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

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Archaeology Books

Archaeology: Theories, Methods and Practice

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1491: New Revelations of the Americas Before Columbus

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Lists

The Last Days of the Incas by Kim MacQuarrie

A Discovery of Witches by Deborah Harkness

Ruins and Artifacts

184 books — 45 voters

Royal Annals of Ancient Egypt by Toby Wilkinson

The Complete Royal Families of Ancient Egypt by Aidan Dodson

Chronicle of the Queens of Egypt by Joyce A. Tyldesley

Ancient Records of Egypt, Volume 1 by James Henry Breasted

Books about Ancient Egypt & Related, pt. 1

101 books — 4 voters

The Long Man of Wilmington, East Sussex by John H. Farrant

The White Horses of the West of England by Rev. W. C. Plenderleath

Hill Figures of England

32 books — 1 voter

The Ice Limit - La barrière de glace by Douglas Preston

Best Archaeology Thriller Books

179 books — 141 voters

The Illyrian Adventure by Lloyd Alexander

Archaeology in Middle Grade & YA Fiction

159 books — 13 voters

Technological Slavery by Theodore John Kaczynski

Anti-Tech Revolution by Theodore John Kaczynski

Industrial Society and Its Future by Theodore John Kaczynski

The Human Animal

149 books — 104 voters

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Quotes Tagged “Archaeology”

“ The work of lifetimes has been put at risk, reputations have been damaged, an astounding amount of silliness and even profound stupidity has been taken as serious thought, and always lurking in the background of all the argumentation and gnashing of tenets has been the question of whether the field of archaeology can ever be pursued as a science. ”
― J. M. Adovasio

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“ Statements that will hold good for all time are difficult to obtain in archaeology. The most that can be done at any one time is to report on the current state of knowledge. ”
― Jennifer K. McArthur, Place-Names in the Knossos Tablets Identification and Location

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