Concise Oxford Dictionary of Archaeology (502 page)

 
Back
  -  
 
New Search

A type of
ACHEULIAN
bifacially worked handaxe with an oval or elliptical shape. Most are relatively thin in cross-section, and have either a flat or deliberately twisted profile.

 
Back
  -  
 
New Search

A closed structure used for cooking, distinct from a hearth. Ovens are generally constructed of clay or stone. In simple examples a fire is lit inside the chamber and is then cleared out before the food is put in to cook in the residual heat. In more sophisticated examples there is a separate firebox and cooking chamber so that the heat can be maintained and varied during the cooking process.

 
Back
  -  
 
New Search

See
COLLARED URN
.

 
Back
  -  
 
New Search

A phase of the British early Bronze Age spanning the period 2000–1650 bc which was defined by Colin Burgess in the late 1970s. Coming immediately after the
MOUNT PLEASANT PERIOD
, the Overton Period sees the emergence of what are often regarded as traditional Bronze Age burial practices: cremations in cinerary urns and inhumations and cremations accompanied by food vessels. The period also saw the final stages of the use of
BEAKER
pottery. It is named after the barrow cemetery at West Overton near Avebury in Wiltshire.
The richly furnished early
WESSEX CULTURE
burials dominated by inhumations and associations with
ARMORICO-BRITISH DAGGERS
belong to the Overton Period, including the Bush Barrow burial from near Stonehenge in Wiltshire. Metallurgy during the Overton Period fits within Burgess's Stage VI, the Falkland industrial phase which shows influences from the classic Ún
tice/Reinecke A2 metalworking on the continent. The Overton Period is succeeded by the
BEDD BRANWEN PERIOD
.

 
Back
  -  
 
New Search

See
SHEEP
.

 
Back
  -  
 
New Search