Scheduled Maintenance
Please be advised that this website will undergo scheduled maintenance on the following dates: •
Tuesday 3rd December 11:00-15:00
During these times, some services may be temporarily unavailable. We apologise for any inconvenience this may cause.
PIT
A hole or cavity in the ground, either natural or the result of excavation. Use more specific type where known.
Classifications
Related Terms
| Term | Note |
|---|---|
| CESS PIT | A pit for the reception of human waste and refuse. |
| CLAY PIT | A place from which clay is extracted. |
| CREMATION PIT | A site where a corpse has been burnt on a pyre over a pit, which acts as a receptacle for the remains. Occasionally accompanied by burnt grave goods, placed with the body on the pyre. |
| EXTRACTIVE PIT | Surface workings, including shallow shafts, lode workings, open-pit methods and quarrying including some mines of stone, clays, compounds etc. See also MINERAL EXTRACTION SITE. |
| PIT ALIGNMENT | A single line, or pair of roughly parallel lines, of pits set at intervals along a common axis or series of axes. The pits are not thought to have held posts. |
| PIT CIRCLE | A circular or sub-circular arrangement of pits usually revealed as cropmarks on aerial photographs. Where excavation has shown the pits contained timber posts use TIMBER CIRCLE. |
| PIT DEFINED AVENUE | An avenue defined by two or more parallel rows of pits. |
| PIT DEFINED CURSUS | A long, rectangular enclosure defined by pits or post-holes, often with one or more internal divisions. Presumed to be ritual in function and of Neolithic date. |
| PIT ENCLOSURE | An enclosure where the boundary is defined by a line of pits. Usually revealed as cropmarks on aerial photographs. Where excavation has shown the pits contained upright timber posts use TIMBER ENCLOSURE. |
| PIT GROUP | An associated but irregular grouping of pits. |
| PIT SETTING | A regular grouping of pits. |
| RITUAL PIT | A pit which appears to have been dug for, or which contains, objects apparently deposited for reasons other than storage, disposal or extraction. |
| RUBBISH PIT | A pit where domestic waste material is deposited. |
| SAW PIT | A place where tree trunks were sawn into planks by hand. |
| STORAGE PIT | A pit in which meat, grain and other foodstuffs are stored. |
| TANNING PIT | A pit or tank containing chemicals for preserving animal hide. |
