Concise Oxford Dictionary of Archaeology (736 page)

A generic term referring to the uppermost horizons of a soil profile that generally contain high levels of organic material and the root systems of surface vegetation. From the top down these comprise: the L horizon of loose leaf litter; the F horizon of organic residues undergoing comminution by the soil fauna; the H horizon of completely humified material; and the A horizon composed of a mixture of organic material and mineral components variously worked by the actions of earthworms and other soil fauna. The mixture of mineral and organic matter produced by earthworm activity is known as mull humus.

 
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A neck-ring of twisted metal, generally of bronze or gold, known in various forms from the early Bronze Age to the later Iron Age in Europe, and sometimes thought from representations in sculpture and metalwork to have had cultic or magical associations.

 
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A kind of prehistoric ceremonial site found in western parts of the British Isles, especially southwestern England, comprising a circular bank of stones or a platform of loose stones constructed around a prominent natural outcrop of rock, usually a tor or a very large grounder. The overall diameter of tor cairns ranges from 12m to over 30m, and the height of the cairns from 0.5m to about 4.0m. There is usually an entrance into the enclosed area, and pits dug into the ground in the area between the central outcrop and the enclosure. Cultural debris including flint tools, pottery, quartz pebbles, and bronze weapons and ornaments have been found at tor cairns and allow them to be dated to the early second millennium
bc
, the early Bronze Age.

 
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Type of late Saxon pottery found in central England and dating to the period ad 850 to 1150. Manufactured using a fast wheel at workshops in the area around Torksey, Lincolnshire.

 
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torre
(pl.
torri
)
[MC].

Stone towers of Bronze Age date found mainly in the southern part of Corsica. Generally 10–15m across and up to 7m high, they have a single narrow entrance and a central corbelled chamber. Their function is uncertain but they are rather small to have been settlements or defensive structures. Superficially similar to the
NURAGHI
of Sardinia and the
TALAYOTS
of the Balearic Islands.

 
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A style of
CORE
typical of flintworking in the
LEVALLOIS
technique where the aim is to produce large oval flakes with a sharp edge all round. This results in a core that has one flattish face and a low domed back that, overall, resembles a tortoise.

 
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