Concise Oxford Dictionary of Archaeology (682 page)

BOOK: Concise Oxford Dictionary of Archaeology
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stadial
[Ge].
A short period of colder climate during a glacial period that is associated with the growth of glaciers and ice-sheets.
stadium
[MC].
An ancient Greek open-air running track and sports ground, providing for spectators by raised earth banks. The stadium was shaped like a hairpin, one end curved and the other, the starting point, either open as at Athens and Delphi, or squared as at Olympia. In the Roman period, stone seating was normal. Occasionally, as at Nicopolis, a Roman stadium was rounded at both ends. The standard length was 600 feet which gave a straight course for the sprint race of about 200 yards. The two-grooved starting line is seen at Corinth (in the agora), Delphi, and Olympia; postholes indicate a separation of the runners at the start.
stage
[Ge].
In American archaeology this term is used to denote a general level of cultural development which may be regional or continental in its applicability. Thus the main North American stages are: Palaeo-Indian, Archaic, Woodland, and Formative.
stained glass
[Ma].
Essentially glass which has been coloured either through painting the surface with translucent material or, more commonly, adding elements to the glass during its production to give a permanent tint. From about the 12th century onwards pieces of cut and shaped coloured glass were joined together in lead frames to produce pictures of scenes, events, and motifs that were put into windows. Mainly used in ecclesiastical architecture, by the 14th century and on into the Renaissance, stained-glass windows were being treated much like a painter's canvas.
stakehole
[Co].
The cavity left behind in the ground after the removal or decay of a stake or post, which would usually have been part of a structure or fence. The cavity becomes filled with soil of a slightly different colour or texture from that into which the stakehole was originally cut, thus allowing its detection by archaeologists.
POSTHOLE
.
St Albans points
[Ar].
Bifacially worked chipped stone projectile points with corner notches, manufactured by early Archaic Stage communities in eastern parts of North America around 7500 bc.

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