Concise Oxford Dictionary of Archaeology (410 page)

The Roman spirits of the dead to whom dedications were often made on tombstones using the formula D.M. standing for
Dis Manibus
.

 
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An Egyptian historian who lived during the reign of Ptolemy Philadelphus (285–246 bc) and who wrote a history of his country. Although the original full text is lost, extracts appear in the works of later authors. Especially important are his listings of Egyptian pharaohs which he must have taken from available sources such as the
PALERMO STONE
and which provide the basis on which the main successive dynasties are identified.

 
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The functions of an aspect or type of social activity which are known to, and intended by, the individuals involved in a given situation of social life.

 
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Cassava plant (Manihot esculenta) with starchy tuberous roots. Native to the tropical lowlands of South America and Mesoamerica and the principal staple crop of early agricultural groups in northeastern South America. Although rich in carbohydrates, manioc is poor in protein and so a manioc-based diet must include supplemental protein from fish or meat.
There are two varieties of manioc: sweet and bitter. Both contain poisonous prussic acid: in the sweet variety the acid is concentrated in the skin and can be removed by peeling the tuber. In the bitter form the prussic acid is more pervasive and the tuber must be peeled, grated, washed, and squeezed before being eaten. The manioc flour produced by this process is usually toasted on large ceramic griddles called
budares
. These are archaeologically recognizable as evidence for manioc cultivation. Sweet manioc can be used to make a sweet beer. Manioc cultivation may have begun in the lowland tropical forests of the Orinoco Basin of Venezuela by
c.
5000 bc before spreading to Colombia, Ecuador, and southwards into Amazonia, western Ecuador and eastern Peru. It had appeared in the Maya Lowlands by about 1000 bc.

 
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In American archaeology a cylindrically shaped grinding stone used in the hand, often in conjunction with a smooth
metate
—a bottom or nether-stone. Used for grinding vegetable material such as maize, seeds, nuts, and pigments, the
mano
dates to the Archaic Indian period. The word comes from Spanish
mano de piedra (‘hand stone’). Their form varies considerably, from a barely modified cobble to a long cylinder similar to a rolling pin. See also
METATE
.

 
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The basic social, political, and economic unit of the manorial system, found in parts of northern Europe, Britain especially, from the 9th century
ad
. At its heart was a self-sufficient landed estate, or fief, that was under the control of a lord who enjoyed a variety of rights over it and the peasants (serfs) who worked on it. The lord of the manor exercised his rights through a manor court. Some of the tenants also owed a variety of dues and/or labour services on the demesne depending on their tenure. A manor could be part of, co–extensive with, or spread over several vills. In Britain manors ceased to have any general legal significance after ad 1925.

 
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