Corded Ware

A culture found over large parts of the north European plain in the earlier 3rd millennium BC. The characteristic pottery, which has given its name to the culture, is decorated with twisted cord impressions; the most common forms are beakers and amphorae. Associated characteristics are stone batt...

archaeologsEnglishAncient Pottery

Corbridge

[Roman Corstopitum]. A Roman fort in northeast England, situated on the north bank of the River Tyne at the point where the Roman York-Scotland road (Dere Street) forked for Carlisle (the so-called Stanegate road). Probably first established by the governor Agricola in 79-80 ad, it was burnt and ...

archaeologsEnglishPlace Names

Corbel

A way of building in stone that can be used to bridge columns or walls or to roof chambers, but which lacks the keystones of the true arch or vault. It is built up of successive stones each of which juts out over the one below until the gap can be closed by a simple capstone. This method of roofi...

archaeologsEnglishArchitectural

Corbel

Coprolite

Fossilized animal droppings. These are preserved on a variety of archaeological sites, coming from a whole range of animals, including man. The contents can be analysed and food plants, animals and palasites identified.

archaeologsEnglishOthers

Coppergate

See York.

archaeologsEnglishOthers

Coppergate

Copper Age

Another term for Chalcolithic. See also Three Age System.

archaeologsEnglishOthers

Copper

A relatively soft metal, which can be cold worked and melts at a low enough temperature to be cast using the technology available in antiquity. The metal occurs, rarely, as nuggets of native copper; it is in this form that it was first worked by man. More frequently, copper is obtained from ores....

archaeologsEnglishOthers

Coppa Nevigata

A site on the coast of southeast Italy. The first occupation was by a community of shellfish-gatherers, who have left us no trace of other economic activities, though these may well have been practised; they used impressed ware and a specialized microlithic flint industry, and may have been prese...

archaeologsEnglishOthers

Copan

An important Classic Period centre of the Southern Maya located in western Honduras on the Rio Copan, a tributary of the Rio Motagua. Although it is a ceremonial centre of massive proportions, including temple-PYRAMiDS, plazas and a ball court, Copan is best known for its ornate stone carving. 20...

archaeologsEnglishOthers

Copan

Coombe Rock

Periglacial deposit that results from solifluction (see periglacial).

archaeologsEnglishOthers

Coombe Rock

Cook Islands

An extensive island group in the central Pacific, settled by Polynesians about 1000 to 1500 years ago. Archaeological excavations have been undertaken on Rarotonga, Aitutaki and Penrhyn, and many islands of the group have well-preserved examples of Polynesian temples (marae).

archaeologsEnglishOthers

Cook

(1728-79). From 1769 until his death in the Hawaiian Islands in 1779, the great English navigator made three voyages of exploration in the Pacific and made many discoveries in Polynesia and Australia. Cook was not the first European to discover most of the islands he visited, but his accounts of ...

archaeologsEnglishOthers

Cook

Contamination

In general, the term contamination is applied to samples of archaeological deposits or materials which have been affected by contact with other matter. In particular the term is often applied to samples taken for radiocarbon dating which have been affected by their environment. For instance, they...

archaeologsEnglishOthers

Constantinople

See Byzantium.

archaeologsEnglishOthers

Conelle

Ditched settlement site near Arcevia in the Marche, which, together with the site of Ortucchio in Abruzzo, has given its name to a Copper Age culture of east central Italy (Conelle-Ortucchio group). The characteristic pottery is decorated with bands of impressed dots.

archaeologsEnglishPlace Names

Conelle

Conchopata

A site dating to the Early Middle Horizon, located in the Ayacucho Valley near Huari, Peru, and probably the site of a religious shrine. Large beaker-shaped urns, intentionally smashed and concentrated in only a few locations, appear to have votive or some other ceremonial significance. The polyc...

archaeologsEnglishOthers

Conca D’Oro

A Copper Age culture in northwest Sicily, which takes its name from the area around Palermo. A number of cemeteries of rock-cut tombs of the a forno or ovenshaped type have been investigated. They were used for collective burial, and the associated grave goods include pottery vessels and stone an...

archaeologsEnglishOthers

Conca D’Oro

Computers

Machines which can be programmed to calculate and compare, store and manipulate information. They consist of four main components: (1) a central processing unit, in which program instructions are interpreted and calculations carried out; (2) storage units, where information may be held temporaril...

archaeologsEnglishOthers