Concise Oxford Dictionary of Archaeology by Timothy Darvill Page B
Authors: Timothy Darvill
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designs. Many of the sites lie high in the mountains and may have been occupied by transhumant pastoralists. Inhumation cemeteries are known.
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Apet (Opet, Epet) [Di].
Egyptian goddess, sometimes claimed as mother of Osiris. Shrine at Karnak.
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Aphrodite [Di].
Greek goddess, probably derived from a Phoenician fertility goddess whose domain embraced all nature: vegetable, animal, and human. Later she became the goddess of love in its noblest as well as in its most degraded form. She also became a marine deity. Homer describes her as the daughter of Zeus and Dione, but a more compelling story has her rising from the sea on Cyprus. Equated with the Roman Venus.
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Apis [Di].
Egyptian god, the sacred bull of Memphis, a form of Ptah-Osiris. Recognized by a blaze on the forehead, marks on the tongue and certain hairs on the back. Buried in Serapeum at Sakkara which was the main sanctuary. Many representations of him with sun disc on his head between horns.
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AP:NAP ratio [Ge].
In looking at the results of POLLEN ANALYSIS , the proportion of tree pollen (arboreal pollen) can be compared with the amount of pollen from other plants (non-arboreal pollen) to provide a general impression of whether the landscape was wooded or not. This is known as the AP:NAP ratio.
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apodyterium [Co].
Latin name for the changing room in a Roman bath building. Some examples are equipped with wall niches for storing clothes and belongings.
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Apollo [Di].
Greek and Roman god of uncertain derivation: possibly in origin a Hittite god or a Hellenic double of the Arab god Hobal. He was the god of light, a sun god (but not the sun itself, which was Helios), who delighted in high places. He made the fruits of the earth to ripen and in some areas the first fruits were dedicated to him. He was also the god of divination and prophecy. Traditions record that Apollo was the son of Leto, first wife of Zeus. His retinue includes the Muses and his chosen land was Delphi. Apollo is often depicted carrying a bow and arrows which he uses in hunting.
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apotropaic [De].
Referring to an image or device which is designed to ward off unwanted influences.
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appliqué [Ge].
A decorative figure or motif made separately, usually in a mould, and applied or fixed to the surface of a pot before slip-coating and fitting.
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apse [Co].
The semi-circular recess usually in the short end wall of the long basilica or Roman law court in which was the dais for the tribunal. When early Christians built churches on the basilica plan, the seats of the Elders were ranged around the apse to the east of the altar, as in the early Christian church at Delos.
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apsidal [De].
In architecture, having one end of a building rounded in plan.
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apsidiole [Co].
A small subsidiary apse.
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aquatic civilizations [De].
A general term applied to those early civilizations whose subsistence base depended on water management for the cultivation of crops and the maintenance of the land: for example, Egypt, Mesopotamia, and the Indus Valley.
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aqueduct [MC].
An artificial conduit used to supply water to a city from a source some distance away.
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Aramaens [CP].
A group of SEMITIC peoples who moved out of the Syrian desert to conquer the Canaanites of Syria and set up their own city-states in the 12th and 13th centuries bc .
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Arawak [CP].
Linguistically associated peoples who inhabited parts of the Caribbean and the adjacent mainland of northeastern South America at the time of Columbus in the 16th century ad . All were
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Apet (Opet, Epet) [Di].
Egyptian goddess, sometimes claimed as mother of Osiris. Shrine at Karnak.
Back -
New Search
Aphrodite [Di].
Greek goddess, probably derived from a Phoenician fertility goddess whose domain embraced all nature: vegetable, animal, and human. Later she became the goddess of love in its noblest as well as in its most degraded form. She also became a marine deity. Homer describes her as the daughter of Zeus and Dione, but a more compelling story has her rising from the sea on Cyprus. Equated with the Roman Venus.
Back -
New Search
Apis [Di].
Egyptian god, the sacred bull of Memphis, a form of Ptah-Osiris. Recognized by a blaze on the forehead, marks on the tongue and certain hairs on the back. Buried in Serapeum at Sakkara which was the main sanctuary. Many representations of him with sun disc on his head between horns.
Back -
New Search
AP:NAP ratio [Ge].
In looking at the results of POLLEN ANALYSIS , the proportion of tree pollen (arboreal pollen) can be compared with the amount of pollen from other plants (non-arboreal pollen) to provide a general impression of whether the landscape was wooded or not. This is known as the AP:NAP ratio.
Back -
New Search
apodyterium [Co].
Latin name for the changing room in a Roman bath building. Some examples are equipped with wall niches for storing clothes and belongings.
Back -
New Search
Apollo [Di].
Greek and Roman god of uncertain derivation: possibly in origin a Hittite god or a Hellenic double of the Arab god Hobal. He was the god of light, a sun god (but not the sun itself, which was Helios), who delighted in high places. He made the fruits of the earth to ripen and in some areas the first fruits were dedicated to him. He was also the god of divination and prophecy. Traditions record that Apollo was the son of Leto, first wife of Zeus. His retinue includes the Muses and his chosen land was Delphi. Apollo is often depicted carrying a bow and arrows which he uses in hunting.
Back -
New Search
apotropaic [De].
Referring to an image or device which is designed to ward off unwanted influences.
Back -
New Search
appliqué [Ge].
A decorative figure or motif made separately, usually in a mould, and applied or fixed to the surface of a pot before slip-coating and fitting.
Back -
New Search
apse [Co].
The semi-circular recess usually in the short end wall of the long basilica or Roman law court in which was the dais for the tribunal. When early Christians built churches on the basilica plan, the seats of the Elders were ranged around the apse to the east of the altar, as in the early Christian church at Delos.
Back -
New Search
apsidal [De].
In architecture, having one end of a building rounded in plan.
Back -
New Search
apsidiole [Co].
A small subsidiary apse.
Back -
New Search
aquatic civilizations [De].
A general term applied to those early civilizations whose subsistence base depended on water management for the cultivation of crops and the maintenance of the land: for example, Egypt, Mesopotamia, and the Indus Valley.
Back -
New Search
aqueduct [MC].
An artificial conduit used to supply water to a city from a source some distance away.
Back -
New Search
Aramaens [CP].
A group of SEMITIC peoples who moved out of the Syrian desert to conquer the Canaanites of Syria and set up their own city-states in the 12th and 13th centuries bc .
Back -
New Search
Arawak [CP].
Linguistically associated peoples who inhabited parts of the Caribbean and the adjacent mainland of northeastern South America at the time of Columbus in the 16th century ad . All were
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