Concise Oxford Dictionary of Archaeology (200 page)

The angular distance of a celestial body from the celestial equator. The equator has a declination of 0 degrees, the North Pole one of 90 degrees north. Declination is the only accurate means of expressing the position of the Sun or Moon at any particular time and is calculated from the combination of latitude, azimuth, and horizon height.

 
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A specially designed pond used for attracting and trapping ducks. Of various types but usually with narrowing channels at each corner into which the ducks could be driven or lured.

 
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Latin term for the principal street of a Roman town, theoretically running east–west, and at right angles to the
cardo maximus
.

 
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A deliberately placed object, hoard, or burial of an animal or human, connected with the initiation or completion of a substantial project such as the construction of a house or temple.

 
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Reasoning from the general to the specific. The process involves the evaluation of generalizations by generating hypotheses which can be tested using appropriate data. Deductive research is cumulative and involves the constant refining of hypotheses. See also
SCIENTIFIC METHOD
. compare
INDUCTIVISM
.

 
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A narrow column of sediments taken by drilling into the sea-bed with a piston-corer. Such cores can provide a more or less complete record of climatic changes through the
QUATERNARY
. The superimposed layers of detritus include sediments and the fossil skeletons of sea creatures. In some cases these remains alone can provide indicators of climate and water salinity on the basis of their preferred habitats. They also store information about water chemistry that can be obtained using, for example,
OXYGEN ISOTOPE ANALYSIS
.

 
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