Concise Oxford Dictionary of Archaeology (529 page)

1
In archaeology it is taken to be a unit defining a major block of time. Such a period may contain several phases and pertain to a wide area.
2
In geology, ‘periods’ are second-order time units according to the American Commission on Stratigraphic Nomenclature's internationally agreed scheme set out in 1949. The chronostratigraphic units making up each period are known as systems: thus the
QUATERNARY SYSTEM
embraces the Pleistocene and the Holocene.

 
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The term refers to countries which have a marginal role in the world economy, and are thus dependent on societies in a ‘core area’ producing materials for trading relationships.

 
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A member of the ring of upright stones on the edge of a cairn.

 
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An enclosed area surrounded by columns, central to a villa using a courtyard plan. Also refers to the row, or rows, of columns round a temple.

 
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More or less permanently frozen ground represented as a zone up to 3m deep the surface of which undergoes seasonal freezing and thawing. Common in
PERIGLACIAL
conditions, the effects of permafrost in the creation of geomorphological features such as ice-wedges, involutions, and pingos have important implications for archaeology because they are sometimes confused with anthropogenic features.

 
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A style of architecture found in Britain in the late 14th century
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through to the 16th century
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in which there is a strong emphasis on the vertical elements of construction and decoration. Pointed arches common in earlier centuries are flattened and arches and windows become framed by rectangular outlines. Towers of great height are added to ecclesiastical buildings and ceilings and roofs are often richly decorated.

 
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