archeology
Ancient remains study
Archeology is the study of human history through excavation and analysis of physical remains—artifacts, structures, bones, and other material evidence.
Archeologists dig at sites to reconstruct how ancient peoples lived, worked, and died.
The field spans from prehistoric cave dwellings to nineteenth-century settlements.
Also spelled archaeology, especially in British English.
Unearth by shoveling
- trowelFlat blade for spreading
- stratigraphyStudy of rock layers
- trenchLong narrow excavation
- gridFramework of intersecting lines
site · soil · layer · sediment · screening · fieldwork · context · survey
Apex-topped geometric solids
- StonehengePrehistoric megalithic circle
- hieroglyphicsSymbolic picture-based writing
- zigguratsMesopotamian terraced temple structures
- MesopotamiaTigris-Euphrates river region
sarcophagi · mummies · pharaohs · Sumerians · Mayans · Pompeii · Aztecs · Incas
Earliest archaeological era
- NeolithicFinal prehistoric stone-tool era
- Bronze AgeEarly metalworking civilization period
- Iron AgePost-bronze historical period
- PleistoceneAncient glacial geological period
Holocene · Mesolithic · hominids · Neanderthals · Homo erectus · cave paintings · megaliths · stone tools
Isotope-based age measurement
- radiocarbonDecaying carbon isotope
- dendrochronologyDating via growth rings
- stratigraphyStudy of rock layers
- remote sensingGathering data without contact
LIDAR · typology · seriation · thermoluminescence · DNA analysis · aerial photography · magnetometry · flotation
Fired clay objects
- sherdsBroken pottery fragments
- toolsDevices for doing work
- weaponsTools for fighting
- jewelryOrnamental personal accessories
ceramics · figurines · coins · tablets · amulets · beads · arrowheads · vessels
Systematic fact-finding effort
- fieldworkResearch conducted on location
- academiaHigher education community
- publicationIssued written material
- methodologyFormal procedural framework
conservation · historiography · epigraphy · numismatics · paleoanthropology · curation · interpretation · museum
dig
Unearth by shoveling
- trowelFlat blade for spreading
- stratigraphyStudy of rock layers
- trenchLong narrow excavation
grid · site · soil · layer · sediment · screening · fieldwork · context · survey · mapping
pyramids
Apex-topped geometric solids
- StonehengePrehistoric megalithic circle
- hieroglyphicsSymbolic picture-based writing
- zigguratsMesopotamian terraced temple structures
Mesopotamia · sarcophagi · mummies · pharaohs · Sumerians · Mayans · Pompeii · Aztecs · Incas · Angkor
Paleolithic
Earliest archaeological era
- NeolithicFinal prehistoric stone-tool era
- Bronze AgeEarly metalworking civilization period
- Iron AgePost-bronze historical period
Pleistocene · Holocene · Mesolithic · hominids · Neanderthals · Homo erectus · cave paintings · megaliths · stone tools · hunter-gatherers
carbon dating
Isotope-based age measurement
- radiocarbonDecaying carbon isotope
- dendrochronologyDating via growth rings
- stratigraphyStudy of rock layers
remote sensing · LIDAR · typology · seriation · thermoluminescence · DNA analysis · aerial photography · magnetometry · flotation
pottery
Fired clay objects
jewelry · ceramics · figurines · coins · tablets · amulets · beads · arrowheads · vessels · urns
research
Systematic fact-finding effort
- fieldworkResearch conducted on location
- academiaHigher education community
- publicationIssued written material
methodology · conservation · historiography · epigraphy · numismatics · paleoanthropology · curation · interpretation · museum · archives
unearthed
Retrieved from the ground
shipwreck · treasure · cache · burial · chamber · sealed · intact · expedition · uncovered · revealed
remnants
What stays after most goes
- crumblingBreaking down gradually
- overgrownExcessively covered in vegetation
- abandonedLeft behind completely
weathered · collapsed · rubble · foundations · walls · columns · fragmented · eroded · derelict · remains
- fieldworkfieldwork, field work, field journal, field guide, field study
- medieval studiesmedieval studies, trivium, Middle English, medieval universities, Anglo-Saxon
- heritagecultural traditions, museum, national heritage, archive, monument
- Mummy Moviesmummy, curse, ancient curse, bandages, tomb
- LibyaTripoli, Benghazi, Tobruk, Muammar Gaddafi, Gaddafi
archeologyfuturology
Study of coming times
futurism · speculative fiction · prognostication · forecasting · paleontology
archeologylooting
Theft during disorder
tomb raiding · vandalism · iconoclasm · demolition · plunder
- archeological digsMethodical unearthing of antiquities
- archeological sitesLocations of historical excavation
- archeological ruinsPreserved ancient structural remains
- archeological findsObjects discovered through excavation
- archeological artifactsHistorical objects from excavations