Glossary

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

Click on the initial letter of the word you require

A
acetone	A colourless volatile organic liquid valuable as a solvent for organic resins, used as an adhesive and consolidant. Also used in conservation as a dewatering and degreasing agent.
acetone-rosin treatment	A stabilisation treatment for archaeological waterlogged wood, involving dehydration with acetone, followed by impregnation with an acetone solution of natural rosin.
acid-free cardboard	Chemically treated card which will not itself degrade or affect archaeological objects placed in contact with it. It is used to construct boxes and supports for artefacts. Acid vapours from ordinary paper and card can cause tarnishing and corrosion on metals, especially those containing silver and lead.
air abrasive cleaning	A method of revealing the surface detail on artefacts beneath layers of corrosion and concretion by shot-blasting on a miniature scale, using fine abrasive powders and compressed air, and with the aid of a low-power microscope.
Anglo-Saxon	The period traditionally dated to AD450-1066 when, following the decline of Roman power, England came under the rule of Germanic peoples called the Angles and Saxons. Yorkshire was predominantly settled by Angles from northern Germany and southern Scandinavia.
Anglo-Scandinavian	The term used to describe the blending of the Anglian culture (dated c. 500-866 in York) with the incoming Scandinavian culture brought by Vikings who settled in the area. It relates to the period c. AD866 to 1066.
archival boxes	Containers made of acid-free card or other inert material which will not, itself, have a harmful effect on artefacts stored in them.
Ascaris	A parasitic roundworm found in the gut of humans and other vertebrates. Ascaris lumbricoides is one of the largest and most common parasites of humans. The adult worms live in the small intestine and eggs are passed in the faeces.
auger	A hand tool used for boring holes in wood. A wooden handle would have fitted onto a metal point and would be twisted to make the holes.
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B
benzotriazole	A chemical that will halt the progress of a disfiguring and destructive copper corrosion process known as 'bronze disease' which is sometimes found on bronze and other copper alloy artefacts.
bezel	The recessed top part of a finger ring which would have held a gemstone or glass setting.
block-lifting	A method for lifting and removing a large or very fragile object from archaeological excavations by surrounding it with rigid foam or some other supporting material. The block will often incorporate some of the surrounding soil, which gives extra support to the object.
brazing metal	A brass coating applied to metals either as decoration or to prevent corrosion.
bronze disease	Not a disease as such, but a rapid and destructive type of corrosion which produces bright green spots and patches on copper alloy objects, particularly if they are kept in damp conditions.
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C
came	Lead strips with an H-shaped profile which hold small pieces of window glass together.
CAT scan	A digitised image of the interior structure of a 3-D object, produced by passing the object through a body scanner, like those used in hospitals.
caulking	Means of waterproofing the joint between two wooden planks by packing with a mixture of tar and fibrous material.
clench bolts	Headed iron nail driven through two wooden planks and an iron washer on the far side – the end of the bolt is riveted over this plate.
clinker-built	Shipbuilding term for a hull built of overlapping planks.
colonia	In York the term colonia is used to describe the area of Roman civilian settlement on the south-west bank of the Ouse.
colophony	A natural translucent orange-yellow resin derived from pine trees, of the type used by violinists on their bows and gymnasts on their hands.
computer tomography	The system used within a body scanner to produce a series of images (called CAT scans) of the interior structure of a 3-D object.
consolidant	A liquid solution of a resin (normally a synthetic polymer) used to impregnate a fragile object in order to strengthen its structure.
cooper	A maker of casks, barrels, buckets and other stave-built vessels (cooperage).
copper alloy	An alloy is a mixture of metals. Copper alloy is a generic term for those alloys made up of copper blended with tin (bronze), zinc (brass) or lead.
Coppergate	The street in York where the world-famous Viking Age discoveries were made in the 1970s. These now form the basis of JORVIK. The name means 'Cup-makers' Street' in Old Norse.
coprolite	A piece of fossilized animal or human excrement.
corrosion products	The results of interaction between a metal and its environment. They normally take the form of a disfiguring film or crust but are sometimes valued, as in the case of a patina.
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D
dehydration	The removal of water from an object, either through the process of natural drying or by replacement with an organic solvent such as acetone.
de-ionised water	Water that has been purified by being passed through an activated resin to remove dissolved salts and other impurities.
dendrochronology	Method of dating wooden objects by comparison of annual growth rings.
Dissolution of the Monasteries	Following his break with the Church of Rome, from 1535 King Henry VIII closed all the monasteries in England, took their wealth and ordered the systematic destruction of their buildings.
E
Eboracum	The Roman name for York.
environmental archaeology	A general term which includes the study of ancient plants, animals, insects and soils.
F
formic acid solution	An organic solution employed in the chemical removal of copper corrosion products from archaeological artefacts.
freeze-drying	A safe and widely used way of drying waterlogged archaeological organic materials without structural collapse, involving freezing the object, then evaporating the ice under vacuum.
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G
garderobe	In archaeological usage, a toilet.
Gilbertine	The only native English monastic order, founded by St Gilbert of Sempringham in the early 12th century. The mother house of the Order, St Mary's Priory at Sempringham, was founded by 1131.
Gokstad	The Gokstad ship is one of the finest ships surviving from the Viking Age. It was found in a large burial mound at Gokstad, Norway in 1880. The ship had been built around A.D. 890 and later used in the ship burial of a powerful chieftain who died in or around A.D. 900 It is presently on display at the Viking Ship Museum in Oslo, Norway.
grisaille	Geometric or leaf patterns painted in grey onto clear glass.
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H
hnefatafl	Hnefatafl (King's Table) is a Norse board game dating back to at least the 4th century. Hnefatafl was played widely in Scandanavia and in the areas the Vikings visited, such as Scotland, Ireland, Wales, and England.
Harold Fairhair	Norse Harald Haarfager, c.850–c.933, first king of all Norway. During Harald’s reign, raids by Norsemen on the coasts of Europe reached their peak. Viking civilization flourished at his court.
hydrochloric acid	A solution of the gas hydrogen chloride (HCl) in water. It is highly corrosive and attacks most common metals, including iron, steel and lead liberating the flammable gas hydrogen.
I
industrial methylated spirits	Alcohol adulterated with methanol to render it unfit to drink. It is widely used in archaeological conservation for cleaning and dewatering purposes, and also as a solvent for resins.
investigative conservation	The process of uncovering information about an object through actions such as examination under a microscope, radiography and corrosion removal.
iron tannate	A dark-coloured layer on the surface of iron objects produced deliberately as part of a conservation treatment with tannic acid to provide a measure of protection against corrosion.
J
Jellinge	A 10th century Scandinavian art style named after a find from the royal burial site at Jellinge in Denmark.
K

