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"

Lost Worlds: How Humans Tried, Failed, Succeeded, and Built Our World

Most Read This Week Tagged "Archaeology"

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

Neptune's Fortune: The Billion-Dollar Shipwreck and the Ghosts of the Spanish Empire

The Ark Files (Eden Black Archaeological Thrillers #1)

The Museum Detective (A Museum Detective Novel)

Dinner with King Tut: How Rogue Archaeologists Are Re-creating the Sights, Sounds, Smells, and Tastes of Lost Civilizations

Tomb of the Sun King (Raiders of the Arcana #2)

Arrow of Fortune (Raiders of the Arcana, #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

1177 B.C.: The Year Civilization Collapsed

Crocodile on the Sandbank (Amelia Peabody, #1)

Gods, Graves & Scholars: The Story of Archaeology

1491: New Revelations of the Americas Before Columbus

The Dawn of Everything: A New History of Humanity

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

Four Lost Cities: A Secret History of the Urban Age

More archaeology books...

Lists

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 Secrets of Greystone House by Marcus Attwater

Crocodile on the Sandbank by Elizabeth Peters

Adventures in Archaeology

27 books — 20 voters

Exploration Fawcett by Percy Harrison Fawcett

Archaeological Adventure

14 books — 3 voters

A Short History of Nearly Everything by Bill Bryson

A Brief History of Time by Stephen W. Hawking

Big History

269 books — 110 voters

When Secrets Bloom by Patricia Furstenberg

Best Books of Secrets

245 books — 137 voters

The Curse of the Pharaohs by Elizabeth Peters

The Snake, the Crocodile and the Dog by Elizabeth Peters

Archaeology Romance, Mystery, Suspense

285 books — 198 voters

Featured News & Interviews

Readers’ Most Read Books of the Reading Challenge (So Far)

Read »

Quotes Tagged “Archaeology”

“ [...] the success of Egyptian surgery in setting broken bones is very fully demonstrated in the large number of well-joined fractures found in the ancient skeletons. ”
― James Henry Breasted, The Edwin Smith Surgical Papyrus, 2 Vols

10 likes

“ Around the world other countries have laws to protect their archaeological heritage...We continue to do a very bad job of preserving and managing our own heritage, a heritage that also belongs to the Native Americans who preceded us here. ”
― Jerald T. Milanich, Famous Florida Sites: Mt. Royal and Crystal River

0 likes

More quotes...