Why do we study archaeology?
Question:
Why do we study archaeology?
Understanding Humans:
Understanding humans, how they evolved, how they have become the species they are today, is a complex task. This task can be tackled by numerous disciplines that focus on specific topics, such as sociology, anthropology, and psychology.
Answer and Explanation: 1
We study archaeology to learn about past civilizations and cultures and to learn from these past civilizations and cultures. Studying archaeology teaches us about how our ancestors dressed, what kind of things they ate, what types of technology they developed, and how their religious beliefs evolved. Studying archaeology can teach us about language acquisition and the advent of writing, how humans transitioned from hunter-gatherer societies into settled agricultural communities, and what people valued, not just in material goods, such as jewelry and weapons, but what was important to them, such as their relationship to nature or to a higher power.
Archaeology can peel back the past and give insight into the earliest advances in humankind and provide us with a blueprint for the future by studying what past humans did right, and what they did wrong, that helped them survive and thrive.
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Chapter 8 / Lesson 9What is archaeology? Learn the definition of archaeology, define an archaeologist, how archaeology is part of anthropology, and the focus and range of archaeology.