L

M
madder	A plant with a small yellow flower. A dark reddish-purple dye can be obtained from the root of this plant.
mechanical cleaning	The selective removal of dirt, corrosion and concretion from the surface of artefacts using hand-held tools (such as a scalpel) or small power tools (such as the airbrasive).
methyl cellulose-based polymer	A water-soluble resin usually used in conservation as a consolidant for organic archaeological objects, or for adhering temporary supports to an object.
Millstone Grit	A type of sandstone found in the eastern Pennines of Britain, used to make grindstones, whetstones and querns.
mortice-and-tenon	A joint commonly used in carpentry to join two pieces of wood at right-angles, comprising a hole or slot in one piece, into which the other piece is inserted and fixed.
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N
nålebinding	A Danish term which is translated as 'needle-binding' and is a form of single-needle knitting. For more information see http://www.cs.vassar.edu/~capriest/nalebind.html
nasal	In the case of the Coppergate helmet this is the part of the helmet which would have protected the nose.
National Grid	A network of horizontal and vertical lines superimposed over a map of the British Isles, used to pinpoint and record precise locations.
non-ionic	A non-reactive liquid that is completely removable after use. The term is normally applied in conservation to a soap or detergent.
Norman Conquest	In October 1066 the last Anglo-Saxon King of England, Harold II, was slain at the Battle of Hastings by the army of William, Duke of Normandy.

