This document provides an overview of archaeology as a field of study. It begins with definitions and objectives, explaining that archaeology is the study of human activity and cultures through recovered artifacts. It discusses the origins and relationship between archaeology and history, noting that archaeology can provide evidence for historical periods where written records are limited. The document also describes approaches within prehistoric archaeology and defines the subfield of historical archaeology.

1. Dr.AGHALYA.,M.A.,M.Ed.,M.PHIL.,Ph.D.,
Head & Asst.Professor
Department of History
Bon Secours College for Women
Thanjavur

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 Structure
 Introduction
 Objectives
 Meaning and Origins of Archaeology
 History and Archaeology
 Prehistoric Archaeology
 Relationship between Prehistoric Archaeology and History
 Scope of Prehistoric Archaeology
 Approaches in Prehistoric Archaeology
 Historical Archaeology
Structure

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 Archaeology is the study of human activity through
the recovery and analysis of material culture.
 Archaeology is the study of people and cultures of
the past through objects they left behind. It is a
subfield of Anthropology–the study of all human
culture.
 The archaeological record consists of artifacts,
architecture, biofacts or ecofacts and cultural
landscapes. Archaeology can be considered both a
social science and a branch of the humanities.
INTRODUCTION

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 After going through this unit, you will be able to:
 Understand the meaning and origins of Archaeology
 Establish the relationship between History and
Archaeology
 Describe prehistoric archaeology
OBJECTIVES

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 Anthropology: It is the study of human beings,
including their behaviour, biology, linguistics and social
and cultural variations.
 Antiquarian: It is a term used to indicate a pre-20th-
century collector of ancient artifacts before the
development of scientific archaeology and the
establishment of standards for excavating and
preserving finds.
 Artifact: It is portable object manufactured, modified, or
used byhumans.

KEY WORDS

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 Hunter-gatherers: It refers to a community or group that
subsists primarily by hunting wild animals and
gathering wild plant resources.
 Neolithic: It refers to the latter portion of the Stone Age,
a time period beginning around 10,000 BCE., when
many areas were developing agriculture, especially the
Middle East.
 Site: It denotes any place where human material remains
are found; an area of human activity represented by
material culture.
KEY WORDS

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Babylone

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 The word archaeology has its origin from two
Ancient Greek words ‘arkhaios’, meaning ancient or
old, and ‘logia’, which stand for learning or study.
 Many consider it to be a subfield of anthropology
(the study of all human culture and evolution), along
with many other subfields comprising biological,
cultural and linguistic anthropology.
MEANING AND ORIGINS OF ARCHAEOLOGY

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 Archaeology can be considered both a social science
and a branch of the humanity (the study of humans
and their society).
 However, it also uses other branches of learning such
as biology, chemistry, geology, botany, geography
and various other disciplines.
 By using all these disciplines, the archaeologists are
able to understand human civilizations of the past
and recreate main aspects of the environment in
which these bygone societies lived.
MEANING AND ORIGINS OF ARCHAEOLOGY

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Chinese Cultural Study

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 Archaeology is the only method available for the
study of human actions in the material world, when
other evidences such as a variety of written materials
and oral traditions narrating certain phenomenon
fail.
 The survival of written documents is relatively
limited and hence from the time that these
documents become available, they provide
additional tools to archaeology for its interpretation
of past activities of man, on the basis of material
remains.
MEANING AND ORIGINS OF ARCHAEOLOGY

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Keezhadi

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 Archaeology, from this point of view, has to not only
interpret material remains of human activity, but
also throw light on the literary interpretations of the
past phenomenon.
 It helps us to appreciate and preserve our shared
human heritage. It informs us about the past, helps
us understand where we came from, and shows us
how people lived, overcame challenges, and
developed the societies we have today.
MEANING AND ORIGINS OF ARCHAEOLOGY

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 The exact origins of archaeology as a discipline are
uncertain. Excavations of ancient monuments and
collection of antiquities have been taking place since
times immemorial.
 The Italian Renaissance humanist historian, Flavio
Biondo, is seen as a candidate for consideration as an
early founder of archaeology.

ORIGINS OF
ARCHAEOLOGY

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Anthropological studies in
Harappa

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 However, it was only in the 19th century that the
systematic study of the past through its physical
remains began to be carried out in a manner
recognizable to modern students of archaeology.
 Petrie (1853-1942) was another personality who may
rightly be called the Father of Archaeology.
ORIGINS OF
ARCHAEOLOGY

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 Both history and archaeology research the human
past. The difference between these two disciplines
derives from the source materials.
 Archeology is also related with history in a more
particular manner.
 The history of the earliest literate societies such as
those of Egypt, Mesopotamia, Greece and Rome
depends largely on archaeology, which was in the
first place responsible for the recovery of the written
history documents through archaeological
excavations.
HISTORY AND
ARCHAEOLOGY

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 Archaeology and history complement each other. The two
disciplines together provide a more comprehensive
record of the past.
 For example, some of archaeologically invisible activities
may be described in historical documents. Also,
sometimes history can be used to locate archaeological
sites.
 The two disciplines are related with each other in terms of
methodology as they use the same method in the finding
the past events, such as the use of observation to identify
a certain place where particular events took place.
HISTORY AND
ARCHAEOLOGY

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 Archaeology has contributed to the study of written
history through the study of artifacts and structures
of literate societies. This has led to the development
of the new sub-discipline of historical archaeology.
 Many physical remains of the past, such as clay
tablets, Egyptian choreographic text on papyrus and
inscriptions, are historical documents just as much as
are the books published in the 17thcentury Europe.
HISTORY AND
ARCHAEOLOGY

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 Another distinction is found in the scope of the two
disciplines. Archaeology covers the period from the
beginning of human civilization (2.5 million years
ago) to the present, while history covers the period
from the beginning of written records (3000 BC) to
the present.
SCOPE OF THE TWO
DISCIPLINES

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 History comprises the stories of what happened,
how, where, who did it and what happened next.
Archaeology is concerned with the place where a
sample, such as the remains of a temple, or an
artwork, or an artifact is found.
SCOPE OF THE TWO
DISCIPLINES

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 Prehistoric archaeology has become an institution
nowadays, encompassing a number of different
scholars forming sub-disciplines.Each scholar
propagates new theories and follows different
methods having different approaches.
Scope of Prehistoric Archaeology

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 Historical archaeology is a sub-discipline of
archaeology concerned with studying places, things,
and issues from the past using physical evidence in
combination with other types of historical sources
such as maps, documents, illustrations, photographs
and oral history.
 In the strictest sense, historical archaeology is the
archaeology of societies that left behind historical
records.
HISTORICAL ARCHAEOLOGY

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 These records can both complement and conflict
with the archaeological evidence found. It focuses on
the objects used by people in the past and the places
where they lived and worked.
 It can tell us about the way things were made and
used and how people lived their daily lives.
 Historical archaeology emphasizes on literate,
historical-period societies as opposed to non-literate,
prehistoric societies.
HISTORICAL ARCHAEOLOGY