Concise Oxford Dictionary of Archaeology (439 page)

A collective name for Archaic Stage communities of 6th millennium
bc
date living in southern California and whose economic base relied heavily on the collection and processing of plants.

 
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See
X-RAY MILLIPROBE ANALYSIS
.

 
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Pond created as a reservoir in order to provide a regular supply of water to a
WATERMILL
or
TIDEMILL
.

 
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See
LEAT
.

 
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Large circular slab of coarse rock up to 1m in diameter and typically 0.2–0.3m thick used for grinding grain in a mill. One face is roughened by means of a pattern of lines cut into the surface while the other face may be slightly domed. Millstones were used in pairs (an upper and lower stone), a central hole in each taking the spindle that keeps them concentric and in the case of the upper stone attaches to the power source that turns it.

 
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South American term (literally meaning ‘cornfields’) for slash and burn agriculture. Trees are cut down in December, brush and scrub being continually cleared in ensuing months, and the dried vegetation is burnt the following April. This process leaves behind a layer of nutrient-rich ash and charcoal on the ground surface. Using a digging stick to make holes, seeds of maize, beans, squash or peppers are planted in the ash. If the rains come on time in May the seeds will be well watered and produce a good crop. Fertility depends on the quality and thickness of the ash layer. Few milpa plots allow more than two years cultivation, often with up to twenty years left fallow in between for trees to regenerate and provide the fuel to supply the next layer of ash.

 
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