A bovate (oxgang) was an early English measure of land equal to half a virgate and one-eight of a carucate. It was deemed to be the extent that an ox could plough in one day and varied from 8 to 24 acres. Research Bovate
Bucephalus (meaning Ox-Head) was the name of Alexander The Great's horse. When it died, he built a town over its grave in memory and called the town Bucephala. Research Bucephalus
Gold-beater's Skin is a thin material prepared from the large intestine of the ox, formerly used by gold-beaters and sometimes in surgery. Research Gold-beater's Skin
Horn is a general term applied to all hard and pointed appendages of the head, as in deer, cattle, etc, but as a term denoting a particular kind of substance nothing should be called horn which is not derived from the epidermis or outer, layer of the integument, whether on the trunk, hoofs, or head.
Horn is a tough, flexible, semi-transparent substance, most liberally developed in the horns of bovine animals, but also found in connection with the 'shell' of the tortoise, the nails, claws, and hoofs of animals, the beak of bird and turtle, etc
Horn is softened very completely by heat, so as to become readily flexible, and to adhere to other pieces similarly softened. True horn consists principally of an albuminoid principle, keratin, with a small portion of gelatine and a little phosphate of lime. In some species of animals the males only have horns, as for instance the stag. In cattle both male and female have horns, though there are also hornless cattle.
Horns differ widely in the case of different animals. Thus the horns of deer consist of bone, and are deciduous; those of the giraffe are independent bones, with a covering of hairy skin; those of oxen, sheep, and antelopes consist of a bony core covered by a horny sheath. The horns of the rhinoceros alone consist exclusively of horny matter. The horns of oxen, sheep, goats, and antelopes are never shed, except in the case of the prong-horned antelope. The number never normally exceeds four, and in the case of deer the horns are branched.
The various kinds of horns were formerly employed for many purposes. The principal formerly used in the arts are those of the ox, buffalo, sheep, and goat. Deer horns were almost exclusively employed for the handles of knives and of sticks and umbrellas. Those which furnish true horn can be softened by heat (usually in boiling water), cut into sheets of various thickness, which sheets may be soldered or welded together at the edges so as to form plates of large dimensions, and were formerly polished and dyed so as to imitate the much more expensive tortoise-shell. The clippings of horn may be welded together in the same manner, and were formerly made into snuff-boxes, powder horns, handles for umbrellas, knives, forks, etc. As horn has the valuable property of taking on and retaining a sharp impression from a die, many highly ornamental articles were also turned out. Combs for the hair were made from the flattened sheets, and out of the solid parts of buffalo horns beautiful carvings were made. Research Horn
An oxbow is a piece of wood comprising a concave curve between two convex curves, thereby resembling a bow in appearance, used as a collar for a yoked ox, the ends being fastened to the yoke. The term is used in furniture to describe draws and the like which have a similar serpentine shape. Research Oxbow
The zodiac was the name given by the ancient Greeks to the heavens. It was an imaginary belt in the celestial sphere, extending about 80 degrees on either side of the ecliptic, the apparent path of the Sun among the stars. The width of the zodiac was determined originally so as to include the orbits of the Sun and Moon and of the five planets (Mercury, Venus, Mars, Jupiter, and Saturn) that were known to the people of ancient times.
The zodiac is divided into 12 sections of 300 degrees each, which are called the signs of the zodiac. Starting with the vernalequinox and then proceeding eastward along the ecliptic, each of the divisions is named for the constellation situated within its limits in the second century BC. The names of the zodiacal signs are Aries, the Ram; Taurus, the Bull; Gemini, the Twins; Cancer, the Crab; Leo, the Lion; Virgo, the Virgin; Libra, the Balance; Scorpio, the Scorpion; Sagittarius, the Archer; Capricorn, the Goat; Aquarius, the Water Bearer; and Pisces, the Fish. Because of the precession of the equinoxes about the ecliptic, a 26,000-year cycle, the first point of Aries retrogrades about 10 degrees in 70 years, so that the sign Aries today lies in the constellationPisces. In about 24,000 years, when the retrogression will have completed the entirecircuit of 3600, the zodiacal signs and constellations will again coincide.
It is believed that the zodiacal signs originated in Mesopotamia as early as 2000 BC . The Greeks adopted the symbols from the Babylonians and passed them on to the other ancient civilisations. The Egyptians assigned other names and symbols to the zodiacal divisions. The Chinese also adopted the 12-fold division, but called the signs rat, ox, tiger, hare, dragon, serpent, horse, sheep, monkey, hen, dog, and pig. Independently, the Aztec Indians devised a similar system. Research Zodiac
The Banteng or Banting (Bos sondaicus) is a wild ox found in southeastAsia having a black body, slender white
legs, short sleek hair, sharp muzzle, and the back humped behind the neck. It is often domesticated, especially in Borneo and Java. The Banteng is distinguished from the similar Gaur by a white patch on its rump. Research Banteng
The Bison is a large, powerful, genus of ox-like mammals of the family Bovidae. They differ from typical cattle in being larger, with a convex forehead, large legs and a pronounced hump at the shoulders. They also have 14 pairs of ribs, where cattle have 13. The fur is coarse, and long on the head, neck and shoulders. The large head is carried low, the animal being unable to lift its head above shoulder level. Both the male and female are furnished with heavy, curved horns, those of the female being smaller than those of the male. Research Bison
The bubaline antelope (Bubalis mauretanica) is an ox-like antelope found in the deserts of north Africa. It is yellow-brown in colour and has horns which start forward and outward, and then turn backwards. Research Bubaline Antelope
The Probert Encyclopaedia was designed, edited and programed by
Matt and Leela Probert
Abbreviations
Research Bovate
