Archaeology

Archaeology or archeology[a] is the scientific study of human activity through the recovery and
analysis of material culture. The archaeological record consists of artifacts, architecture,
biofacts or ecofacts, sites, and cultural landscapes. Archaeology can be considered both a
social science and a branch of the humanities.[1][2] In Europe it is often viewed as either a
discipline in its own right or a sub-field of other disciplines, while in North America archaeology
is a sub-field of anthropology.[3]

Two archaeologists analyzing artifacts of Strawberry Valley unincorporated community and Forest City ghost town

Archaeologists study human prehistory and history, from the development of the first stone
tools at Lomekwi in East Africa 3.3 million years ago up until recent decades.[4] Archaeology is
distinct from palaeontology, which is the study of fossil remains. Archaeology is particularly
important for learning about prehistoric societies, for which, by definition, there are no written
records. Prehistory includes over 99% of the human past, from the Paleolithic until the advent of
literacy in societies around the world.[1] Archaeology has various goals, which range from
understanding culture history to reconstructing past lifeways to documenting and explaining
changes in human societies through time.[5] Derived from the Greek, the term archaeology
literally means "the study of ancient history".[6]

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.

Archaeology developed out of antiquarianism in Europe during the 19th century, and has since
become a discipline practiced around the world. Archaeology has been used by nation-states to
create particular visions of the past.[7] 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, such as dealing with pseudoarchaeology, the looting of artifacts,[8][9] a lack of public
interest, and opposition to the excavation of human remains.

More recently, the value of archaeology in helping mental health and well-being is being
acknowledged,[10] and projects like the Operation Nightingale initiative[11] in the UK is using
archaeology as a means of aiding the recovery of service personnel injured in recent conflict.

History

Purpose

Methods

Academic sub-disciplines

Protection
Popular views of archaeology

Current issues and controversy

See also

Notes

References

Bibliography

Further reading

External links

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Last edited 8 hours ago by Headbomb