Concise Oxford Dictionary of Archaeology (672 page)

A type of tool typical of the later stages of the European Bronze Age in which the body of the tool is hollow so that it can receive a shaped projection at the end of the haft in order to secure the haft to the metal axehead. Socketed axes were produced in multi-piece moulds.

 
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A type of spearhead typical of the middle and later stages of the European Bronze Age in which an elongated hollow was cast into the base of the blade to receive the shaped end of the wooden spear shaft. Some socketed spearheads are fixed to the shaft by means of a peg set at right angles through the metal walls of the spearhead and the wooden shaft within; others are secured by lashings fixed to loops cast into the base of the metal spearhead.

 
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The underside of an architectural feature such as an arch, lintel, vault, or stair meant to be seen from below.

 
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Method of flaking stone or flint in which a relatively soft material such as antler, bone, or wood is used to strike flakes or blades from the core.

 
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A general term describing the organic-rich surface layer that forms naturally on the top of most bedrock types as a result of the weathering of the parent material, the addition of water-borne, air-borne, and anthropogenically introduced extraneous material, and the build-up of organic matter through colonization by plants. The study of soils is known as pedology. See also
SOIL PROFILE
.

 
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The study of the chemical composition and properties of soils and archaeological deposits in order to determine the nature and extent of activities within the area examined.

 
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