyed the status of a wetland

polytheism: The nature of polytheism: …the early 20th century an Urmonotheismus, or “original monotheism,” which later became overlaid by polytheism. Like all other theories of religious origins, this theory is speculative and unverifiable. More promising are attempts by sociologists and social anthropologists to penetrate to the uses and significance of the gods in particular societies.

utilitarianism: Utilitarianism since the late 19th century: …utilitarian by another Oxford philosopher, J.O. Urmson; and by the analysis by John Rawls, a Harvard political philosopher, of the significance for utilitarianism of two different conceptions of moral rules. “Act” utilitarianism, on the other hand, was defended by J.J.C. Smart, a British-Australian philosopher.

Urnfield culture: The Urnfield culture first appeared in east-central Europe and northern Italy; from the 12th century bc onward, however, the use of urn cemeteries, or urnfields, gradually spread to Ukraine, Sicily, Scandinavia, and across France to the Iberian peninsula—a movement perhaps associated with folk migrations. In most…

urn moss, any plant of the genus Physcomitrium (subclass Bryidae), characterized by urn-shaped or top-shaped capsules (spore cases) with lobed, hoodlike coverings. Fewer than 10 of the 68 species are native to North America. The most common is P. pyriforme, sometimes called top moss, about 2.5 cm

top moss, (Physcomitrium pyriforme), a common species of urn moss formerly known as P. turbinatum. The common name derives from the top-shaped capsules, which open by a small lid at the tip to release the spores. Physcomitrium is a genus of about 80 species in the family Funariaceae of the subclass

measurement system: Greeks and Romans: sextarius, congius, urna, and amphora for liquids. Since all of these were based on the sextarius and since no two extant sextarii are identical, a mean generally agreed upon today is 35.4 cubic inches, or nearly 1 pint (0.58 litre). The hemina, or half-sextarius, based on this…

Urnfield culture: The Urnfield culture first appeared in east-central Europe and northern Italy; from the 12th century bc onward, however, the use of urn cemeteries, or urnfields, gradually spread to Ukraine, Sicily, Scandinavia, and across France to the Iberian peninsula—a movement perhaps associated with folk migrations. In most…

Urnfield culture, a Late Bronze Age culture of Europe, so called because of the custom of placing the cremated bones of the dead in urns. The Urnfield culture first appeared in east-central Europe and northern Italy; from the 12th century bc onward, however, the use of urn cemeteries, or urnfields,