Smetona, Antanas, 1874–1944, Lithuanian dictator. A lawyer, he became a leader of the Lithuanian autonomists under the czarist regime. He was provisional president (1919–20) of Lithuania when ...

The Indo-European Family of LanguagesSubfamilyGroupSubgroupLanguages and Principal Dialects* Asterisk indicates a dead language.AnatolianHieroglypic Hittite*, Hittite (Kanesian)*, Luwian*, Lyc...

Roslavl, city (1989 pop. 60,500), W central European Russia, on the Oster River. It is a road and rail junction and a market town. Known from the 12th cent., Roslavl was chartered under Lithua...

Dmitri Donskoi, 1350–89, Russian hero, grand duke of Moscow (1359–89). He successfully resisted Lithuanian attempts to invade Moscow, and was the first Russian prince since the Mongol conquest...

Schleicher, August, 1821–68, German philologist. A professor at the universities of Prague and Jena, Schleicher wrote studies of the Lithuanian language (1856–57), the German language (1860), ...

Zunser, Eliakum, 1846–1913, Lithuanian folk poet and singer who wrote in Yiddish. The most popular Jewish folk singer of his time, he appeared at weddings all over Russia, delivering sermons a...

Kaunas, Pol. Kowno, Rus. Kovno, city (1993 pop. 429,000), in Lithuania, on the Neman River. It is a river port and an industrial center with industries producing machinery, chemicals, plastics...

Grade, Chaim, 1910–82, Lithuanian novelist and poet. Grade, who wrote in Yiddish, became one of the prominant members of an experimental writers' group during the 1930s. After World War II he ...

Mapu, Abraham, 1808–67, Lithuanian novelist who wrote in Hebrew. For many years an impoverished, itinerant schoolmaster, Mapu gained financial security when he was appointed teacher in a gover...

Neman, Ger. Memel, Lithuanian Nemanos, Pol. Niemen, river, c.580 mi (930 km) long, rising in central Belarus, SW of Minsk. It flows generally W to Grodno, then N and W through S Lithuania to f...