Archaeology has become a fascinating subject in recent decades. The history-loving people want to know all about archaeology. The past has always been a matter of great importance to them. But, many people think archaeology and history are boring subjects. This is mostly because their first introduction to archaeology has not been interesting enough.
Sometimes the definitions of these two subjects in books and lectures are boring or difficult to understand. People, especially students, cannot relate to the subjects.
In this article, I am going to give a simple and brief introduction to archaeology. After that, you will understand archaeology is not just collecting old stuff and digging old places. It is much more than that! First, see some definitions of archaeology with a little bit of background. After that, we will try to understand the importance of archaeology.
What is Archaeology?
Let us begin your introduction to archaeology with a brief background history of the field. The formal study of archaeology started in the mid-19th century. In North America, archaeology is considered a sub-field of anthropology. However, in some parts of Europe, it belongs to a different field.
The word Archaeology is a combination of two Greek words, archaios which means old or ancient, and logia, which means learning or studying. Together these two words mean studying or learning about ancient objects.
Scientists have defined archaeology in many ways. You will find tons of definitions of archaeology on the internet. So, to make things easy, we have picked some interesting ones for you:
“The study of the buildings, graves, tools, and other objects that belonged to people who lived in the past, in order to learn about their culture and society”
Cambridge Dictionary
“Archaeology is the scientific study of peoples of the past… their culture and their relationship with their environment. The purpose of archaeology is to understand how humans in the past interacted with their environment, and to preserve this history for present and future learning.” ( Larry J. Zimmerman)
“[Archaeology] is the method of finding out about the past of the human race in its material aspects and the study of the products of this past.” (Kathleen Kenyon, 1956. Beginning in Archaeology. Phoenix House, London).
So, what do you find common in these definitions? All of them give a lot of emphasis on studying past human civilizations and their cultures. And how is that possible? Archaeologists say it is possible to understand ancient civilization and humans through the scientific study of places, objects or materials left behind by the people.
“Material remains” means anything we can touch. It can be buried remains, relics, objects and constructions (buildings, monuments or structures etc.). Archaeologists discover these things to investigate the past.
Types of Archaeology
The field of archaeology is huge. There are many types of archaeology studying different subjects of the past. From shipwrecks to the Ancient Pyramids of Egypt, archaeology covers a lot of things. Here are some well-known branches of archaeology briefly talked about for your knowledge.
Prehistoric Archaeology
The subject of prehistoric archaeology is prehistory. It studies the past before written records were available. As there is no written evidence, prehistoric archaeology has to take help from anthropology, biology, and geology. Archaeologists carefully examine ancient materials. Then, they come up with different theories based on their findings.
Historical Archaeology
Historical archaeology works with the materials of the past or present through the help of written and oral information. Archaeologists scientifically examine the findings and cross-check them with written information. The writing system is a fairly recent invention compared to the existence of humans in this world. So, we can say that historical archaeology studies recent historical events and the past.
Biblical Archaeology
This branch of archaeology deals with the biblical account of the Ancient Near East and the Holy Land (Palestine, Israel, and Canaan). Biblical archaeology was first introduced in the late 19th century. The archaeologists of this field follow the Hebrew Bible as their main source. Combined with the theories and practices of archaeology, biblical archaeology tries to understand the past culture of Palestine and Israel. This field is mostly concerned with the Iron age.
Classical Archaeology
This area of archaeology is fully dedicated to research on the Greek and Roman civilizations. Classical archaeology became a formal research program during the 19th century. Archaeologist Heinrich Schliemann had an obsession with Greek and Roman history. He contributed a lot to developing the field of classical archaeology. Many institutions still conduct excavations to discover more about Greek and Roman civilizations.
Underwater Archaeology
The study of shipwrecks, submerged archaeological sites, and materials is called underwater archaeology. In the past, underwater archaeology was not considered a field of archaeology. But, the idea changed when universities started to consider the field an important part of archaeological research. Now, it has its own branches like maritime archaeology and aviation archaeology.
Industrial Archaeology
This field of archaeology systematically studies the industrial past. Industrial archaeology focuses on the industrial past and things related to the industrial revolution. The archaeologists of this field focus on materials like buildings, technology, artifacts, sites, infrastructure, and documents related to the industrial era. The field of industrial archaeology was introduced during the 1950s in Great Britain.
A Specialized Fields
There are fields of archaeology focused on specific civilizations such as Egyptology, Mayanology, Assyriology, and so on. Egyptology studies the history of ancient Egypt, culture, language, literature, and archaeology. Similarly, Mayanology focuses on the Mayan civilization, and Assyriology focuses on the history of Assyria, its language, and its materials. Many archaeologists dedicate their lives to studying only one specific field. Thus, they are also known as Egyptologists, Mayanologists, Assyriologists, etc.
What is the importance of archaeology?
Now, after your introduction to archaeology, you are probably thinking, what is the importance of archaeology? What is the point of knowing about the past? Or how is it related to our present?
You might have heard people say that the past does not matter. But, the past actually matters for human civilization. Archaeology is important for modern civilization in many ways. It is a magical door to the past. Let us see how archaeology is important for us.
First, archaeology can change history. The evidence of archaeology can either support the written evidence of history or dismiss it. A simple analysis of ancient pottery, tools, or even jewelry can change history. Archaeology follows scientific methods to investigate the past. Thus, it can prove whether any historical records are true or fabricated. Since the research is based on scientific evidence, there is very little possibility of a mistake.
Second, archaeology studies the lost civilizations and their culture to understand the development of human society. Archaeologists examine archaeological evidence like relics, buildings, constructions, monuments, places, and the environment. This observation helps us to know how human civilizations gradually developed through the ages.
Thirdly, archaeology can tell us when the past civilizations started, how they thrived, and why they collapsed. This knowledge will teach us about the past mistakes of ancient society and why they could not prevail. Observations can also predict human action and what can be the consequence based on the past. So, we can avoid repeating the same mistakes as the previous civilizations.
Conclusion
Finally, I hope this simple introduction to archaeology has sparked at least a little bit of interest in you about archaeology. The past has always been an attractive subject for many people. Solving the past can mean a lot for the present which is not possible without archaeology.
Bibliography
- Archaeology. Wikipedia, 2020.
- Hirst, K. Kris. “Defining Archaeology: 40 Different Ways to Describe Archaeology.” ThoughtCo, Aug. 28, 2020, thoughtco.com/different-ways-to-describe-archaeology-169847.
- Jarus, Owen. “What Is Archaeology?” LiveScience, Purch, 28 Mar. 2014, www.livescience.com/44448-what-is-archaeology.html.
- Johnston, Grahame. “Types of Archaeology.” Archaeology Expert, 29 July 2020, www.archaeologyexpert.co.uk/typesofarchaeology.html.
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