PKAP Lexicon

Listed below are some commonly used PKAP phrases and acronyms with a brief definition and/or explanation.

A.I.A. - Archaeological Institute of America

ArcGIS - The preferred GIS software used by PKAP

A.S.O.R. - American Schools of Oriental Research

the Bobs - The senior staff members (Bill, David, Dimitri, and Scott). Usually used as in "we need to have a meeting of the Bobs."

Bronze Ageologist - Someone who studies the history or culture of the Bronze Age.

Chatty-Chat - A conference between a small group of people on a serious topic.

Chronotype - a type of object that has both distinct physical attributes (e.g., decoration, color, fabric, temper, thickness) and a specific chronological association (e.g., Classical Greek, Late Roman).

CAARI - The Cyprus American Archaeological Research Institute in Nicosia. CAARI has rooms and a superb library on Cypriot history. It also jointly sponsors a summer workshop with the Cypriot Department of Antiquities in June. This one day workshop is followed by a pizza party with free food and refreshments.

E.U. - European Union. Cyprus joined the E.U in May 2004.

Fixing the Glitch - What the project directors seem to be doing when they can't be bothered by other problems. This is similar to the "Very Busy" response.

Geomorphology - The study of landforms and the processes that shape them.

G.I.S. - Geographical Information Systems, the computer system capable of capturing, storing, analyzing, and displaying geographically referenced information (see ArcGIS).

Glitch - Usually referred to as "the glitch." This refers to the original problem of reconciling our grid squares in ArcGIS, but has grown to encompass any GIS or GPS problem. The glitch also requires lots of time for the project directors to discuss the glitch (see Chatty-Chat) and possible solutions (see Fixing the Glitch).

Going to the Bank - One of the requirements of a highly involved project like PKAP is that the project directors make frequent, usually daily, trips to various financial institutions and often are gone for days at a time.

GPS - Global Positioning System. Involves using a GPS unit that communicates with various satellites to accurately determine the unit's position on the earth. An integral part of GIS.

Green Line - A buffer zone dividing the two parts from the coast north west of Morphou through Nicosia to Famagusta. It is patrolled by United Nations troops.

High Season - The term used to explain why things cost so much in Cyprus. Technically the period from July 1st to the end of August.

Isthmia - The Ohio State University Excavations at Isthmia, Greece was a project that several of the senior personnel worked on at various times. It also provides occasional logistical support.

IUP - Indiana University of Pennsylvania, one of the project's sponsoring institutions.

Lefkosia - Another name for the city of Nicosia.

Phase Out - To remove someone from the project, usually done gradually and without their knowledge. Often used by senior personnel in conversations such as "Hey, why wasn't I included in this? Am I being phased out?"

PKAP - The Pyla-Koutsopetria Archaeological Project

Ranch - a term often applied to the hotel rooms at Petrou Brothers, as in "we'll have lunch back at the ranch."

SCSP - The Sydney Cyprus Archaeological Project (1992-2000). An archaeological survey in the foothills of the Troodos Mountains that provided the genesis for some of the techniques used by PKAP.

Shark Bite - The nickname for the energy drink favored by the project, sold in stores as the Shark.

Souvlakeria - The term for a restaurant that sells mainly souvlaki, a grilled meat sandwich.

S.U.I.R. - Stands for Survey Unit Information Record.

Survey Archaeology - the visual examination of a landscape for variations in ground surface or for the distribution of artifacts on the surface.

Unit Sheet - The sheet on which locational and geomorphological descriptions about a specific survey unit was recorded by fieldwalkers.

Very Busy - An expression that usually indicates that the person is unwilling to do what they were asked. If they say that they are "very, very busy" it means that there is no chance of them doing what they were asked. Also, it is said very slowly.

Youns - A western Pennsylvania term used by the IUP students, it means "You All."

Yurt - A domesticated animal of Central Asia prized for its meat and used for transportation.