Concise Oxford Dictionary of Archaeology (4 page)

Masonry platform or earth embankment supporting the central structure of a bridge.

 
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A method for detecting atoms of specific elements according to their atomic weights. There are a number of archaeological applications, the most common being in radiocarbon dating. Here, the addition of a series of magnetic lenses and a high-voltage ‘accelerator’ to a mass spectrometer allows
¹⁴
C atoms to be detected in an ancient sample and the amount present determined in a matter of minutes. The technique provides an alternative to the conventional approach which relies on measuring the decay of
¹⁴
C in a sample over a defined period (usually weeks or months). In addition to being relatively quick, AMS determinations can be made on far smaller samples of carbon (1 mg), allowing, for example, the dating of individual cereal grains. AMS is also used for determining
¹⁸
O/
¹⁶
O ratios (see
OXYGEN ISOTOPE ANALYSIS
).

 
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Transference of ideas, beliefs, traditions and sometimes artefacts by long-term, personal contact and interaction between communities or societies. Adoption through assimilation by prolonged contact. Compare
DIFFUSION
.

 
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The closeness of an estimate to the true value. Compare
PRECISION
.

 
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A term applied to a culture, region, or period in which pottery was not made, used, or traded on a regular basis. Instead, containers may have been made from leather, basketry, bark, gourds or other pliable materials. The
aceramic Neolithic
is taken to be the period when plant and animal domestication was already underway but ceramics were not used.

 
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Name used by Homer to refer to the Greeks at
TROY
and other places. Perhaps applicable to Bronze Age communities in the region that are known archaeologically as the
MYCENAEANS
.

 
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