Concise Oxford Dictionary of Archaeology (544 page)

1
Swimming-bath in a Roman public bath-house.
2
A perforated stone basin for carrying away water used to wash the chalice and the hands of the priest following church ceremonies, often contained in a wall niche near the altar.

 
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Clay, earth, or gravel beaten down until it is solid and used as a building material for floors and walls.

 
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A relatively steep-sided hole dug into the ground surface. Pits are probably the single most common feature encountered during archaeological excavations and are known in many different shapes and sizes. Originally they were probably constructed for many different purposes, from the regular cylindrical or bell-shaped forms used for storing foodstuffs to the highly irregular borrow pits that served as quarries for clay or stone to build or refurbish an adjacent structure. Many others no doubt served as lavatories.

 
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A linear arrangement of pits, typical of the middle and later Bronze Age in southern and central England, originally forming a boundary feature, probably in conjunction with the spoil dug from them raised up as a bank to one side.

 
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Rubble foundations of floors or roads where the stones are packed on edge or slightly inclined.

 
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A deep jar with a fairly open mouth and usually with a handle used for collecting, storing, or serving liquids. Some pitchers have spouts for pouring.

 
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A two- or three-pronged implement equipped with a long handle, made of wood or having a wooden shaft and metal head, used for pitching hay or straw usually in the course of turning it, moving it, or building a storage rick.