Archaeology

Archaeology, or archeology (from Greek ἀρχαιολογία, archaiologia – ἀρχαῖος, arkhaīos, "ancient"; and -λογία, -logiā, "-logy"), is the study of human activity through the recovery and analysis of material culture and environmental data which they have left behind, which includes artefacts, architecture, biofacts and cultural landscapes (the archaeological record). The archaeological record consists of artifacts, architecture, biofacts or ecofacts, and cultural landscapes. Archaeologists study human prehistory and history. In the United States it is thought of as a branch of anthropology, altho Archaeology, or archeology (from Greek ἀρχαιολογία, archaiologia – ἀρχαῖος, arkhaīos, "ancient"; and -λογία, -logiā, "-logy"), is the study of human activity through the recovery and analysis of material culture and environmental data which they have left behind, which includes artefacts, architecture, biofacts and cultural landscapes (the archaeological record). The archaeological record consists of artifacts, architecture, biofacts or ecofacts, and cultural landscapes. Archaeologists study human prehistory and history. In the United States it is thought of as a branch of anthropology, although in Europe it is viewed as a separate discipline.

Archaeology studies human history from the development of the first stone tools in eastern Africa 3.4 million years ago up until recent decades. It is of most importance for learning about prehistoric societies, when there are no written records for historians to study, and which makes up over 99% of total human history, from the Palaeolithic until the advent of literacy in any given society. Archaeology has various different goals, which range from studying human evolution to cultural evolution and understanding culture history.

The discipline involves surveying, excavation and eventually analysis of data collected to learn more about the past. In broad scope, archaeology relies on cross-disciplinary research. It draws upon anthropology, history, art history, classics, ethnology, geography, geology, linguistics, physics, information sciences, chemistry, statistics, palaeoecology, palaeontology, palaeozoology, palaeoethnobotany, and palaeobotany.

Archaeology developed out of antiquarianism in Europe during the 19th century, and has since become a discipline practised across the world. Since its early development, various specific sub-disciplines of archaeology have developed, including maritime archaeology, feminist archaeology and archaeoastronomy, and numerous different scientific techniques have been developed to aid archaeological investigation. Nonetheless, today, archaeologists face many problems, ranging from dealing with pseudoarchaeology to the looting of artefacts and opposition to the excavation of human remains. ...more

New Releases Tagged "Archaeology"

Most Read This Week Tagged "Archaeology"

Dark Dive (Underwater Investigation Unit, #5)

The Way of the Bear (Leaphorn, Chee & Manuelito, #26)

The Lost Tomb: And Other Real-Life Stories of Bones, Burials, and Murder

La vida contada por un sapiens a un neandertal

The Ark Files (Eden Black Archaeological Thrillers #1)

After 1177 B.C.: The Survival of Civilizations

Charlie Thorne and the Curse of Cleopatra (Charlie Thorne #3)

More most read this week tagged "archaeology"...

Archaeology Books

Archaeology: Theories, Methods and Practice

The Horse, the Wheel, and Language: How Bronze-Age Riders from the Eurasian Steppes Shaped the Modern World

Gods, Graves and Scholars: The Story of Archaeology

Crocodile on the Sandbank (Amelia Peabody, #1)

1177 B.C.: The Year Civilization Collapsed

1491: New Revelations of the Americas Before Columbus

The Bible Unearthed: Archaeology's New Vision of Ancient Israel and the Origin of Its Sacred Texts

Lives in Ruins: Archaeologists and the Seductive Lure of Human Rubble

The Dawn of Everything: A New History of Humanity

Four Lost Cities: A Secret History of the Urban Age

More archaeology books...

Lists

Technological Slavery by Theodore J. Kaczynski

Anti-Tech Revolution by Theodore J. Kaczynski

Industrial Society and Its Future by Theodore J. Kaczynski

The Human Animal

144 books — 92 voters

The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian by Sherman Alexie

Best Children's and Young Adult Books about Ancient Americas

162 books — 23 voters

A Discovery of Witches by Deborah Harkness

The Last Days of the Incas by Kim MacQuarrie

Ruins and Artifacts

181 books — 47 voters

A Short History of Nearly Everything by Bill Bryson

A Brief History of Time by Stephen Hawking

Big History

261 books — 110 voters

Adventure Books with Romance (not the other way)

177 books — 129 voters

Breaking the Maya Code by Michael D. Coe

Mesoamerica

133 books — 53 voters

Related Genres

Nonfiction
Classics
Clàssics
History
Anthropology
Physics
Geography
Linguistics
Art History

Chemistry
Statistics
Geology
Material Culture
Ethnology
Palaeontology
Information Sciences
Palaeozoology

Featured News & Interviews

The Past Year's Biggest Mystery & Thriller Hits

Read »

Quotes Tagged “Archaeology”

“ Until humans came and made anthills out of these mountains, Diwan Sahib was saying, looking up at the langurs, the land had belonged to these monkeys, and to barking deer, nilgai, tiger, barasingha, leopards, jackals, the great horned owl, and even to cheetahs and lions. The archaeology of the wilderness consisted of these lost animals, not of ruined walls, terracotta amulets, and potsherds. ”
― Anuradha Roy, The Folded Earth

6 likes

“ The problem with material remains is that they are silent: they don't provide their own interpretations. And that means various interpretations are possible. ...more ”
― Bart D. Ehrman, Heaven and Hell: A History of the Afterlife

1 likes

More quotes...