Concise Oxford Dictionary of Archaeology (545 page)

 
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Dark-coloured type of obsidian resembling pitch. Widely used by prehistoric stoneworkers wherever it outcrops.

 
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A class of middle and late Neolithic monument found in the British Isles comprising an arc or ring of shallow but fairly regular oval scoops. In overall diameter such circles are rarely more than 20m across. Deposits comprising selected objects are sometimes found placed in the bottom of the scoops. Some pit circles are found within or adjacent to
HENGE
monuments. See also
TIMBER CIRCLE
.

 
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A style of rather coarse round-bottomed pottery decorated with small pits made in the outer surface of the vessel often in association with the marks left by impressing a bone comb into the clay. Such ware is found widely over the forest zone north and east of the Baltic and in
CIRCUMPOLAR CULTURES
through into northern Russia. It dates mainly to the 3rd and 4th millennia
bc
and is associated with late hunter-gatherer and incipient agriculture-using groups.

 
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See
PIT HOUSE
.

 
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A method of firing ceramic materials in a shallow pit or scoop containing an open fire.

 
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See
KURGAN CULTURE
.

 
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