Concise Oxford Dictionary of Archaeology (547 page)

BOOK: Concise Oxford Dictionary of Archaeology
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Plains Coalescent
[CP].
A general term referring to the last of the five main cultural historical stages defined for the archaeology of the Great Plains of central North America: broadly the period
c.
ad 1400 down to European contact. Succeeding the Plains Village, Plains Coalescent is characterized by the movement of Plains Village Indians from the Central Plains to the middle Missouri area. The reason for the movement was probably a period of prolonged drought.
Plains later Archaic
[CP].
A general term referring to the second of the five main cultural historical stages defined for the archaeology of the Great Plains of central North America: broadly the period
c.
1000 bc–ad 200. Succeeding the Archaic and preceding the Plains Woodland.
Plains Village
[CP].
A general term referring to the fourth of the five main cultural historical stages defined for the archaeology of the Great Plains of central North America: broadly the period
c.
ad 800–1400. The Plains Village Tradition is characterized by a wide diversity of essentially semi-sedentary village-based groups broadly divisible into those of the Southern Plains, Central Plains, Oneota, and middle Missouri. The subsistence base of all these groups was mainly maize and other tropical cultigens, although bison was a significant part of the diet in eastern areas. Many of the settlements were defended, with enclosed clusters of rectangular or square houses. Many of the Plains Village communities were in regular contact with each other and in the southwest area there was widespread contact with Pueblo communities to the southwest. Horses were introduced from the southwest in historic times and led to greater mobility, but this was short-lived as the village tribes were gradually destroyed by European and American diseases, spirits, trade, war, and treaties.
Plains Woodland
[CP].
A general term referring to the third of the five main cultural historical stages defined for the archaeology of the Great Plains of central North America: broadly the period
c.
ad 200–800, succeeding the Plains later Archaic and preceding the Plains Village. These Plains Woodland cultures were the western counterparts of the Hopewell Culture of the middle Woodland stage further east. However, Plains Woodland cultures retained a subsistence base which relied on hunting deer and small mammals and gathering wild plant foods.
Plainview points
[Ar].
Bifacially worked chipped stone projectile points found in central areas of North America in the period around 8000 bc. Similar in form to
CLOVIS
points although lacking the distinctive flutes of Clovis and perhaps pre-dating them in some areas.
plan
[Eq].
A small-scale map that records in the form of a drawing the disposition and arrangement of visible features and items within a site or excavation trench projected as a horizontal plane. As such, plans form one of the most important elements in documenting and recording the examination of archaeological deposits.

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