Concise Oxford Dictionary of Archaeology (172 page)

General term applied to a wide range of late Neolithic and early Bronze Age communities in central and northern Europe who used cord-impressed decoration on their pottery, especially beakers and round-bodied amphorae, during the later 3rd millennium
bc
. Their material culture often includes perforated stone battleaxes and single grave burial under a small round barrow or
KURGAN
. Once believed to represent a series of pan-European migrations from the steppe region of southern Russia, and credited with the spread of
INDO-EUROPEAN
languages, it is now recognized that the tradition of making and using corded ware is the result of many local developments that shared certain common ideas. Corded Ware Culture communities are now seen as sedentary agriculturalists. In Scandinavia the Corded Ware Culture is known as the
SINGLE GRAVE CULTURE
.

 
Back
  -  
 
New Search

See
CORDATE
.

 
Back
  -  
 
New Search

A thin raised band of clay which is applied horizontally around the exterior body of a pottery vessel prior to firing, either for ornament or to aid grip.

 
Back
  -  
 
New Search

A type of middle Bronze Age pottery found mainly in the northern parts of the British Isles during the 2nd millennium
bc
, probably derived from
COLLARED URNS
. Cordoned urns are generally tall straight-sided vessels with a flat base, slightly flaring body and a simple rim. Their name derives from the fact that the outer face is decorated with applied cordons which often define regions of the surface which are ornamented with incised decoration.

 
Back
  -  
 
New Search

Ceramic vessels whose outer faces are decorated with motifs created by pressing twisted cord into the soft clay surface before the pot was fired. Sometimes short individual motifs are represented (also called ‘maggot impressions’) where a length of cord has been wrapped around a small stick and then used as a stamp. In other cases long pieces of cord have been closely coiled around the pot and then pressed into the surface.

 
Back
  -  
 
New Search

The archaeological remains resulting from a technique of spade cultivation practised from later prehistoric through to medieval times in the uplands of northern England and southern Scotland. Cord rig is recognized in the field as a corrugated ground surface comprising numerous narrow parallel ridges of soil up to 1m across and 0.15m high, separated by slight furrows. It generally occurs in small plots up to 0.5ha in extent, and is most easily identified from aerial photographs. Cord rig has been recognized running underneath, and thus pre-dating,
HADRIAN'S WALL
, in Northumberland.

 
Back
  -  
 
New Search