Archaeology

Archaeology |ɑːkɪˌɒlədʒi| (Greek: αρχαίος "ancient" + λόγος "word / speech / discourse"; alternatives: archeology, archæology) is the scientific study of past human cultures by means of the recovery, documentation and analysis of material remains and environmental data, most commonly by controlled methods of excavation. The broad scientific goals of archaeology are to document and explain the development of human culture, globally and diachronically, from its origins to the recent past.

A practitioner of the discipline of archaeology is generally known as an "archaeologist". Archaeologists tend to develop one or more specialisations—with respect to technique, region and/or period studied—in the course of their training and career.