DelDOT's Cultural Resources -
Archaeology/Historic Preservation
Cultural Resources Glossary
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A | B | C | D | E | F | G | H | I | J | K | L | M | N | O | P | Q | R | S | T | U | V | W | X | Y | Z References Cache - A collection of artifacts and/or ecofacts which has been deliberately stored for future use. Calkin - A sharp pointed piece of iron on a shoe for a horse or an ox; used to prevent the animal from slipping. Cantilever - A horizontal projection (e.g., a step, balcony, beam or canopy) supported by a downward force behind a fulcrum. It is without external bracing and thus appears to be self-supporting. Capital - The moldings and carved enrichment which form a finish to the top of a column, pilaster, pier, or pedestal. Caplifters - Handles or other fixtures/hardware on later nineteenth century decorated coffins. Carding Mill (or Factory) - A mill which refines wool. Cartwright - Cart and wagon maker. Carolina Artifact Pattern - One type of broad inter-site artifact frequency patterns based upon the relationships of eight categories (groups) of artifact classes. This pattern is associated with British colonial America sites and settlements within the area of colonization. Casement - The hinged part of a window, attached to the upright side of the window-frame. 2 A window which swings open along its entire length. Cast Stone - A mixture of stone clips or fragments, embedded in mortar, cement, or plaster, treated to simulate stone. Catchment (Area) - The distance from a site within which people will travel to obtain resources. CC Index - A set of CC index values for English ceramics has been generated for the period 1787 to 1880. CC ware was the cheapest refined type of ceramic for this period and was used as a base for the index. The index values were created by dividing the cost of CC ware into the cost of the other ceramic types. These index values are used to compare the cost between excavated ceramic assemblages. C-Horizon - The parent material (sediment) on which a soil has developed. Celt - Ungrooved, wedge-shaped, ground and often polished stone tool, used as an ax or adze. Cemento-Enamel Junction - The line at the base of the crown of a tooth, between the enamel of the crown and the cementum of the root. Census, U.S. - An official count of the nation’s population taken every 10 years, often including a collection of demographic information. CFA (Commission of Fine Arts) - "The Commission is authorized to advise on the location of statues, fountains and monuments in public areas in the District of Columbia, advise on plans for public buildings erected by the Federal Government within the District of Columbia and to regulate the height, exterior design and construction of private and semipublic buildings in designated historic areas. The Commission of Fine Arts is composed of seven members. They are appointed by the President a serve without compensation for four-year terms." (http://www.cfa.gov/about/index.html 2009) C-Horizon - A soil layer composed of incompletely weathered parent material. Chalcedony - Transparent or translucent, microcrystalline silica milky or grayish rock, with distinctive microscopic crystals arranged in slender fibers in parallel bands. Chamfer - A flat surface made by cutting off an edge or corner. Chert - Compact, opaque to slightly translucent, microcrystalline silica rock. Iron-rich cherts are referred to as jasper. 2 Cryptocrystalline rock of variable color and texture used as raw material for making stone tools. 3 A fine-grained, siliceous, sedimentary rock. Chimney Stack - A group of flues contained within a common covering. Also called a "chimney pile". Chine Log - A longitudinal supporting beam fastened inside the hull of a flat-bottomed vessel at the joint between the side and bottom. Chi Square Test of Association - A test used to determine if variables within a sample are statistically associated, that is, to determine if statistically significant differences exist which cannot be attributed to chance. Chip - Form of debitage, sometimes referred to as shatter, that does not possess flake attributes such as a bulb of force or striking platform. Chronology - Sequence of prehistoric cultures represented in a region. 2 Pertains to the basic temporal units of prehistory and the time span reflected in archaeological site stratigraphy. Clapboard - Exterior wood siding applied horizontally and overlapped. Clerestory - Horizontal glazing of wall space. Often extends the length of a story, thus, a "clear story." May also be horizontal roof or monitor glazing. Clevis - A U-shaped metal piece with holes in each end through which a pin or bolt is run, used for attaching a drawbar to a plow. Client-Server Architecture - A software model whereby, in the case of database systems, data are stored and processed centrally on a server, while functions such as data entry or reporting take place on distributed client computers. Servers typically are enterprise database systems, such as Oracle ©, PostgreSQL ©, or Microsoft SQL Server ©, while clients are normally lighter-weight systems such as Microsoft Access © that are specialized for interface design. Clinker -Burned or partially burned pieces of coal or coal impurities. C.M.U. - Concrete masonry unit sometimes called a cinder block. Coarse Earthenware - Ceramic with a soft, non-vitreous paste fired at 1000-1900oF. Coarse wares, whether red or buff bodied, usually were used in food preparation and storage. Cobble - A water worn, or rounded stone, frequently used as raw material for stone tool manufacture by prehistoric people. Cobble