Concise Oxford Dictionary of Archaeology (676 page)

Large Iron Age hillfort overlooking the Somerset lowlands excavated between 1966 and 1970 by Leslie Alcock . Although there was occupation on the hilltop in the Neolithic it was not until around 600 bc that the site was defended by substantial ramparts. Over a period of about five centuries the site was intensively occupied and remodelled several times over. The use of the fort carried on past the Roman invasion at least to about ad 70 when for some reason there appears to have been an attack and some of the inhabitants massacred. From around ad 470, however, the site saw renewed activity. The ramparts were refurbished and those living inside the fort had access to imported pottery from the Mediterranean. The excavator associates this phase with the legendary site of Camelot, a proposal first put forward by John Leyland in the 16th century. Whether or not it was Arthur's fortress, the defences were strong and inside the enclosure was a massive timber hall 19m by 10m divided by a single partition and accessed through a pair of doors in the long sides. This occupation lasted until about ad 557 and was the last major use of the hilltop, although King Aethelred took his forces there in ad 1010 and ad 1017 when under Danish attack, and in medieval times a small church and a mint were built there.
[Rep.: J. Barrett and A. Woodward , 2000,
Cadbury Castle, Somerset: the later prehistoric and early historical archaeology
. London: English Heritage]

 
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A recurrent series of motifs, designs, and artefacts, often death-related, which suggests shared beliefs or understandings among a variety of Mississippian cultures in the southeastern part of North America in the 13th century
ad
. The motifs include crosses, the feathered serpent, ‘sun circles’, swastikas, and skull and long-bone, and eye-and-hand symbols. Traditionally, the repertoire is believed to owe something to Mesoamerican influences, but local origins are now regarded as more likely. The chiefly elites appear to have been the main participants in the cult, and whatever ceremonies and activities were involved they are likely to have been orientated to supporting the power and authority of these individuals.

 
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One of the two key dimensions fundamental to archaeological research (see also
TIME
) and seen in a variety of ways.
Physical space
is of interest to archaeologists because human action is variously distributed in spatial terms and thus has to be explained. Distribution maps and, at a smaller scale, excavation plans help with this. Further detail can be added through studies of land use and the environment. More relevant, however, is
social space
, the arrangement of the world created by its inhabitants and defined by them in terms of differential values, emotions, and attributed meanings. Social space is defined and manipulated using material culture, and people's experiences of it and engagement with it are structured using the same means. Social space is also structured in terms of power, gender, and social relations through the subdivision of space and the control of access to it.
LANDSCAPE
and
TASKSCAPE
.

 
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In amber necklaces of the early Bronze Age, broad, flat, specialized beams or spacer-plates were used to keep separate the strands of a multi-strand necklace by means of their several internal perforations, and to enable the strands to bifurcate as the necklace widened from neck to chest.

 
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Negative semi-circular impressions left in the ground as a result of systematically digging an area using a spade. The marks are best seen archaeologically when the tip of the spade penetrates and removes a slide of subsoil which is then replaced by mixed soil from above as the ground subsequently compacts.

 
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