Concise Oxford Dictionary of Archaeology (425 page)
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Authors: Timothy Darvill
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medieval frontier work
[MC].
[MC].
medieval period
[CP].
[CP].
Also known as the Middle Ages. When used in Britain, the term defines the period between about ad 800 and
c.
ad 1500, though in practice it is often divided into a pre-conquest or early medieval period (ad 800–1066) and a post-conquest, later medieval or high medieval period (ad 1066–1500).
c.
ad 1500, though in practice it is often divided into a pre-conquest or early medieval period (ad 800–1066) and a post-conquest, later medieval or high medieval period (ad 1066–1500).
Medway tomb
[CP].
[CP].
A regional style of Neolithic
LONG BARROW
found in the area around the River Medway in north Kent. Characterized by rectangular mounds with peristaliths and simple square chambers at one end of the mound. About ten examples are known in the group, of which the most fully explored is The Chestnuts at Addington excavated by John Alexander in 1957.
LONG BARROW
found in the area around the River Medway in north Kent. Characterized by rectangular mounds with peristaliths and simple square chambers at one end of the mound. About ten examples are known in the group, of which the most fully explored is The Chestnuts at Addington excavated by John Alexander in 1957.
meeting house
[MC].
[MC].
A non-conformist place of worship. The term was (and still is) used particularly by Independents and Quakers.
megafauna
[De].
[De].
General term for the large-bodied big-game animals that flourished during the Pleistocene and its immediate aftermath. The main megafauna species in the Northern Hemisphere included: mammoth, mastodon, bison, giant sloth, and sabre-tooth tiger.
megafauna extinction
[Ge].
[Ge].
All over the world the early Holocene period saw the decline and extinction of
MEGAFAUNA
. The causes of this are a matter of some debate. Changing environmental and climatic conditions must have played a part, but so too did the activities of hunter-gatherer populations. With reference to North America, where 32 genera of mammals became extinct, Paul Martin has argued that the
CLOVIS CULTURE
big-game hunters were responsible for the megafauna extinction because of wasteful hunting methods.
MEGAFAUNA
. The causes of this are a matter of some debate. Changing environmental and climatic conditions must have played a part, but so too did the activities of hunter-gatherer populations. With reference to North America, where 32 genera of mammals became extinct, Paul Martin has argued that the
CLOVIS CULTURE
big-game hunters were responsible for the megafauna extinction because of wasteful hunting methods.
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