Concise Oxford Dictionary of Archaeology (130 page)

 
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In Mesoamerica, ceremonial centres represent one interpretation for the main form of urban site, especially in the Olmec and Maya civilizations. Each centre typically comprises monumental religious buildings and temples, administrative buildings, ball-courts, and residential compounds used by the nobility. In this model, most of the population lived in small scattered settlements in the hinterland and only came to the ceremonial centre for festivals and religious gatherings.

 
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A broad term used to refer to constructions or natural features which were attributed special symbolic or cosmological meanings by the communities that built or used them. Mainly non-functional in the strictly utilitarian sense.

 
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Early Neolithic epi-
LINEARBANDKERAMIC
communities occupying the Paris Basin and Loire Valley of northeast France during the later 5th millennium
bc
. Named after the site of Cerny, Essonne, France. The culture is characterized by round-based vessels, some with lugs or handles, carrying impressed decoration made with combs or points. The Cerny Culture precedes the
CHASSEY
in the region.

 
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A hole dug into the ground to serve as a lavatory or for the disposal of human waste. Such pits are commonly encountered on sites of historical age and usually contain a rich assemblage of environmental indicators that can be directly related to the diet and health of those who used the pit. Seeds, pips, insect remains, plant matter, and small fragments of bone are common. Of special interest are the remains of internal parasites from humans and animals. In some cases complete preserved human coprolites have been recovered. Cess pits are far less common on prehistoric sites, perhaps because they are more difficult to recognize after long periods of decay.

 
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Cattle-herding communities living in lower Nubia during the late 3rd and early 2nd millennia
bc
, broadly contemporary with the
KERMA CULTURE
of upper Nubia. In late C-Group times there was extensive trade with Egypt.

 
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