Concise Oxford Dictionary of Archaeology (541 page)

A rounded stone slab placed under the head of a body in a grave. Some examples dating to the later 1st millennium
ad
in northern Europe have
RUNIC
inscriptions on them.

 
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A gravel pit at Barkham Manor near Lewes on the south coast of central southern England where between 1908 and 1915 Mr Charles Dawson found what were claimed to be skull fragments of modern type with a jaw of more ape-like appearance. Those keen to promote a link between apes and humans saw the finds as the ‘missing link’, but even by 1935 serious doubts were cast on the integrity of the finds and it later emerged that the whole thing was a hoax. Pieces of crania from a modern human and the jaw from an orangutan had been artificially aged and ‘planted’ together in a deposit alongside a variety of other animal remains.
[Sum.: R. Millar , 1998,
The Piltdown mystery: the story behind the world's greatest archaeological hoax
. London: S. B. Publishers]

 
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See
PULSED INDUCTION METER
.

 
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At its simplest, a pin comprises no more than a thin strip of metal or bone, the shaft or shank, with a point at one end and a head at the other. Mainly used to secure clothing together. Many elaborate styles were developed, however, usually by ornamenting and expanding the head in some way.

 
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A thin rod of wood or bone (occasionally stone) with tapering ends used to compact the weft threads on an upright loom by pushing down between each of the warp threads one at a time. See also
WEAVING COMB
.

 
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Simple technique of making pots by crudely shaping a ball of clay and then, by forcing the thumb into the centre, gradually pinching out the walls to an even thickness and the desired shape.

 
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