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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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Medieval
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1066 AD to 1539 AD (the 11th century AD to the 16th century AD)
The medieval period comes after the Saxon period and before the post medieval period.
The Medieval period begins in 1066 AD. This was the year that the Normans, led by William the Conqueror (1066 – 1087), invaded England and defeated Harold Godwinson at the Battle of Hastings in East Sussex. The Medieval period includes the first half of the Tudor period (1485 – 1603 AD), when the Tudor family reigned in England and eventually in Scotland too. The end of the Medieval period is marked by Henry VIII’s (1509 – 1547) order for the Dissolution of the Monasteries in the years running up to 1539 AD. The whole of this period is sometimes called the Middle Ages. more ->
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LAYER *
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An archaeological unit of soil in a horizontal plane which may seal features or be cut through by other features.
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MINSTER *
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A complex of buildings, often within an enclosure, housing a pre-Benedictine Reform secular religious community. Now commonly used to describe the main church within such a complex, which over time attained higher status.
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COFFIN *
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A chest made of stone, wood or lead, used to enclose a dead body.
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INHUMATION *
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An interment of unburnt, articulated human remains. Use specific type where known.
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PARK *
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An enclosed piece of land, generally large in area, used for hunting, the cultivation of trees, for grazing sheep and cattle or visual enjoyment. Use more specific type where known.
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GRAVE *
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A place of burial. Use more specific type where known.
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VAULT *
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An underground room or building with an arched roof, often used as a burial chamber. Use wider site type where known.
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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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INDUSTRIAL *
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This is the top term for the class. See INDUSTRIAL Class List for narrow terms.
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WELL *
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A shaft or pit dug in the ground over a supply of spring-water.
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WOOD *
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A tract of land with trees, sometimes acting as a boundary or barrier, usually smaller and less wild than a forest.
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CHURCHYARD *
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An area of ground belonging to a church, often used as a burial ground.
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BURIAL *
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An interment of human or animal remains. Use specific type where known. If component use with wider site type. Use FUNERARY SITE for optimum retrieval in searches.
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GARDEN *
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An enclosed piece of ground devoted to the cultivation of flowers, fruit or vegetables and/or recreational purposes. Use more specific type where known.
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HUMAN REMAINS *
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The unarticulated remains of the body of a human being. If articulated use inhumation.
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WALL *
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An enclosing structure composed of bricks, stones or similar materials, laid in courses. Use specific type where known.
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TOWN *
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An assemblage of public and private buildings, larger than a village and having more complete and independent local government.
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* Copyright of English Heritage (1999)