Definition
Oppidum is a Latin word meaning the main settlement in any administrative area of ancient Rome. The word is derived from the earlier Latin ob-pedum, "enclosed space," possibly from the Proto-Indo-European *pedóm-, "occupied space" or "footprint." Julius Caesar described the larger Celtic Iron Age settlements he encountered in Gaul as oppida, and the term is now used to describe the large pre-Roman towns that existed all across western and central Europe.
In archaeology and pre-history, the term oppida refers to a category of settlement; it was first used in this sense by Reinecke, Dechelette and Dehn in reference to Bibracte, Manching, and Závist. Most definitions of oppida emphasise the presence of fortifications, so they are different from undefended farms or settlements; and urban characteristics, marking them as separate from hill forts. They originated in the 2nd and 1st centuries BC, a product of Europe's La Tène culture and a notional minimum size of 20 to 25 hectares (49 to 62 acres) has often been suggested, although it is flexible and fortified sites as small as 2 hectares (4.9 acres) have been described as oppida. However, the term is not always rigorously used, and has been used to refer to any hill fort dating from the La Tène period. One of the effects of this inconsistency in definitions is that it is uncertain how many oppida were built.
Read more about this topic: Enclosed Oppidum
Famous quotes containing the word definition:
“No man, not even a doctor, ever gives any other definition of what a nurse should be than this—”devoted and obedient.” This definition would do just as well for a porter. It might even do for a horse. It would not do for a policeman.”
—Florence Nightingale (1820–1910)
“It is very hard to give a just definition of love. The most we can say of it is this: that in the soul, it is a desire to rule; in the spirit, it is a sympathy; and in the body, it is but a hidden and subtle desire to possess—after many mysteries—what one loves.”
—François, Duc De La Rochefoucauld (1613–1680)
“Mothers often are too easily intimidated by their children’s negative reactions...When the child cries or is unhappy, the mother reads this as meaning that she is a failure. This is why it is so important for a mother to know...that the process of growing up involves by definition things that her child is not going to like. Her job is not to create a bed of roses, but to help him learn how to pick his way through the thorns.”
—Elaine Heffner (20th century)