Concise Oxford Dictionary of Archaeology (642 page)

Standing Committee of University Professors and Heads of Archaeology. See
SUBJECT COMMITTEE FOR ARCHAEOLOGY
.

 
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Nomadic communities occupying the Eurasiatic steppes who, according to Herodotus, attacked the Cimmerians, living north and east of the Black Sea, causing them to withdraw south across the Volga and the Caucasian passes into Anatolia. The Scythians allegedly pressed on southeast into Media, where their raids are recorded in Assyrian cuneiform records of the late 8th century
bc
. The Scythians are noted for their vigorous art style, which was one of the formative influences on the development of
CELTIC ART
in Europe. Archaeological investigations suggest that the Scythians were essentially a settled agricultural population ruled by a horse-riding warrior aristocracy. Scythian burials such as those under mounds at Pazyryk, Russia, are very elaborate and contain many artefacts decorated with fantastic animal motifs. Scythian groups remained in southern Russia until absorbed by the Goths and other immigrants in the 2nd and 3rd centuries
ad
. In early modern times the term ‘Scythian’ was used more widely to refer to all later prehistoric cultures of eastern Europe.

 
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A device for impressing characteristic marks into a soft surface, often to indicate ownership. Seals may be in the form of stamps or cylinder seals.

 
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The mean height of water in the sea between highest and lowest tides. There are long-term variations in sea level as a result of two processes: changes in the volume of water held in the oceans, which is known as eustatic sea level change; and movements in the relative height of the land surface as a result of deformations in the earth's crust, which is known as isostatic change.

 
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A collective term referring to various maritime groups in the eastern Mediterranean. Some were probably of Aegean origin, some possibly central European warriors recruited as mercenaries by Mycenaean princes during a period of great political turmoil in the Mediterranean during the period from the mid 13th century
bc
through to the late 12th century
bc
. They seem to have been responsible for the destruction of cities such as Ugarit and Alalakh. Historical records in Egypt refer to raiders who were repulsed in the late 13th century
bc
by the pharaoh Merneptah , and again in the early 12th century by Ramesses III. See also
PHILISTINES
.

 
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A burial, cremation, or inhumation that is dug into a pre-existing barrow or grave any time after its initial construction.

 
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