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WMA
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West Midlands Archaeology. This publication contains a short description for each of the sites where archaeological work has taken place in the previous year. It covers Herefordshire, Shropshire, Staffordshire, Warwickshire, West Midlands and Worcestershire. Some of these descriptions include photographs, plans and drawings of the sites and/or the finds that have been discovered. The publication is produced by the Council For British Archaeology (CBA) West Midlands and is published annually. Copies are held at the Warwickshire Sites and Monuments Record.
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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.
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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.
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Roman
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About 43 AD to 409 AD (the 1st century AD to the 5th century AD)
The Roman period comes after the Iron Age and before the Saxon period.
The Roman period in Britain began in 43 AD when a Roman commander called Aulus Plautius invaded the south coast, near Kent. There were a series of skirmishes with the native Britons, who were defeated. In the months that followed, more Roman troops arrived and slowly moved westwards and northwards.
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YARD *
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A paved area, generally found at the back of a house.
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ARTEFACT SCATTER *
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A spatially discrete scatter of mixed artefactual material found on the ground, seabed or riverbed which may have been deposited over time rather than resulting from one particular event. Index particular types where appropriate.
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ANIMAL BURIAL *
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Deliberate interment of a complete, or substantially complete, animal. Use the object type thesaurus term ANIMAL REMAINS where skeleton is fragmentary.
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HERB GARDEN *
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A garden for the cultivation of herbs used for medicinal or culinary purposes.
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VILLAGE *
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A collection of dwelling-houses and other buildings, usually larger than a hamlet but smaller than a town with a simpler organisation and administration than the latter.
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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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OVEN *
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A brick, stone or iron receptacle for baking bread or other food in.
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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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ROBBER TRENCH *
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Use broader site type where known
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STONE *
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Use only where stone is natural or where there is no indication of function.
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LIME KILN *
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A kiln in which lime is made by calcining limestone or in some areas chalk.
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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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CHURCH *
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A building used for public Christian worship. Use more specific type where known.
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FURNACE *
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A chamber in which minerals, metals, etc, are subjected to the continuous action of intense heat. Use specific type where known.
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AGRICULTURAL BUILDING *
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A building used for an agricultural and/or subsistence purpose. Use more specific type where known.
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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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MAGNETOMETER *
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An instrument for measuring magnetic forces, especially the strength of terrestrial magnetism.
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VILLA *
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A term for a type of house, with varying definitions according to period. Roman villas were high-status and usually associated with a rural estate, whereas Georgian and later period villas were often semi-detached, town houses.
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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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FIELD *
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An area of land, often enclosed, used for cultivation or the grazing of livestock.
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FIELD SYSTEM *
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A group or complex of fields which appear to form a coherent whole. Use more specific type where known.
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ENCLOSURE *
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An area of land enclosed by a boundary ditch, bank, wall, palisade or other similar barrier. Use 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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SQUARE *
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An open space or area, usually square in plan, in a town or city, enclosed by residential and/or commercial buildings, frequently containing a garden or laid out with trees.
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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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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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IRON WORKING SITE *
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A site used for the production and/or working of metallic iron.
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STONE SETTING *
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An arrangement of one or more standing stones. Use particularly for isolated recumbent stones, or where original form of monument unclear. Use specific type where known.
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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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MINT *
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A place where money is coined under public authority.
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* Copyright of English Heritage (1999)
