Concise Oxford Dictionary of Archaeology (737 page)

A bold convex moulding generally semi-circular in cross-section.

 
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A term popularized by Christopher Taylor in 1974 to describe archaeological surveys that develop a diachronic understanding of an area (for example, a parish or county) but drawing on the fullest possible range of sources including field archaeology, the examination of historical sources and records, the study of place-names, the critical use of early maps and plans, and, where appropriate, the integration of folklore and local tradition. Such an approach was found to provide very detailed insights into the evolution of selected tracts of landscape, especially for the post-Roman period, and proved an important step in the development of more broadly based traditions of
LANDSCAPE ARCHAEOLOGY
.

 
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A form of political administration in which power is concentrated in the hands of a dictator, who operates through a mixture of cultivating a devoted following and terrorizing those who do not agree with stated policies.

 
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A multi-purpose electronic surveying instrument with a built-in EDM capable of measuring horizontal distances, slope distances, angles, vertical height differences, three-dimensional coordinates, and a number of other positional features useful in archaeology. Coupled to a digital data-logger the measurements, together with point codes and attribute information assigned by the surveyor, can be downloaded into a surveying, mapping database or a
GIS
programme.

 
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A totem is a guardian spirit of a particular unit of kinship or social organization such as a clan or tribe. A totem may be a species of plant, insect, animal, bird, or even a mythical entity. Totemism is the belief that a group has a particular relationship to its totem, usually seeing it as a sacred ancestor, and thus subject to special taboos and ritual observance.

 
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A pivoted platter which can be rotated manually to ease the manufacture of a pot, but which is not turned mechanically and so is not a potter's wheel.

 
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