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occipital region back of the head, as seen in profile
ocher the iron oxide minerals hematite (for red ocher), limonite and goethite (for brown, yellow, and black ochers), used as pigments for painting and pottery slips
olfaction sense of smell
oligarchy system of government based on rule by a limited elite group; literally, "rule of the few"
oppidum (pl. oppida) Iron Age European fortified site, often with timber-framed defensive circuit
oracle bones animal scapulae and turtle carapaces deliberately pitted on the underside, to which heat was applied in order to form cracks for divination purposes; script detailing these oracles forms the earliest evidence for Chinese writing
orthostat large upright wall stone
oxygen isotope analysis analysis of the ratio of two oxygen isotopes (18O and 16O) in materials; when studied in sediments from the deep-sea floor, differences in ratios can be equated with glacial and interglacial intervals recorded on land; the assignment of terrestrial deposits to a particular glacial (or interglacial) interval allows archaeological sites to be dated by extrapolation from the deep-sea record
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