Concise Oxford Dictionary of Archaeology (17 page)

Coastal city and Hellenistic capital in the northwestern area of the Nile Delta, established by Alexander the Great in 331 bc. It soon replaced Memphis as the capital of Egypt, establishing itself as a hub of eastern Mediterranean trade with its famous double harbour and favourable position at the natural intersection of shipping routes. Important buildings within this trading port included the tomb of Alexander, the temple of Serapis, the great library, and the Pharos which rates as one of the
SEVEN WONDERS OF THE ANCIENT WORLD
. Built of white limestone, the Pharos had three tiers and is estimated to have been 110m high. It was destroyed by an earthquake in the 14th century
ad
.
[Sum.: G. L. Sheen (ed.), 1993,
Alexandria: the site and its history
. New York: New York University Press]

 
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King of Wessex whose exploits are known from the
ANGLO-SAXON CHRONICLE
and the biography written by his friend Asser . Born in Wantage, Oxfordshire, in ad 849, he succeeded to the throne of Wessex in ad 871. After numerous encounters with Viking raiders and a period in hiding in the remote area of Athelney, Somerset, he drove the invaders out of Wessex and forced the
DANELAW
upon then. In consolidating his victory he established stronger links with the Carolingian empire, created an English fleet, and developed a series of fortified towns, known as
Burhs
, across central southern England. He died in ad 899.

 
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Major Romano-British pottery industry based around Farnham in Surrey, England, producing a wide range of wares between the mid 1st century
ad
and the 4th century
ad
. Grey and cream-coloured fabrics predominate.

 
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At its most simple, a flat wooden or metal strip with a scaled straight edge on one side and sighting mounts at each end so that it can be aligned on specific target points when used in conjunction with a plane table. More sophisticated alidades are equipped with telescopic sights and a series of levels and scales to measure vertical angles. See
PLANE TABLE
.

 
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An ecclesiastical establishment which was directly dependent on a foreign monastery. See
MONASTERY
.

 
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The sense that our own abilities, as human beings, are taken over by other entities. The term was originally used by Karl Marx to refer to the projection of human powers on to gods. Subsequently he employed the term to refer to the loss of control on the part of workers over the nature of the labour task, and over the products of their labour. Archaeologically it provides a useful set of concepts for dealing with the development of state-based societies and early industrialization.

 
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