What is Archaeology?

Archaeology is the study of human cultures through material remains. Archeologists have different interests and focus on studying different locations and times, ranging from earliest human ancestors in Africa to present-day. Listed below are the main categories of archaeological study

• Prehistoric archaeology focuses on past cultures that did not have written language. Therefore, most prehistoric archeology relies primarily on survey and excavation, or data recovery, to explore the past.
• Historical archaeology studies cultures that existed during the period of recorded history--several thousands of years in parts of the world, but only several hundred years in others. Within historical archaeology there are many geographically specific fields of study that include classical archaeology, Egyptology, and biblical archaeology.
• Underwater archaeology studies physical remains of human activity that lie beneath the surface of oceans, lakes, rivers, and wetlands. It includes the study of shipwrecks, cities and harbors that are now submerged.
• Ethnoarchaeology is the study of living cultures resembling extinct ones for archaeological purposes. It usually involves the study of surviving hunter-gatherers, pastoralists and nomads to attempt to  explain objects and findings from archaeological sites.

Some of the other specialties within archaeology include , urban archaeology, experimental archaeology, cultural resource management (CRM), and bioarchaeology.