ark

ark, in the Bible. 1 Boat of Noah, which he built at God's command to preserve his family and certain creatures from the Deluge. 2 Ark of the Covenant, the sacred wooden chest of the Hebrews, representative of God or identified with Him. It was overlaid with gold inside and out and was always heavily veiled; the high priest alone could look upon its uncovered surface. Especially guarded, it was carried about by staves thrust through rings on its side, for to touch it was a profanation punished by death. Uzza, while escorting the Ark, inadvertently broke this law and so lost his life. As its presence implied victory, it accompanied the warriors into battle, where once it was captured by the Philistines. Restored after many years, the Ark found a resting place in Solomon's Temple.

(born Jan. 22, 1875, Floydsfork, Ky., U.S.—died July 23, 1948, Hollywood, Calif.) U.S. film director. After acting in touring stage companies, he sold film scenarios to the Biograph Co., which hired him as a director (1908–13). In over 400 films for Biograph he developed filmmaking as an art form with techniques such as the close-up, the scenic long shot, and crosscutting, and he collaborated with cinematographer Billy Bitzer to create fade-out, fade-in, and soft-focus shots. He nurtured the careers of future stars such as Mary Pickford, Lillian Gish, Mack Sennett, and Lionel Barrymore. His epic dramas The Birth of a Nation (1915) and Intolerance (1916) greatly influenced later filmmakers. After cofounding United Artists Corp. in 1919, he directed Broken Blossoms (1919), Way Down East (1920), and Orphans of the Storm (1921). His last films were Abraham Lincoln (1930) and The Struggle (1931). He is regarded as one of the seminal figures in the history of motion pictures.

Learn more about Griffith, D(avid) W(ark) with a free trial on Britannica.com.

Ark may refer to:

Religion

• Ark (synagogue), a cabinet used to store a synagogue's Torah scroll
• Ark of the Covenant, the consecrated container for the tablets of the Ten Commandments
• Ark of bulrushes, the boat of the infant Moses
• Noah's Ark, according to Abrahamic religions, a large boat built by Noah to keep him, his family, and a core breeding stock of the world’s animals safe

Places

• Ark, Virginia
• Ark, an alternative abbreviation for Arkansas
• The Ark (fortress), a fortress in Bukhara, Uzbekistan
• The Ark (Antarctica), mountain
• The London Ark, an office block in Hammersmith, London, that looks like a ship

People

• Joan of "Ark", occasional mis-spelling of Joan of Arc, a French martyr and saint who led a rebellion against the English, then occupying part of France

Technology

• Ark (computing), an archiving tool
• Ark Linux, a software distribution
• Interstellar ark, a conceptual multi-lifetime space vehicle
• Ark (river boat), a temporary boat used in river transport in eastern North America
• Ark (scooter)

Agriculture

• Chicken ark, a mobile shelter for domestic chickens
• Pig ark, a mobile shelter for domestic pigs

Narratives

• Stargate: The Ark of Truth, a 2007 film following the conclusion of Stargate: SG-1
• Ark (2004 film), a 2005 computer-generated imagery movie directed by Kenny Hwang
• The Ark (Transformers), an Autobot spacecraft in the fictional Transformers Universe
• The Ark (Doctor Who), a series of fiction episodes
• "The Ark" (Stargate Atlantis), an episode of Stargate Atlantis
• Ark (Noon Universe), a fictional planet in a series of novels by Arkady and Boris Strugatsky

Music

• Ark (folk venue), a concert venue in Ann Arbor, Michigan
• Ark (1970s band), led by Scottish singer/guitarist Dave Kelly (Scottish musician)
• The Ark (band), Swedish glam-rock band
• Ark (UK band), a melodic rock band
• ARK (band), a metal band
• Ark (L'Arc-en-Ciel album), by the Japanese rock band L'Arc-en-Ciel
• Ark (The Animals album), a 1983 album by The Original Animals
• "Ark", a song by the Japanese band Sound Horizon
• The Ark (album), a bootleg album by Frank Zappa

Computer games

• Ark (game), 1996 computer game subtitled Search For The Future
• Space colony ARK, from the video game Sonic Adventure 2
• Ark, the main character of video game Terranigma
• The Ark (Halo), a mysterious Forerunner facility from which all the Halos can be controlled in the videogame Halo
• Abel's Ark, from the video game Xenogears
• Abel's Ark, from the video game series Xenosaga
• The Ark, a special suitcase bomb in Splinter Cell
• Ark, Ark, the final level of the original Lemmings video game
• Ark, a teleporting facility from Earth to Mars in the computer game Doom (video game)
• Ark, Dagger's (Princess Garnet) final summon in the video game Final Fantasy IX
• ARK, the Advisors Of Rubi-Ka from the game Anarchy Online

Ships

• , a prestigious ship name in the Royal Navy. It is often the name of the Fleet Flagship, and has been given to five ships:
• , the English Flagship against the Spanish Armada in 1588
• , Britain's second aircraft carrier
• , a ship which saw action in World War II and was sunk
• , an Audacious class aircraft carrier
• , an Invincible class aircraft carrier, the current Fleet Flagship of the Royal Navy

Other

• The Ark (newspaper), California
• Ark (toy company)
• Ark, a literary prize from the Arkprijs van het Vrije Woord

See also

• Arc
• Arch
• ARK
• Arkana