Concise Oxford Dictionary of Archaeology (634 page)

 
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A Persian dynasty that ruled an empire extending from India to Syria from about ad 224, when Ardashir Papakan revolted against the
PARTHIANS
, until about ad 651, when the empire was brought to an end by Islamic forces. At its largest the empire extended from Transcaucasia and central Asia in the north to the Indus and southern Arabia in the east and south. In the west the Sassanian rulers were frequently in conflict with the Roman world. Sassanian cities were rich in impressive architecture deployed in palaces, temples, and fortifications. The vast territory was controlled by a relatively centralized political and military system.

 
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Inhumation or cremation burials added to the structure of a barrow mound (long barrow or, more commonly, a round barrow) during the course of its construction. Satellite burials are thus broadly contemporary with the mound-building event, stratigraphically later than the primary burial(s) and earlier than any secondary burials.

 
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A method of recording sites from the air using infrared radiation that is beyond the practical spectral response of photographic film. Useful for tracing prehistoric agricultural systems that have disturbed the topsoil over wide areas.

 
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Egyptian goddess of the Cataract and consort of Khnum. Shown as a woman wearing the white crown and horns. A goddess of fertility and the Inundation. Worshipped at Elephantine, Seheil, Esna, as well as throughout Nubia.

 
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Originally an Indian word to describe the practice of a widow accompanying her husband to the grave. Archaeologists sometimes use the term to describe situations where a female burial is found alongside a male burial in the same grave.

 
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