Glossary

In chronology, absolute dates are those obtained using methods that only taken into account intrinsic characteristics of a given object, such as its carbon 14 content or, for historical periods, when an object carries the mention of a date, as is the case with coins or epigraphic inscriptions.

Process by which on humain group assimilate some or all of the cultural values of another human group.

Dried fruits that consist of a single grain and that do not open at maturity. The small capsules found on the surface of strawberry are achenes.

Resulting from the action of man.

To describe parts or all of a skeleton whose original anatomic layout has been preserved.

Object produced or modified by people.

Species of large wild ox, today extinct.

Variations de niveau d'un plan d'eau.

Digue, barrage provisoire pour assécher le terrain où l'on a des travaux à faire.

Horizontal pieces of wood to which roofing elements are attached.

S'applique au cerf : se dit d'une tête anormale dont les bois sont déformés.

Assemblage de deux pièces de bois à l'aide de liens.

Qui pousse bien en sol calcaire.

Représentations d'animaux cornus, en l'occurence des bœufs.

Swiss Neolithic civilization named after the village of Cortaillod in the canton of Neuchâtel (first half of 4^th millenium).

Instrument used to take core samples of soil.

Le plus bas niveau des eaux.

Ensemble d'opérations permettant de déterminer le potentiel archéologique d'une zone considérée.

Surface of an archaelogical site that is explored integrally.

Groupe culturel régional à l'intérieur de l'aire générale d'une civilisation.

Variation in the nature or composition of a layer of sediment.

The Ferrières culture occupied a vast region that extended form the Rhône as far as the Aude River. They created the oldest dolmens (megalithic burial chambers) in the Languedoc region. The culture takes its name from the site of Ferrières-lès-Verreries (late 4^th-early 3^rd millenium).

Affaissement, trou plein d'eau ou de boue dans un chemin défoncé.

Deposit resulting from glacial erosion and lacustrine (lake) sediment.

Encoche profonde aménagée à l'extrémité supérieure d'un poteau, destinée à recevoir un bois horizontal.

Hachette dont le tranchant est orienté perpendiculairement à l'axe du manche.

Late Neolithic civilization (3,400-2,800 BCE.), named after a site on the shores of lake Zurich.

Agriculture that uses open spaces in a forest. These spaces are cultivated for a few years and then abandoned, leaving the forest to reclaim them.

Variation in the nature or composition of a layer of sediment.

Large semicircular ornament worn over the throat and upper chest.

Système de signes qu'utilise un groupe humain pour se démarquer de ses voisins et afficher son autonomie.

Instrument s'apparentant à la masse, au maillet, au marteau.

Accumulation of rock debris carried by a glacier.

Moraine : accumulation de débris de roche entraînés par un glacier.

Slot cut into a piece of wood, into which is inserted the tenon of another piece of wood, stone, etc.

Faciès culturel du Néolithique de l'Est de la France, daté de la première moitié du IVe millénaire avant notre ère.

Invested with a higher value in the area of social representations.

A parchment manuscript that has been re-used, but on which the original text, although erased, remains more or less readable.

Discipline fondant son objet sur l'étude des pollens.

Swiss Neolithic civilzation named after the Pfyn-Breitenloo archaelogical site in the canton of Thurgau (first half of the 4^th millenium).

Describes an archaeological vestige discovered in its original setting, i. e. not having been moved during sedimentation processes.

Forest that is untouched by cutting, or that has returned to a natural state after a century or more of regeneration.

Carbone 14.

Reworked and made more even by removing small flakes of stone from the edges.

Isolating fibers by soaking them in water.

A hauling device resting on its single rear point that acted as a runner. The front part was raised.

Objets faits de fibres végétales vannées ou tissées.

A simple plowing device with no forewheel or moldboard.

Pasty residue obtained by distilling organic matter.

In this case a question of distinguishing categories of posts that share the same characteristics, such as the type of wood or the technique used to prepare the trunk.

Piece of wood positioned horizontally that supports other pieces of wood.

Shaken in a basket to separate the grains from the chaff.