| Page 1343 | |
core in such a way as to allow the production of stone flakes of specific size and shape.
limnological analysis
Analysis of the sediments found in lake beds.
lithic
Stone.
locational analysis
An analytical technique focusing on the mapping of the locations of archaeological sites and contexts.
long barrow
An elongated variant of the barrow type.
Lusatian culture
Late Bronze Age/Early Iron Age culture in Poland and eastern Germany.
Maglemosian
The fist Mesolithic culture on the North European Plain.
Master Maximum Method (MMM)
A version of the chi square test—a statistical test of the significance of relationships between elements in a classification.
microlith, microlithic
Small stone tools most frequently associated in Europe with the Upper Paleolithic and Mesolithic periods. Microliths are thought to have been much used as projectile points or to tip wood or bone implements.
microwear analysis
The study of the surfaces and working edges of artifacts to determine their use.
midden
A heap of refuse.
middle-range theory
That domain of archaeological theories that seeks to link archaeological phenomena with specific human behaviors. It is closely associated with the practice of ethnoarchaeology and experimental archaeology.
Mousterian
A middle Paleolithic stone industry distributed from Europe to Asia and Africa, dating from 180,000 to 30,000 years ago. Archaeologists have noted distinct regional traditions within the Mousterian.
multilineal evolution
A variant of classical evolutionary theory that recognizes that transformations in prehistoric societies were not the outcome of single causes or the product of simple linear processes of change.
multiseriate explanation
A statistical approach to classifying artifacts and using these classifications to establish relative chronologies.
museographic
Pertaining to the role of images in museum displays.
Nabatean-Byzantine
See Jordan.
natural taxon
A natural classificatory unit.
Neanderthal
An ancestral form of Homo sapiens found in Europe and western Asia, dating between 100,000 and 30,000 years ago. Archaeologists and paleoanthropologists still debate the historical and biological relationship between Neanderthals and modern human beings.
neoevolution
A development of classical evolutionary theory particularly associated with the work of North American anthropologists Julian Steward and Leslie White. Neoevolutionism sought to elucidate the impact of ecology, demography, and technology as driving forces in an explanation of transformations in prehistoric societies.
Neolithic
The period following the Paleolithic in which people began to use more complex stone tool technologies to cultivate plants and to more actively manage domesticated animals. In some places the Neolithic is also linked to the introduction of pottery, but this is by no means widespread; for example, in Japan pottery occurred in societies still based around foraging subsistence. This change in subsistence patterns is also frequently associated with the development of villages. Dates for the Neolithic vary between 10,000 years ago in the Middle East to about 4,000 years ago in northern Europe, hence primary, middle, and late.
New Archaeology
New World archaeology
The archaeology of the Americas.
nomothetic
Referring to a law of nature.
nonlinear dynamics
An approach to understanding the nature of change that recognizes that the causes of change are both complex and highly variable. Based on what is popularly known as chaos theory, nonlinear dynamics expresses an understanding that small causes can lead to large outcomes and that frequently change can be so complex as to be literally unpredictable.
odeon
Roman covered hall, often used for concerts.
Old World archaeology
The archaeology of Europe, Asia, Africa, and Australia.
ontology
A branch of philosophy that deals with the understanding of the nature and essences of natural and cultural phenomena.
oppidum
Fortified town.
orthostats
Upright stones supporting the roof of a chamber or passage in a megalithic tomb.
| |