The Study of Human History

Archaeology deals with the study of past human activity, mainly through the recovery and analysis of the materials, their composition and the environmental data which has been left behind by the past human populations. These include architecture, artefacts, biofacts (also called eco-facts) as well as cultural landscapes, i.e. Archaeological records. Since the field of Archaeology encompasses a wide range of different disciplines, it is considered both a social science and also humanity. The domain of Archaeology deals with the study of human history, right from the first stone tool age in eastern Africa more than four million years ago to the recent decades and current explorations. The objective of Archaeological study involves study and analysis of human evolution in terms of their past culture and history.

Process

The discipline of Archaeology involves surveying, excavation and also the eventual analysis of data collected, for learning more regarding the past.

Cross-disciplinary research

In a broad definition, Archaeology is based on cross-disciplinary research. It involves Anthropology, Art, History, Geography, Geology, Ethnology, Linguistics, Physics, Chemistry, Statistics, Information Sciences,Paleontology, Paleozoology, Paleoethnobotany, Paleoecology and Paleobotany. Archaeology is today a highly disciplined practice all over the world. Right from its early development, other sub-disciplines of Archaeology have slowly developed, such as Maritime Archaeology, Archaeoastronomy etc. Various scientific techniques have been developed and continue to be created to assist Archaeological investigation.