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Geophysical Survey
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The measuring and recording of electrical resistivity or magnetism in order to determine the existence and outline of buried features such as walls and ditches. Geophysical techniques include resistivity survey, magnetometer survey and ground penetrating radar.
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excavation
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Archaeologists excavate sites so that they can find information and recover archaeological materials before they are destroyed by erosion, construction or changes in land-use.
Depending on how complicated and widespread the archaeological deposits are, excavation can be done by hand or with heavy machinery. Archaeologists may excavate a site in a number of ways; either by open area excavation, by digging a test pit or a trial trench. more ->
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Radiocarbon Dating
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Another name for radiocarbon dating is C14 dating. It is used to find out how old some archaeological remains are. Archaeologists do this by measuring the amount of radioactive carbon left in samples of organic material (from the remains of plants or animals).
All organic materials contain radioactive and non-radioactive carbon in fixed amounts while they are part of living plants or animals. When the plant or animal dies the radioactive carbon starts to decay. By comparing the amount of radioactive carbon left in the organic material with the amount of stable carbon, archaeologists can find out how old it is.
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Organic material
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Material that once used to be part of a living animal or plant, such as wood or leather. These materials decay unless they are in waterlogged, very dry or freezing conditions. Because of this, archaeologists do not often find these materials during excavations.
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Prehistoric
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About 500,000 BC to 42 AD
The Prehistoric period covers all the periods from the Palaeolithic to the end of the Iron Age. This is a time when people did not write anything down so there is no documentary evidence for archaeologists to look at. Instead, the archaeologists look at the material culture belonging to the people and the places where they lived for clues about their way of life.
The Prehistoric period is divided into the Early Prehistoric and Later Prehistoric. The Early Prehistoric period covers the Palaeolithic and Mesolithic periods. The Later Prehistoric period covers Neolithic, Bronze Age and Iron Age times. more ->
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Iron Age
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About 800 BC to 43 AD
The Iron Age comes after the Bronze Age and before the Roman period. It is a time when people developed the skills and knowledge to work and use iron, hence the name ‘Iron Age’ which is given to this period. Iron is a much tougher and more durable metal than bronze but it also requires more skill to make objects from it. People continued to use bronze during this period. more ->
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SITE *
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Unclassifiable site with minimal information. Specify site type wherever possible.
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SETTLEMENT *
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A small concentration of dwellings.
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BOUNDARY *
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The limit to an area as defined on a map or by a marker of some form, eg. BOUNDARY WALL. Use specific type where known.
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GULLY *
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A deep gutter, drain or sink.
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CHURCH *
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A building used for public Christian worship. Use more specific type where known.
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PIT CLUSTER *
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A spatially discrete group of pits usually containing artefactual material with little or no accompanying evidence for structural features.
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BOUNDARY DITCH *
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A ditch that indicates the limit of an area or a piece of land.
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PIT *
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A hole or cavity in the ground, either natural or the result of excavation. Use more specific type where known.
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CEMENT WORKS *
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A site where cement is manufactured for the building industry.
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DITCH *
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A long and narrow hollow or trench dug in the ground, often used to carry water though it may be dry for much of the year.
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FIELD BOUNDARY *
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The limit line of a field.
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STORAGE PIT *
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A pit dug in the ground used to store meat, grain and other foodstuffs. A common feature of Iron Age farms.
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POST HOLE *
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A hole dug to provide a firm base for an upright post, often with stone packing. Use broader monument type where known.
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* Copyright of English Heritage (1999)