Antiquarianism focused on the empirical evidence that existed for the understanding of the past, encapsulated in the motto of the 18th century antiquary, Sir Richard Colt Hoare: 'We speak from facts not theory'. Antiquarians studied history with particular attention to ancient artifacts and manuscripts, as well as historical sites. The science of archaeology (from Greek ἀρχαιολογία, archaiologia from ἀρχαῖος, arkhaios, 'ancient' and -λογία, -logia, ' -logy') grew out of the older multi-disciplinary study known as antiquarianism. Antiquarians įurther information: History of Chinese archaeology Archaeologists excavating in Rome, Italy Cyriacus of Ancona (fresco by Benozzo Gozzoli) Even though his estimate was inaccurate by about 1,500 years, it was still a very good one considering the lack of accurate dating technology at the time. He was also the first to date an archaeological artifact in his attempt to date Naram-Sin's temple during his search for it. Not only did he lead the first excavations which were to find the foundation deposits of the temples of Šamaš the sun god, the warrior goddess Anunitu (both located in Sippar), and the sanctuary that Naram-Sin built to the moon god, located in Harran, but he also had them restored to their former glory. 550 BCE, who is thus known as the first archaeologist. 2200 BCE) was discovered and analysed by king Nabonidus, c. In Ancient Mesopotamia, a foundation deposit of the Akkadian Empire ruler Naram-Sin (ruled c.

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.Ĭuneiform account of the excavation of a foundation deposit belonging to Naram-Sin of Akkad (ruled c. 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. Archaeology has been used by nation-states to create particular visions of the past. In broad scope, archaeology relies on cross-disciplinary research.Īrchaeology developed out of antiquarianism in Europe during the 19th century, and has since become a discipline practiced around the world. The discipline involves surveying, excavation, and eventually analysis of data collected, to learn more about the past. Derived from the Greek, the term archaeology means 'the study of ancient history'. Archaeology has various goals, which range from understanding culture history to reconstructing past lifeways to documenting and explaining changes in human societies through time. Prehistory includes over 99% of the human past, from the Paleolithic until the advent of literacy in societies around the world. Archaeology is particularly important for learning about prehistoric societies, for which, by definition, there are no written records. Archaeology is distinct from palaeontology, which is the study of fossil remains. Īrchaeologists 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. 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. Archaeology can be considered both a social science and a branch of the humanities. The archaeological record consists of artifacts, architecture, biofacts or ecofacts, sites, and cultural landscapes. For other uses, see Archaeology (disambiguation).Įxcavations at Atapuerca, an archaeological site in Spain.Īrchaeology or archeology is the study of human activity through the recovery and analysis of material culture.

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