Concise Oxford Dictionary of Archaeology (654 page)

An extensive rubbish heap consisting largely of shells discarded after the removal of the soft edible body portion, the result of many years of exploitation of marine resources as a main or supplementary food source. Shell middens are found in many different parts of the world from many different cultures.

 
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See
SHARD
.

 
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A piece of armour carried in the hand or on the arm, usually the left, to protect against and ward off blows from offensive weapons.

 
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Archaic Stage hunting communities living in eastern Canada from about 6000 bc. Few details of these cultures are known, although they were probably caribou hunters. They probably descended from Palaeo-Indian groups in the area. They used Agate Basin points in the Plano tradition of the Northern Plains. They are thought to be ancestral to the Algonquian-speaking Indians of the region who were still living in the area at the time of European contact in the 17th century
ad
.

 
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A strengthened outward-projecting cover at the centre of a shield behind which is the handle or grip used to hold the shield. The purpose of the boss is therefore to protect the hand of the person using the shield. Shield bosses are often of metal, even where the main structure of the shield is wood or leather. They are often decorated or ornamented. The shape and form of shield bosses are often chronologically and culturally specific.

 
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Style of bronze palstave characteristic of the Acton Park Industrial Phase of the British Bronze Age (
c.
1500–1250 bc) with a raised triangular-shaped area cast into the body of the palstave immediately below the stop ridge.

 
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