Concise Oxford Dictionary of Archaeology (709 page)

A massive tower built of dry-stone walling found in the Balearic Islands of the western Mediterranean, similar to the
NURAGHE
of Sardinia. Talayots (the local word for ‘watch-towers’) were built in a range of forms with circular, square, and stepped examples. Most have a central chamber and are of Bronze Age date, broadly 1500–500 bc. Many became the focus of a small village of dry-stone-built houses.

 
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1
A unit of weight used in the classical Greek world and Near East, the equivalent of 60 minas, 25.86kg in Athens.
2
A coin which in Pericles' time in Athens was equivalent in value to 6000 drachmae at a time when a normal wage for a week's work was 3.5 drachmae.

 
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A rest-house found along Inca roads in South America. These stations were spaced at intervals of about 3km, with larger examples at intervals of about one day's travel. Tampo were used by official travellers and as posts for relay runners. Each tampo was equipped with rest-rooms and government stores; stationed at each were the runners (
chasqui
) responsible for carrying messages relay-fashion throughout the empire.

 
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Chinese dynasty of the period ad 618 to ad 907. The T'ang period falls into two parts, the first being from the foundation of the dynasty until the rebellion of An Lu-Shan in ad 756. During this time the empire was ruled successively by T'ai Tsung , the empress Wu , and the emperor Hsuan Tsung . In the second period, after the An Lu-Shan disaster, the court never regained full control of the administration of the provinces, military governors becoming increasingly powerful. The capital was at Chang'an, but the dynasty was destroyed by a series of internal rebellions from ad 874 onwards.

 
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A narrow projection on the base of a stone, bone, or metal tool or weapon that was used to attach a handle or shaft of a different material.

 
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A projectile point of flint or stone, typically of triangular or leaf-shaped form, with a small projection at the base for the secure attachment to a wooden shaft.

 
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