Concise Oxford Dictionary of Archaeology (132 page)

 
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General term elaborating the basic
THREE AGE SYSTEM
divisions that is used to refer to the Copper Age which, where archaeologically recognized, lies after the Neolithic and before the Bronze Age. Many areas do not have a Chalcolithic period.

 
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Semi-nomadic communities who moved into southern Mesopotamia in the early 1st millennium
bc
from the west, settling down as sedentary groups although still organized as tribal descent groups. Strongly associated with
UR
and the biblical stories of Abraham , the Chaldeans contributed to political and economic upheavals in Assyria and Babylonia when they first settled the area, but in the 8th century
bc
they strongly resisted the Assyrian occupation of Babylonia. The rulers of the neo-Babylonian empire in the mid 1st century
bc
are sometimes referred to as being of the Chaldean Dynasty, but there is no evidence that they were Chaldeans.

 
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Bottle-shaped underground chamber found in Mesoamerica, variously used for storing food or water. Mainly constructed during the 1st millennium
ad
.

 
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A general term covering a wide range of generally stone-built tombs in which one or more cells or chambers were used to receive successive burials over a period of time. Chamber tombs of different kinds were built in many different parts of the world at various times and in a range of contexts.

 
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A style of enamelling in which the enamel is melted into a series of incised hollows in the surface of a piece of metal. Initially developed in the later 1st millennium
bc
amongst Iron Age metalworkers, the technique was afterwards copied by Anglo-Saxon metalworkers for the production of escutcheons for hanging bowls and the roundels supporting the handles of bronze bowls.

 
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