archaeology

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Study of prehistory and history, based on the examination of physical remains. Principal activities include preliminary field (or site) surveys, excavation (where necessary), and the classification, dating, and interpretation of finds.

History
A museum found at the ancient Sumerian city of Ur indicates that interest in the physical remains of the past stretches back into prehistory. In the Renaissance this interest gained momentum among dealers in and collectors of ancient art and was further stimulated by discoveries made in Africa, the Americas, and Asia by Europeans during the period of imperialist colonization in the 16th–19th centuries, such as the antiquities discovered during Napoleon's Egyptian campaign in the 1790s. Romanticism in Europe stimulated an enthusiasm for the mouldering skull, the ancient potsherds, ruins, and dolmens; relating archaeology to a wider context of art and literature.

Towards the end of the 19th century archaeology became an academic study, making increasing use of scientific techniques and systematic methodologies such as aerial photography. Since World War II new developments within the discipline include medieval, postmedieval, landscape, and industrial archaeology; underwater reconnaissance enabling the excavation of underwater sites; and rescue archaeology (excavation of sites risking destruction).

Related disciplines
Useful in archaeological studies are dendrochronology (tree-ring dating), geochronology (science of measuring geological time), stratigraphy (study of geological strata), palaeobotany (study of ancient pollens, seeds, and grains), archaeozoology (analysis of animal remains), epigraphy (study of inscriptions), and numismatics (study of coins).

Black and white reflect the black and white communities and the harmony between them. Yellow represents the golden beaches. Blue stands for the sea. Effective date: 22 February 1979. >>