PISA 



-iovl 



PISISTRATUS 



tury the United States had to fight with Tripoli, 

 Algiers and Tunis to protect its ships from pi- 

 ratical attacks in the Mediterranean (see BAR- 

 BARY STATES). A distinction is made between 

 piracy and privateering (see PRIVATEER). 



PISA, pe'sah, or pe' zah, a city of Italy 

 famed for its beautiful marble bell tower (see 

 subhead below). It is {situated in the northern 

 part of the country, on both banks of the River 

 Arno, six miles from the Mediterranean Sea 

 and forty-nine miles west of Florence. 1 

 contains a university founded in the fifteenth 

 iry and an academy of fine arts, established 

 ly Napoleon, and the town possesses many 

 valuable art treasures. The house where Gali- 

 leo was born is a feature of special interest. 

 Industrially the place is important as a center 

 of cotton manufacture, and it has a prosperous 

 trade in oil and marble. It is the capital of the 

 province of Pisa (in Tuscany), and in 1914 ha4 

 a population of 66,432 (including suburbs). 



Leaning Tower of Pisa. This celebrated 

 structure is a noble example of Romanesque 

 architecture; its erection covered the period 

 from 1174 to 1350. It rises to a height of 179 

 feet, and has the bells in the eighth story. The 

 slant of the tower, which 

 is about fourteen feet from 

 the perpendicular, is in- 

 creasing at the rate of 

 about a foot a century. It 

 is an interesting qu 

 whether or not the archi- 



T. fWBB 

 whocrertrd 'In- tower intended it in -lain. 



.itltholltlo. think the obli<|Ur Jn)-|t|i>n 



was an accidental feature of it- con-tnict ion 



' M el; of I; 

 the I>:IM- and b. t < : md 



Scmicircul 



supported by fifteen columns, surround the low- 

 est portion; above these rise six arcades, each 

 of which has thirty columns, and a top story. 

 with twelve columns. An inner staircase of 

 nearly 300 steps leads to the top, from which 

 the visitor may obtain a magnificent view of 

 the city and the distant sea. Near it is a beau- 

 t if ul marble baptistry, and in front is a fine 

 cathedral 



Consult Ross and Erichsen's Story of Pisa. 



PISA, COUNCIL OF, the name of a council 

 called at Pi>a, Italy, in 1409, to terminate the 

 schism which had agitated the Roman Catholic 

 Church for thirty years. At that time the 

 Church was divided in its allegiance to two 

 Popes, Gregory XII and Benedict XIII. At 

 the Council of Pisa the rival Popes agreed to 

 abdicate, so that a new Pope might be chosen 

 with undisputed title. At the appointed time, 

 however, they failed to comply with the agree- 

 ment, and both were deposed. Alexander V 

 was elected, but Gregory and Benedict refused 

 to waive their rights, rendering the condition 

 worse ; the schism continued eight years longer, 

 and was then ended by another council which 

 met at Constance. 



PISCES, THE FISHES, one of the 



constellations of the zodiac, without one con- 

 spicuous star, notable only as containing the 

 first of Aries, or Vernal Equinox. It now occu- 

 pies the sign of Aries, the first sign of the zo- 

 diac, and contains a pretty double star. Alpha. 

 Pisces is the twelfth sign of the zodiac, into 

 which the sun enters about February 19. The 

 >ymbol of Pisces is X. According to Greek 

 mythology, the Fishes are Venus and her son 

 Cupid, who were turned into fish when ileeinu 

 from the monster Typhon. The old Babylo- 

 nian year of 360 days was supplemented e 



years by an extra month; to this month 



WM i\en the sign of the Fishes of Ea, or 



>n. the fish god celebrated in Chaldean 



leuend.- of the Delude. For illustration, see 



- 



PISCICULTURE, pw'ikulturc. See FISH, 

 .-ublr 



PISISTRATUS, in si*' tra tw (612-527 B.C.), 

 Uheot, the son of Hippocrates, and 



ud and n latrn- of Solon. \\< am- 



bitious for jiov unr Ir.ider of the party 



of the Highlands one of the three parties into 

 \\luih Ath.-ns was divided. It was composed 

 elm fly of the poor and discontent* '1 



won by his gener- 



('laiinmit that he had b.-in subjected to 

 Violent attack d< d in 



