Concise Oxford Dictionary of Archaeology (657 page)

BOOK: Concise Oxford Dictionary of Archaeology
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shroud
[Ar].
A sheet-like garment or covering used to wrap a corpse prior to burial.
shrunken medieval village
[MC].
Shu
[Di].
Egyptian god of the air, son of Atum. He and Tefnut were the first pair of the Heliopolitan Ennead. Shu was represented as a man with arms raised above his head holding up Nut, the sky goddess, and separating her from Geb, the earth god. He was the personification of the ‘breath of life’ which gives life to all creatures.
Sibyl
[Ge].
Perhaps originally a single prophetess who wandered from centre to centre, but later there are recognized individuals taking the role of the Sibyl at Delphi, Claros, Dodona, Cumae, etc. That the Sibyl was important at Delphi is proved by the preservation of an outcrop of rock, left unworked in its natural state, in the midst of an area of fine building and statues, just because in early times the Sibyl had given her utterances from that improvised platform.
sickle
[Ar].
A kind of knife designed for reaping corn. Early examples comprise flint blades mounted in a wooden or bone haft.
sickle gloss
[De].
A distinctive shine found along the cutting edges of flint and stone tools that have been used for cutting cereals or grasses. The polish results from the abrasive action of silica present in the stems of wild and cultivated cereals.

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