Concise Oxford Dictionary of Archaeology (743 page)

A hole or depression in the subsoil caused by root action from the long-term presence of a large tree or as a result of a substantial tree being toppled (e.g. by the wind), so that in falling it pulls out part of its root system and associated soil/subsoil, leaving a depression in the ground. Some tree holes recorded in excavations are of considerable antiquity.

 
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See
DENDROCHRONOLOGY
.

 
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A wooden coffin made by cutting a tree trunk longitudinally so that one part (usually the larger) is hollowed out while the other can be used as a lid. In the British Isles this kind of construction is typical of the early 2nd millennium
bc
. Also known as monoxylous coffins, they are often rather similar to dugout canoes.

 
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In archaeology the term trench is used to refer to any area of ground that is subject to a formal excavation. Although originally archaeological trenches were often long narrow cuttings, since the 1950s there has been a trend towards the use of larger and more open areas.

 
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A procedure for producing a generalized map from observed distributions by standardizing data represented at a number of sample points (for example, the percentage of a particular kind of pottery represented in a series of assemblages) and then drawing contour lines to show different levels of representation. Such a map will show the broad trends and also local variations in the distribution, in part at least overcoming irregularities in the distribution of sample points.

 
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Surgical operation involving the removal of a disc of bone from the skull. First practised by Neolithic communities in Europe using flint blades, presumably for the relief of physical, mental, or spiritual ailments. Widely practised since prehistory in many parts of the world and still occasionally used today.

 
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