Concise Oxford Dictionary of Archaeology (444 page)

 
Back
  -  
 
New Search

Pre-Classic chiefdom-based communities sharing cultural and linguistic affinities, centred on Oaxaca in Mexico during the period ad 700–1500. Mixtec craftsmen excelled in metalworking and stoneworking, as well as in sculpture, the painting of pottery, and the manufacture of folding books made of bark paper or deerskin. These codices recount the exploits of Mixtec rulers using a mixture of pictographs and phonetic symbols.

 
Back
  -  
 
New Search

Large elongated oval or lozenge-shaped bone, antler, or ivory points from the cave of the same name in the Czech Republic, characteristic of the Aurignacian in central Europe.

 
Back
  -  
 
New Search

Egyptian god, sacred bull of Re at Heliopolis.

 
Back
  -  
 
New Search

Colossal stylized stone human figures found on Easter Island. About 1000 examples are known, all made from volcanic tuff quarried at Rano Raraku on the island. They were made between ad 600 and ad 1500, each being up to 10m high and weighing up to 82 tonnes. Some originally wore a cylindrical red stone head-dress and had white coral eyes fitted. They are regarded as ancestral figures.

 
Back
  -  
 
New Search

A deliberately constructed ditch or cutting filled with water that surrounds a structure or settlement. Moats are usually constructed to provide a measure of defence, drainage of the central area, and/or a supply of aquatic food resources such as fish and fowl.

 
Back
  -  
 
New Search