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TBAS
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Transactions of the Birmingham and Warwickshire Archaeological Society is a journal produced by the society annually. It contains articles about archaeological field work that has taken place in Birmingham and Warwickshire in previous years. Copies of the journal are kept by the Warwickshire Sites and Monuments Record.
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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.
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Aerial Photograph
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Aerial photographs are taken during an aerial survey, which involves looking at the ground from above. It is usually easier to see cropmarks and earthworks when they are viewed from above. Aerial photographs help archaeologists to record what they see and to identify new sites. There are two kinds of aerial photographs; oblique and vertical.
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Neolithic
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About 4000 BC to 2351 BC
The word ‘Neolithic’ means ‘New Stone Age’. Archaeologists split up the Neolithic period into three phases; early, middle and late. The Neolithic period comes after the Mesolithic period and before the Bronze Age.
People in the Neolithic period hunted and gathered food as their ancestors had but they were also began to farm. They kept animals and grew crops. This meant that they were able to settle more permanently in one location instead of constantly moving from place to place to look for food.
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Bronze Age
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About 2500 BC to 700 BC
The Bronze Age comes after the Neolithic period and before the Iron Age.
The day to day life of people in the Bronze Age probably changed little from how their ancestors had lived during the Neolithic period. They still lived in farmsteads, growing crops and rearing animals.
During the Bronze Age people discovered how to use bronze, an alloy of tin and copper (hence the name that has given to this era). They used it to make their tools and other objects, although they continued to use flint and a range of organic materials as well. A range of bronze axes, palstaves and spears has been found in Warwickshire.
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SITE *
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Unclassifiable site with minimal information. Specify site type wherever possible.
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BUILDING *
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A structure with a roof to provide shelter from the weather for occupants or contents. Use specific type where known.
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FEATURE *
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Areas of indeterminate function.
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GULLY *
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A deep gutter, drain or sink.
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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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STAKE HOLE *
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A hole in the ground which has been created by driving or hammering an upright stake into the ground. As a feature of some archaeological sites they may often represent the only surviving evidence for the former presence of an above-ground structure.
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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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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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STRUCTURE *
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A construction of unknown function, either extant or implied by archaeological evidence. If known, use more specific type.
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ROUND *
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A small, Iron Age/Romano-British enclosed settlement found in South West England.
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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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* Copyright of English Heritage (1999)
