Archaeology, is the study of of old, or ancient, ways of human life through the recovery and analysis of material culture.
When 20th-century archaeologist Leonard Woolley excavated the temple at the ancient Sumerian city of Ur, he found rows of neatly arranged artifacts of varying ages accompanied by inscriptions describing them. The 2500-year-old archaeological museum indicates that interest in the physical remains of the past stretches back into prehistory.
When 20th-century archaeologist Leonard Woolley excavated the temple at the ancient Sumerian city of Ur, he found rows of neatly arranged artifacts of varying ages accompanied by inscriptions describing them. The 2500-year-old archaeological museum indicates that interest in the physical remains of the past stretches back into prehistory.
Looting of archaeological sites is an ancient problem. For instance, many of the tombs of the Egyptian pharaohs were looted during antiquity.
The oldest ever archaeological site was found in 2011. Lomekwi 3 is the name of a site in Kenya where ancient stone tools including anvils, cores, and flakes. They date to 3.3 million years ago, which make them the oldest ever found and predates the genus Homo by 500,000 years.
Cyriacus of Ancona (1391 — 1453/55) has been called the father of archaeology. An itinerant Italian humanist, Cyriacus traveled all around the Eastern Mediterranean, noting down his archaeological discoveries in his day-book, Commentaria, that eventually filled six volumes.
A father of archaeology in the early 1790s, Thomas Jefferson excavated burial mounds in Virginia to determine if the mound builders were Native Americans. His 1799 report on these excavations were one of the earliest significant archaeology works.
About the same time as Jefferson's archaeology efforts, in England, John Frere (1769–1846) began to recognize Paleolithic (Acheulean) hand axes and attempt to interpret them in light of ancient human behavior.
The father of archaeological excavation was William Cunnington (1754–1810), a self-educated merchant, who developed an interest in the rich archaeological landscape around the Wiltshire village of Heytesbury where he lived and worked. He undertook excavations in Wiltshire from around 1798, funded by Sir Richard Colt Hoare. Cunnington made meticulous recordings of Neolithic and Bronze Age barrows, and the terms he used to categorize and describe them are still used by archaeologists today.
Below are artifacts discovered at the 1808 Bush Barrow excavation by Sir Richard Colt Hoare and William Cunnington.
Giovanni Battista Belzoni (November 5, 1778 – December 3, 1823), sometimes known as The Great Belzoni, was a tall man at 6 feet 7 inches (2.01 m) tall. He joined a travelling circus and performed exhibitions of feats of strength and agility as a strongman at fairs and on the streets of London. He was also a pioneer archaeologist of Egyptian antiquities. Belzoni discovered tombs, explored pyramids, found ancient artifacts, all while foiling assassination attempts, dodging bullets, and fighting the French army.
Themistoklis Sofoulis (1860-1949) was an archaeologist, who published certain insightful surveys and he participated actively in various excavations around Greece. In 1900 he abandoned archaeological excavations to devote himself to politics. On July 24, 1924 Sofoulis became Prime Minister of Greece serving as leader of the country twice.
A father of archaeology in the early 1790s, Thomas Jefferson excavated burial mounds in Virginia to determine if the mound builders were Native Americans. His 1799 report on these excavations were one of the earliest significant archaeology works.
About the same time as Jefferson's archaeology efforts, in England, John Frere (1769–1846) began to recognize Paleolithic (Acheulean) hand axes and attempt to interpret them in light of ancient human behavior.
The father of archaeological excavation was William Cunnington (1754–1810), a self-educated merchant, who developed an interest in the rich archaeological landscape around the Wiltshire village of Heytesbury where he lived and worked. He undertook excavations in Wiltshire from around 1798, funded by Sir Richard Colt Hoare. Cunnington made meticulous recordings of Neolithic and Bronze Age barrows, and the terms he used to categorize and describe them are still used by archaeologists today.
Below are artifacts discovered at the 1808 Bush Barrow excavation by Sir Richard Colt Hoare and William Cunnington.
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| By Anthony Johnson (Sitehut) |
Giovanni Battista Belzoni (November 5, 1778 – December 3, 1823), sometimes known as The Great Belzoni, was a tall man at 6 feet 7 inches (2.01 m) tall. He joined a travelling circus and performed exhibitions of feats of strength and agility as a strongman at fairs and on the streets of London. He was also a pioneer archaeologist of Egyptian antiquities. Belzoni discovered tombs, explored pyramids, found ancient artifacts, all while foiling assassination attempts, dodging bullets, and fighting the French army.
Themistoklis Sofoulis (1860-1949) was an archaeologist, who published certain insightful surveys and he participated actively in various excavations around Greece. In 1900 he abandoned archaeological excavations to devote himself to politics. On July 24, 1924 Sofoulis became Prime Minister of Greece serving as leader of the country twice.
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| Themistoklis Sofoulis |
On leaving Oxford university, T.E, Lawrence (aka Lawrence of Arabia) was offered the opportunity to become a practicing archaeologist in the Middle East. Between 1910-14 Lawrence took part in archaeological expeditions in Syria and Mesopotamia to excavate the ancient Hittite empire along the Euphrates river.
The Nazis flooded the archaeological site of Biskupin, a late Bronze Age fortified settlement and instrumental part of Polish historical consciousness, hoping to destroy it. Ironically it led to very good preservation of the ancient timbers.
There’s statistical evidence that the number of archaeology students increased after the release of Raiders of the Lost Ark.
In 2001 the Taliban destroyed the Buddhas of Bamiyan, ancient Buddha statues built into an Afghan mountain. Shortly after their destruction, researchers uncovered an archaeological cave site behind the statues. The Taliban unintentionally uncovered new Buddhist treasures through their actions.
Archaeologists use the term Before Present, whereby the Present is January 1, 1950, because after that point in time, we had done so much nuclear testing, that nothing can be reliably carbon-dated anymore.
Trained sniffer dogs are helping archaeologists in Croatia discover 3,000-year-old iron age tombs. Experts have said that using dogs are a good way to identify archaeological sites, as it is less destructive than many traditional methods.
In 2001 the Taliban destroyed the Buddhas of Bamiyan, ancient Buddha statues built into an Afghan mountain. Shortly after their destruction, researchers uncovered an archaeological cave site behind the statues. The Taliban unintentionally uncovered new Buddhist treasures through their actions.
Archaeologists use the term Before Present, whereby the Present is January 1, 1950, because after that point in time, we had done so much nuclear testing, that nothing can be reliably carbon-dated anymore.
Trained sniffer dogs are helping archaeologists in Croatia discover 3,000-year-old iron age tombs. Experts have said that using dogs are a good way to identify archaeological sites, as it is less destructive than many traditional methods.
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