Concise Oxford Dictionary of Archaeology (216 page)

 
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Term used by classical writers to refer to a sector of Celtic society whose principal function was the performance of religious rites. Their training reputedly involved many years of study, and according to Caesar the Druids exercised legal as well as religious authority. Though the Celtic priesthood doubtless has a considerable antiquity, there is no direct evidence to link the Druids of prehistoric times with Stonehenge; this was a fanciful association generated by William Stukeley in the 18th century
ad
. The modern-day Druids, of which there are several hundred orders, are also a recreation of recent centuries, the first modern order being the Ancient Order of Druids founded in ad 1716.

 
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A series of cold climatic phases at the end of the
DEVENSIAN
period when there was a return to almost full glacial conditions. These broadly coincide with the post-glacial
POLLEN ZONES
established by Godwin . The Oldest Dryas (Dryas I/Pollen Zone Ia) dates to
c.
16000 to 15000 years ago; the Older Dryas (Dryas II/Pollen Zone Ic) dates to
c.
12300–11800 years ago; and the Younger Dryas (Dryas III/Pollen Zone III) dates to
c.
11000–10000 years ago.

 
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Late Pleistocene deposits containing two archaeologically relevant layers, situated in the Nenana River Valley in the northern foothills of the Alaska Range in North America. Important as evidence for the colonization of America.Dry Creek I dates to about 9200 bc and contains cobble and flake tools, broken blades, thin bifacial knives, and points. It may be ancestral to Palaeo-Arctic Traditions and in particular to the Nenana Complex. Dry Creek II dates to about 8700 bc and includes microblades and related technology which sits comfortably with local Palaeo-Arctic Tradition assemblages.
[Rep.: W. R. Powers and T. D. Hamilton , 1978, Dry Creek: a late Pleistocene human occupation in central Alaska. In A. L. Bryan (ed.),
Early Man in America from a circum-Pacific perspective
. Edmonton: University of Alberta, 72–7]

 
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A group of apes known only through fossils of the Miocene period.

 
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Walls constructed of stone without the use of mortar. This was the main technique of construction in Europe throughout prehistory and in some regions the tradition continues today. Extremely high-quality and solid walls can be built with the careful selection and bedding of the stones.

 
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