archaeologies
Digs into prehistory
Archaeologies is the plural of archaeology, used when discussing multiple branches, traditions, or applications of the discipline: the archaeologies of ancient Mesopotamia and Egypt, feminist archaeologies challenge traditional interpretations.
The plural emphasizes distinct methodological approaches or regional specializations rather than archaeology as a unified field.
Science of excavated remains
- osteologyScientific study of bones
- epigraphyStudy of ancient inscriptions
- paleographyStudy of ancient handwriting
Fired clay objects
- sherdsBroken pottery fragments
- lithicsArchaeological stone implements
- ceramicsHardened clay objects
- toolsDevices for doing work
bones · flints · vessels · figurines · jewelry · weapons · coins · beads
Study of rock layers
- typologyClassification by shared traits
- seriationSequential arrangement by attribute
- carbon-datingIsotope-based age measurement
- thermoluminescenceLight from heated irradiated material
dendrochronology · radiocarbon · dating · GIS · remote sensing · photogrammetry · flotation · survey
Great age, ancient era
- MesopotamiaTigris-Euphrates river region
- EgyptologyStudy of pharaonic civilization
- SumerianEarliest known civilization
- AkkadianAncient Semitic Mesopotamian language
Babylonian · Assyrian · Hittites · Indus · Minoan · Mycenaean · Trojan · classical
bioarchaeology
Science of excavated remains
- osteologyScientific study of bones
- epigraphyStudy of ancient inscriptions
- paleographyStudy of ancient handwriting
pottery
Fired clay objects
tools · bones · flints · vessels · figurines · jewelry · weapons · coins · beads · amulets
stratigraphy
Study of rock layers
- typologyClassification by shared traits
- seriationSequential arrangement by attribute
- carbon-datingIsotope-based age measurement
thermoluminescence · dendrochronology · radiocarbon · dating · GIS · remote sensing · photogrammetry · flotation · survey · classification
antiquity
Great age, ancient era
- MesopotamiaTigris-Euphrates river region
- EgyptologyStudy of pharaonic civilization
- SumerianEarliest known civilization
Akkadian · Babylonian · Assyrian · Hittites · Indus · Minoan · Mycenaean · Trojan · classical · prehistoric
dig
Unearth by shoveling
- trowelFlat blade for spreading
- trenchLong narrow excavation
- stratigraphyStudy of rock layers
site · grid · survey · fieldwork · sediment · screening · context · layer · soil · shovel
remnants
What stays after most goes
- debrisScattered broken fragments
- foundationsStructural bases below ground
- wallsVertical enclosing structures
tombs · temples · monuments · mounds · tells · megaliths · burial sites · tumuli · dolmens · barrows
archaeologiesfuturisms
Movements glorifying modernity
prognostications · prophecies · forecasting · oral histories · histories
archaeologiesethnographies
Descriptive accounts of cultures
oral traditions · mythologies · psychologies · philosophies · theologies
- archaeological excavationSystematic unearthing of artifacts
- archaeological siteLocation of historic remains
- archaeological digOrganized unearthing of antiquities
- archaeological ruinsRemnants of past civilizations
- archaeological discoveryArtifact unearthed from antiquity
- archaeological discoveriesArtifacts uncovered through excavation
archaeologist, archaeologists, archaeological, archaeologically