O
organic	A term meaning related to or deriving from living plants and animals. Organic materials include wood, leather, bone and textile.
oxygen-free atmosphere	A space or container that has had the oxygen removed by allowing a stream of nitrogen to replace all the air.
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P
Paraloid B72	A reversible synthetic resin used in archaeological conservation as an adhesive and consolidant.
patina	A type of corrosion film on metals, especially bronze, that is often admired for its beauty and revered as a product of age.
Plastazote	A semi-rigid poly-ethylene foam, available in blocks or sheets, often used for supporting and packaging fragile archaeological objects.
polyethylene glycol (p. e. g.)	A water-soluble synthetic polymer, available in a range of grades from liquid to hard solid, widely used for the stabilisation of waterlogged organic archaeological material, often in conjunction with freeze-drying.
polyester resin	A non-reversible liquid resin which sets solid through the addition of a catalyst. Often used in conservation to form moulds and supports, usually in combination with fibreglass.
post and wattle buildings	The earliest (late 9th to early 10th century) houses at Coppergate were made of upright posts which formed the main wall posts and roof supports. Wattlework rods, usually willow, were woven horizontally around these and around intervening vertical stakes to make up the walls.
Q
quarry	A small individual pane of glass, usually diamond shaped.
R
relative humidity	A measure of the amount of water contained within a fixed volume of air, expressed as a percentage of the maximum amount of water which a particular volume of air can hold at a particular temperature.
replacement corrosion	The corrosion that forms on and below the original surface of a metal object, effectively replacing these parts and often replicating surface detail.
revetment	A retaining wall used, in this case, to support the river bank from erosion.
ring-and-dot	Decoration in the form of a dot inside a circle. It is probably made by a three-pronged implement, the central prong making the dot and the outer prongs rotating around it to make the circle.
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S
scapula	The bone of the shoulder blade.
silica gel	A crystalline material capable of absorbing large quantities of moisture from the air. Used widely as an aid to good storage of archaeological material, either to keep material dry or to maintain it at a pre-determined relative humidity.
stabilisation treatment	To render an object physically sound and/or chemically inactive through conservation measures, to ensure the long-term survival of an artefact.
staves	Curved wooden slats used to form the sides of casks, barrels and other coopered vessels.
Sutton Hoo	Site of a ship burial near Woodbridge, Suffolk, England. The finds were some of the richest Anglo-Saxon grave-goods ever found, including extremely fine jewellery, weapons, and a helmet, which are now in the British Museum.
stratigraphy	The layers of deposits which build up on archaeological sites.
synthetic resins	Man-made polymers manufactured to have particular physical and chemical properties to suit them to specific applications. Used widely as adhesives and consolidants in archaeological conservation.
T
tannins	Complex organic compounds found naturally in the soil and in certain tree barks. Used both in the past and in the present to turn hides into leather.
tannic acid	A pale brown powder which, in solution, is sometimes used in conservation of iron to form a protective black surface film.
tingle	A patch of wood, normally fixed with nails and caulking, to form a watertight repair over a split or other damage in the hull of a boat.
trenail	Wooden peg used to fasten two pieces of wood together. One end of the peg is enlarged to fit tightly in place by hammering a small wooden wedge into it.
Trichuris	The human whipworm, Trichuris tricuria, an intestinal parasite. Symptoms of whipworm infection can include diarrhoea, dysentery, and anemia.
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U
ultrasonic cleaning	Passing high-frequency sound waves from an electrical unit through a suitable cleaning solution causes high-speed agitation which speeds up the chemical removal of dirt, corrosion or concretion from the surface of an artefact.
V
vesicular lava	A type of lava with lots of air bubbles (vesicles). It is found in the Mayen area of western Germany and was used to make quern stones which were imported to Britain.
Viking Age	In York this is the period between c. AD866 and 1066 (see also Anglo-Scandinavian).
W
waterlogged	Saturated with water to the exclusion of all air. Waterlogged archaeological deposits are anoxic (no oxygen) and therefore protect metals and some organic materials. Waterlogged organic artefacts (e.g. made of wood) are normally heavy, fragile and liable to physical damage through uncontrolled drying and poor handling unless given first-aid conservation treatment upon discovery.

X Y Z
X-radiography	A non-destructive imaging technique used widely in archaeology to produce images on film which show the details beneath the surface of badly corroded metalwork for example.
XRF analysis	X-ray fluorescence analysis, a non-destructive technique used in archaeological research to identify the elemental composition of a material.
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