Concise Oxford Dictionary of Archaeology (446 page)

Early city on the west bank of the River Indus in the Sind region of Pakistan. During the later 3rd and early 2nd millennia
bc
it was one of the twin capitals of the Indus Valley civilization. Excavated by John Marshall in the 1920s, Ernest Mackay in the 1930s, and more recently by Mortimer Wheeler in 1950, George Dales in 1964, and since 1979 a team of architects and archaeologists led by Michael Jansen , the city was set out on a formal grid pattern. Broad streets separated the blocks, each of which was provided with drains and densely built over with structures made of mud brick. Most of the buildings excavated appear to be dwelling houses mainly in the form of ranges of rooms opening from a central courtyard. A block in the middle of the west side stood higher than the rest and seems to have formed a citadel. The citadel is fortified with mud-brick walls and contains within it a ceremonial structure known as the Great Bath, the Granary, the Assembly Hall, and the College. The exact purpose of these structures is not, however, known. The site was abandoned around 1950 bc, seemingly after a massacre of the population, as many skeletons were found lying in houses and in the streets.
[Rep.: M. Jansen and G. Urban (eds.), 1985,
Mohenjo Daro: report of the Aachen University mission, 1979–1985
. Leiden: Brill]

 
Back
  -  
 
New Search

A general measure of hardness represented as a scale running between 1 (soft) and 10 (hard) in which each step is represented by a distinctive mineral: 1 = talc; 2 = gypsum; 3 = calcite; 4 = fluorspar; 5 = apatite; 6 = felspar; 7 = quartz; 8 = topaz; 9 = corundum; 10 = diamond. If a sample of material (e.g. pottery) can be scratched with one of these minerals then it is softer than that mineral; through a process of trial and error a sample's position on the scale can be determined.

 
Back
  -  
 
New Search

Type of circular earth-walled enclosures of the later 2nd millennium
bc
found in the foothills of the middle Mekong Valley in east central Cambodia. Also known as
Cham forts
.

 
Back
  -  
 
New Search

See
MUSEUM OF LONDON ARCHAEOLOGICAL SERVICE
.

 
Back
  -  
 
New Search

Shells from marine, estuarine, freshwater, and land molluscs are well preserved in calcareous archaeological deposits and naturally accumulating sediments. By sampling such deposits and sediments the shells can be recovered and identified to species to reveal a great deal of information about economy and environment. In the case of shell middens, the molluscs mainly accumulate as a result of human discard patterns and thus mainly relate to the economy and eating habits of the community responsible. Other situations, for example buried soils, ditch and pit fills, slopewash deposits, blown sand and loess, old water courses, and alluvium, are important for their environmental evidence because most species prefer to live in particular habitats and rarely move far from home. A typical sample for analysis comprises 1kg of sediment wet-sieved using a 0.5mm mesh. Land Mollusca species can be broadly subdivided into: shade-loving woodland species; open-country grassland, arable, and scree-loving species; catholic species capable of living in a wide range of habitats; and marshland species who live in damp marshy conditions. Freshwater Mollusca can be divided into: slum species that live in small bodies of water, poorly aerated and subject to periodic drying; catholic species found in almost all freshwater contexts; ditch species that prefer plant-rich slow streams; and moving-water species that prefer large bodies of well-oxygenated water. Where accumulating sediments are available it is possible to take samples from different horizons and thus chart changes in local environment through time.

 
Back
  -  
 
New Search