Archaeology 101

Humans have been ‘civilized’ for just over 3,000 years, with cities and written language developing in Mesopotamia, Egypt, and the Indus Valley in roughly the same period.

The birth of cities and larger settlements created a wealth of information for archaeologists to uncover. An archaeologist may undertake fieldwork to find out more about buildings in the twentieth century, showing that it doesn’t have to involve studying things from the distant past.

The history of
archaeology

The history of archaeology as a subject dates from the Renaissance when European people ‘rediscovered’ the culture of the Greeks and Romans. The desire to access and possess ancient statues and other materials led to people digging up former Greek and Roman settlements.

Early archaeology, therefore, was no different from art collection. This fueled the growth in the field, particularly in the 18th Century, when the Queen of Naples funded an excavation of Pompeii and Herculaneum – two cities that had been buried by the eruption of Mount Vesuvius.

When Napoleon invaded Egypt in 1798, teams of archaeologists began to dig up the treasures of the Ancient Egyptians. The Sphinx was uncovered after having been buried in the sand for centuries.

Perhaps the most famous archaeological discovery of the period was the Rosetta Stone, which contained writing in Egyptian hieroglyphics and Ancient Greek. By comparing the two, linguists were able to decipher this previously unknown language.

Throughout the nineteenth and twentieth centuries, archaeologists began to discover more and more historic artifacts, particularly in the Middle East and North Africa. The discovery of the Valley of the Kings and Tutankhamun’s tomb in 1922 was the most famous example of this (and perhaps explains why archaeology and treasure hunting are linked in the popular imagination).

Modern archaeology utilizes technology such as satellite imaging and online cataloging, meaning that archaeologists can now better predict where objects are before digging and can share knowledge more readily. However, the fundamentals of archaeology have not changed, in that it still involves searching for priceless artifacts hidden under the ground, at subterranean levels.

Archaeology
vs.
Paleontology

One of the most common misconceptions about archaeologists is that they search for dinosaur bones. This is incorrect – people who search for dinosaur bones are called paleontologists.

Both are involved in digging up objects from below the ground: the key difference is that archaeologists are looking for evidence of human life, paleontologists are looking for evidence of pre-human life.

Because of the rarity of preserving bones from large animals, paleontologists often have to fly to specific locations to search for dinosaur bones, although smaller fossils are more common and are often preserved in more accessible locations.

By contrast, archaeologists are able to find items more commonly, because they are looking for much for recent objects. Archaeologists work in terms of centuries (or sometimes even decades); paleontologists measure things in millions of years.

As a rule of thumb to help you remember:

if it’s a human, it’s archaeology,
if it’s a dinosaur, it’s paleontology.

Anthropology is a further related field. Anthropology refers to the study of human society. The best way to think of anthropology is the study of humans as a species (in the same way you would study an animal). Anthropology therefore also studies contemporary societies, not just historical ones.

Branches of
archaeology

Within the wider field of archaeology, there are four main branches. Each of these takes into account a different area of study and uses different approaches (a lot different in the case of underwater archaeology). Each still fundamentally deals with the idea of uncovering historical information from below the ground. The four main types are:

Classical Archaeology

Classical archaeology refers to the study of architecture from the ‘classical period’ – Ancient Greece and Rome. Classical architecture was the first type of architecture, as historians in the nineteenth century began to investigate the sites from Greek and Roman literature.

The classical period covers roughly 2,000 years from 1500 BCE to 500 CE. Most of this archaeology takes place in the modern-day countries of Greece and Rome, as well as the wider Mediterranean region (many sites, such as the historic city of Troy are in modern-day Turkey).

Archaeological
sites

Archaeological sites can be literally anywhere that humans have ever been to. However, most archaeology involves looking at permanent settlements of historical regions. Because of the difficulties of digging up urban areas, the largest archaeological sites are often in areas where cities once were but are no longer.

Occasionally, in cities such as London or Rome, with long histories of occupation, a major building project may give archaeologists an opportunity to search and explore for historical items.

Archaeologists can be found on every continent. In 2018, NASA imaging showed geometric shapes more than a mile below the ice in Antarctica. Archaeologists from around the world examined the shapes, and many came to believe that it was evidence of an ancient civilization. Because of the remote location, and the difficulty of digging so far down, it is unlikely that archaeologists will be able to access the site in the immediate future.

Material
culture

Ultimately, one of the interesting aspects of archaeology is the fact that it relies on material culture; that is, it is based on finding specific objects. Unlike historians, who may analyze writings or myths, or anthropologists, who study behaviors and rituals, archaeologists study material objects.

Archaeology
for Kids

A fun way to get kids interested in archaeology is to set up a digging area in your backyard, sandbox, or designated area.

Note: make sure you are not digging near any water or electrical lines.

Context

Archaeology provides more context to a given historical period. As already mentioned, the discovery of the Rosetta Stone allowed linguists to crack the secrets of the hieroglyphic language.

Other archaeological findings, such as the Terracotta Warriors of Qin Shi Huang allow us to understand the grandiose burial rituals of historical emperors.

Macchu Picchu was also rediscovered by American archaeologist Hiram Bingham in 1911. This allowed historians to understand just how advanced and powerful the Incan civilization was in its mid-fifteen century zenith.

Archaeology is one of the most fascinating fields of study for someone interested in history, culture, or society. Although it may not ever meet the dramatic levels of an ‘Indiana Jones’ movie, there is something extremely adventurous about digging up historical treasures from below the ground.

The idea of re-discovering something that belonged to someone centuries ago provides a connection that it isn’t always possible to get from studying history books.