Concise Oxford Dictionary of Archaeology (109 page)

A viscid substance under the bark of trees in which the annual growth of wood and bark takes place.

 
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Camden , William
(1551–1623)
[Bi].

British antiquary, historian, and traveller. Born in London the son of a painter, he attended St Paul's School and then proceeded to Oxford where he was a student at Broadgate Hall (later Pembroke College). About 1575 he became a master at Westminster School and remained there for the rest of his life. He was appointed headmaster in 1593. During his time at Oxford he made frequent excursions into the countryside to inspect antiquities of various sorts, encouraged by patrons such as Sir Philip Sydney and Fulke Greville . As a result he began making notes of his observations and discoveries, eventually becoming more familiar with the antiquities of the country than anyone else alive. This material was gathered together in his principal work, the
Britannia
, the first edition of which was published in 1586. It includes important early accounts of such major monuments as Stonehenge and Hadrian's Wall. His intension, expressed in the volume, was ‘to restore antiquity to Britain’.
The
Britannia
was revised and enlarged several times during Camden's lifetime, and after his death it continued to be modernized by a series of editors and translators, the most famous of which are Gibson (1695) and Gough (1789). County maps by Christopher Saton and John Norden accompanied the editions from 1607 onwards. Camden published a range of other works too and developed a notable reputation as a historian. He was encouraged in his work by King James I who gave access to state papers. In 1622 he founded a Chair in Civil History at Oxford University. Camden was a respected herald, being Clarenceux King-of-Arms from 1597 until his death. He is buried in Westminster Abbey.
[Bio.: S. Piggott , 1976, William Camden and the Britannia. In S. Piggott ,
Ruins in a landscape
. Edinburgh: Edinburgh University Press]

 
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See
SOUTH CADBURY, SOMERSET, UK
.

 
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A Roman glass object made of two or more layers of different coloured glass bonded together, into the top of which is cut a design. Normally, a lighter coloured glass is used for the upper layer, so that when cut by the engraver the darker under-layer shows through. The technique was used in the manufacture of substantial objects such as vases and decorative plaques, although the commonly found applications are small insets for finger-rings or jewellery.

 
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A subsidiary farm of a preceptory of the Knights Templar or Knights Hospitallers, generally specializing in arable agriculture, pastoral farming, dairying, or fish-keeping. In architectural terms the camerae refers explicitly to the offices of the obedientiaries of the site. In addition to a chapel, a camerae would typically include a great hall and service buildings enclosed by a boundary wall, around which would be appurtenances such as fishponds, windmills, field systems, stock enclosures, and grazing land.

 
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A type of early Bronze Age dagger, named after finds from two later
WESSEX CULTURE
burials: Camerton in Somerset and Snowshill in Gloucestershire. Typically, Camerton–Snowshill daggers have an ogival shaped blade, midrib, and two or three large rivet holes for the attachment of the hilt.

 
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