Concise Oxford Dictionary of Archaeology (94 page)

Before Present. A term widely used by
QUATERNARY
geologists and archaeologists with reference to radiocarbon ages and results from other radiometric dating techniques. The present is conventionally taken to be the calendar year ad 1950. Use of the lower-case form or the abbreviation RCYBP (Radiocarbon Years Before Present) is generally taken to mean the raw ages as calculated by the determining laboratory. These are not calendar years. Use of the upper-case form or the abbreviation CalBP (Calibrated Before Present) shows that the original determination has been calibrated to reflect calendar years. However, there is considerable variety in the way these abbreviations are used and anyone using dates cited in publications should check the rubric to see exactly how they are expressed.

 
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Rectangular or slightly oval plate of stone, usually up to 150mm long, with perforations at either end for attachment to a strap. It is surmised that bracers were intended to protect an archer's inside wrist from the slap of the bowstring when an arrow is shot. They are characteristic of the
BEAKER CULTURE
throughout Europe and date to the later 3rd and early 2nd millennia
bc
. Also known as an ‘archer's wrist guard’.

 
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Descriptive term applied to human skulls where the cephalic index (greatest breadth expressed as a percentage of maximum length) is above 80 per cent. Individuals with such skulls may be said to be broad-headed. Compare
DOLICHOCEPHALIC
.

 
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See
SLASH AND BURN AGRICULTURE
.

 
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A yellow-coloured binary alloy of copper (typically 70–90 per cent) and zinc (typically 10–30 per cent). Brass is not common until post-medieval times, although it appears from Roman times onwards in small amounts.

 
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A low timber or stone wall projecting above the top of a rampart on the outside, sometimes an upward extension of the outer face, to provide a measure of protection and concealment for anyone standing on the rampart or moving along it.

 
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