Concise Oxford Dictionary of Archaeology (582 page)

Small ceramic vessel in a range of shapes, but typically less than 50mm high, found in early Bronze Age burials in northwestern Europe, usually in association with an urn of some kind. Also called incense cups and accessory vessels.

 
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A monumental gateway at the entrance to Egyptian temples and palaces. Built of stone and usually decorated with relief figures and hieroglyphic inscriptions.

 
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Strictly speaking, a square-based structure with four triangular sides tapering to a point, as represented in the large stone examples found in Egypt. The term is also used for step-sided structures of pyramidal form found in Egypt and elsewhere in the world. In Egypt pyramids were used as monumental tombs, whereas in Mesopotamia, Mesoamerica, and South America they were temple platforms. The Egyptian pyramids developed out of simple mud-brick
MASTABA
tombs of the
ARCHAIC PERIOD
. During the
OLD KINGDOM
such tombs became more elaborate and bigger, and were increasingly built from stone. The earliest pyramid is the Step Pyramid of Sakkara. The largest and best-known pyramids are at Giza and were built by Cheops , Chephren , and Mykerinus in the 4th Dynasty. The Great Pyramid of Cheops has a base-side length of 230.4m and was originally 146.6m high. It is estimated that more than 2.5 million separate blocks of stone were used in its construction. Elaborate rituals accompanied the burial of a pharaoh in his pyramid, witnessed by the presence of elaborate temples connected to the pyramid itself.

 
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Style of stone or ceramic loomweight dating to the later Bronze Age in the British Isles. It has a flattish base and sloping sides with a single suspension hole towards the top. These loomweights were replaced in the Iron Age by triangular loomweights.

 
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A type of vessel or box used in Greek times to hold trinkets, typically cylindrical in shape with a flat shoulder and lid.

 
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Mesolithic Stage communities living in Nubia in the upper Nile Valley prior to 9000 bc, at a time of relatively high water levels in the Nile, characterized by a diverse stone tool industry that is taken to represent increasing degrees of specialization and locally differentiated regional groupings. There is some evidence of conflict between the groups. The Qadan economy was based on fishing, hunting, and the extensive use of wild grain.

 
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