Definition and Scope of Archaeology
- Study of human activity through material culture
- Includes artifacts, architecture, biofacts or ecofacts, sites, and cultural landscapes
- Considered a social science and a branch of the humanities
- Independent academic discipline, but can be part of anthropology, history, or geography
- Focuses on human prehistory and history, from the development of stone tools to recent decades

Distinction from Paleontology and Importance for Prehistoric Societies
- Distinct from paleontology, which studies fossil remains
- Crucial for learning about prehistoric societies without written records
- Covers over 99% of human past, from Paleolithic to advent of literacy
- Goals range from understanding culture history to documenting changes in human societies
- Uses cross-disciplinary research and scientific techniques for investigation

Development of Archaeology as a Discipline
- Developed from antiquarianism in Europe during the 19th century
- Practiced worldwide and used by nation-states to shape historical narratives
- Specific sub-disciplines include maritime archaeology, feminist archaeology, and archaeoastronomy
- Challenges faced by archaeologists include pseudoarchaeology, artifact looting, and opposition to excavating human remains
- Continual advancements in scientific techniques aid archaeological investigation

History of Archaeology
- First instances of archaeology traced back to Ancient Mesopotamia
- King Nabonidus considered the first archaeologist for excavating foundation deposits
- Antiquarianism in Europe focused on empirical evidence for understanding the past
- Renaissance Europe saw a resurgence of interest in Greco-Roman civilization
- Early archaeologists like Cyriacus of Ancona and Flavio Biondo made significant contributions
- First excavations included sites like Stonehenge

First Excavations and Notable Archaeologists
- Johann Joachim Winckelmann considered a pioneer in archaeology
- Early excavations in China focused on ancient bronze inscriptions
- English antiquarians like John Leland and William Camden surveyed the English countryside
- Early traces of archaeology found in writings of Indian scholar Kalhana
- John Aubrey recorded megalithic monuments in England and analyzed his findings
- Roque Joaquín de Alcubierre excavated Pompeii and Herculaneum, discovering entire towns and frescos
- Johann Joachim Winckelmann studied Roman antiquities and applied categories of style to art history
- William Cunnington conducted meticulous excavations in Wiltshire, categorizing and describing Neolithic and Bronze Age barrows
- Thomas Jefferson conducted excavations on Native American burial mounds, contributing to the Moundbuilders question

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Archaeology (Wikipedia)

For other uses, see Archaeology (disambiguation).

Archaeology or archeology is the 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. It is usually considered an independent academic discipline, but may also be classified as part of anthropology (in North America – the four-field approach), history or geography.

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. 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. Archaeology has various goals, which range from understanding culture history to reconstructing past lifeways to documenting and explaining changes in human societies through time. Derived from the Greek, the term archaeology means "the study of ancient 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.

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. 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, a lack of public interest, and opposition to the excavation of human remains.