Tool - Stone tool, such as a hammerstone, a netsinker, or an abrader, made on a stream cobble that usually exhibits pitting, smoothing, or other types of modification as a result of use. 2 Cobbles used for various tasks with little or no prior modification; battered, crushed, pitted, and/or smoothed surfaces identify these cobbles as tools. Colonnade - A row of columns carrying an entablature or arches. Column - A cylindrical support for roofs, ceilings, etc. May be composed of base, shaft, and capital. Colluvial - Refers to weathered rock material transported by gravity. Colluvium - Coarse-textured sediments that accumulate primarily at the base of slopes as a result of slopewash and rock slides from higher elevations. Common Bond - A brick pattern in which every fifth or sixth course consists of headers. Common Rafters - Rafters of equal size found along the length of a roof or sometimes interrupted by main trusses containing principal rafters. Computerized Data - Data that are collected, stored, and accessible through a computer or other electronic means. Console - A projecting, scroll-shaped member usually used for support but also for ornament. Contracting Stem Point - A point that has a stem with sides which come inward; opposite of flared point. Cooper - One who makes or repairs wooden tubs and casks. Corbel - A horizontal bracket form produced by extending successive courses of masonry or wood beyond the wall surface. Cordwainer - Eighteenth and nineteenth century term for a leather worker and sometimes shoemaker. Core - A piece of stone from which other pieces of stone are flaked off to make artifacts. Cornice - The crowning member of a wall or entablature. 2 The exterior trim of a structure at the meeting of the roof and wall. Cortex - Outer weathered surface or rind of a stone, usually exhibiting a different color and texture from the interior material. Observations of coretex provide information on tool manufacturing techniques and methods of raw material procurement; presence of cortex indicates early-to middle-stage tool manufacturing activity. Coulbourn Ware - A Woodland I (400 B.C. - 100 B.C.) conoidal shaped ceramic of coiled construction tempered almost entirely with clay nodules or clay fragments whose exterior may be cord marked or net impressed. Coulter - A blade or wheel on a plow for making vertical cuts. Coursed Rubble - Rough unhewn building stones that are roughly dressed and are laid in deep courses. Cracked Rock - Includes all fragments of lithic debris that cannot be attributed to stone tool production; represents cobbles and/or chunks of local bedrock that may have been used in heating or cooking activities (fire-cracked rock, boiling stones). Craftshop - The location of activity where piecework or other hand-power and craft-oriented trades, as opposed to machine manufacturing, are performed. Crassotrea Virginica - The species of oyster found in the waters of the Delaware region. Crazing - Crazing is the cracking of the glaze on ceramic vessels which are caused because the glaze has a different rate of contraction than the body. When the vessel is heated or cooled, the different rates of expansion and contraction between the glaze and body cause small cracks to appear in the glaze. Creamware - Refined earthenware with a buff body and clear lead glaze producing a cream colored surface. Creamware was originally manufactured in England in the mid-eighteenth century, and continued to be made into the nineteenth century. 2 A cream-colored ceramic used to make plates and other dishes, introduced by Josiah Wedgwood in 1762 and common until 1800. Cretaceous Geologic Period - The third period of the Mesozoic era characterized by the development of flowering plants and the disappearance of dinosaurs. Cribra Orbitalia - Porosity in the upper surfaces of the orbits which may be related to anemia or other deficiency. Cripple - Historic term meaning wetland or marshland. Cross-Mend - The pieces of ceramic in different features that fit together in a reconstructed vessel. Cross-Section - A transverse of a portion of a feature, horizontally and vertically removing soil from one section. Crossette - The side projections at the top of an architrave. Crown - To surmount or be the highest part of. Cryptocrystalline - Indistinctly crystalline; having an indistinguishable crystalline structure. 2 Rock type that shows no crystalline structure when observed under a low-power microscope. This type of rock is well suited as raw material for manufacturing stone tools. Cultigen - Domesticated plant (e.g., maize, beans, squash, sunflower) cultivated by prehistoric peoples that originates from a wild ancestral form. Culture - A uniquely human system of habits and customs acquired by man through a non-biological, uninherited process, learned by his society, and used as his primary means of adapting to his environment. Cupola - A small structure built on top of a building, usually for ornamental purposes. Also a vertical cylindrical furnace for melting of iron in the foundry. Curated Technology - When artifacts are reused and transported so often that they are rarely deposited in contexts which reflect their actual manufacture and use. Cut Nail - Nail cut from sheet iron, first produced in the late eighteenth century, that gradually replaced the hand wrought nail. Cyma Recta - A molding having a profile of double curvature that is concave at the outer edge and convex at the inner edge. Cyma Reversa - A molding having a profile of double curvature that is convex at the outer edge and concave at the inner edge. |
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