Concise Oxford Dictionary of Archaeology (67 page)

Any timber or stone agricultural structure built expressly for the storage and primary processing of field crops, hay, or straw.

 
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One of the earliest Neolithic chambered tombs in western France, set on a hilltop in Finistère, discovered during quarrying operations in 1953–4. Excavation of the site by P. R. Giot between 1955 and 1957 showed that there were two main phases to its construction. The first monument, dating to about 4000 bc, was a rectangular stone cairn 30m by 20m and perhaps 4m high, with stepped sides. Five chambers lay inside the cairn, each approached by a separate passage opening into the south side of the cairn. One of the chambers has a number of carvings on the orthostats, including three axes. The monument was extended to the southwest around 3700 bc , with the cairn being more than doubled in length and a further six chambers added.
[Rep.: P. R. Giot , 1970,
Barnenez
. Rennes: University of Rennes]

 
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Refers to a ceramic sequence developed by Irving Rouse and José; Cruxent to facilitate interregional comparisons. The sequence spans the period 1000 bc to ad 1000 and is based on material from the site of Barrancas on the Belize River. The most distinctive features of the pottery include curvilinear incised decoration, and applied, modelled animal and human faces called
adornos
. Griddles imply the cultivation of bitter manioc by Barrancoid pottery-using communities.
In the Orinoco Delta area the Barrancoid sequence succeeds the Saladoid series, although elsewhere Barrancoid ware is contemporary with the later phases of Saladoid.

 
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Type of large middle Bronze Age pot found within the overall repertoire of the
DEVEREL–RIMBURY
ceramic tradition of southern Britain in the period 1500 bc through to 1200 bc. Usually over 60cm high, barrel urns have a distinctive profile, wider in the middle than at the base or the rim, often with applied cordons that are decorated with finger-tip impressions. Found on domestic sites where they were presumably used as storage vessels and as containers for cremations often found as
SECONDARY BURIALS
in earlier
ROUND BARROWS
.

 
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An arrangement for constructing a stone roof over an open space which took a semi-circular form rather like an elongated arch. Such vaults can only be used to span narrow spaces and rely for their strength on the tight packing of the stones. Barrel vaults are the earliest kind of vaulting used. Also known as a tunnel vault.

 
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General term used to describe a mound of earth and stone heaped up to cover one or more burials. Burial beneath a barrow is one of the most enduring traditions of burial practice in Europe, and is also found in many other parts of the world. Many different kinds of barrow can be recognized on the basis of shape, construction detail, date, position, and relationships to other things. Round, long, oval, and square forms are the most common styles found. Round barrows in England are often called tumuli; those made almost entirely of stone in upland regions are termed
CAIRNS
. See also
KURGAN
,
SQUARE BARROW
,
LONG BARROW
,
BANK BARROW
,
OVAL BARROW
,
ROUND BARROW
,
FANCY BARROW
,
POND BARROW
.

 
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