Archeology

Part of speech: noun

Pronunciation: /ˌɑː.kiːˈɒ.lə.d͡ʒi/

Definitions

1. The study of human history and prehistory through the excavation and analysis of artifacts, structures, and other physical remains
2. A branch of anthropology focused on discovering and interpreting ancient cultures by examining material evidence left behind
3. The scientific exploration of past civilizations through systematic investigation of sites to recover and understand physical remnants of their existence

Etymology: Archaeology looks like a modern scientific coinage built from "archeo-" and "-logy," but the Greek it draws on is older and broader than the modern discipline. In ancient Greek, "archaiologia" meant something closer to "antiquarian lore": the telling of old tales, legends and the deeds of early times. Its parts are "archaios," meaning primal or ancient, and "logos," meaning speech, oration or study, so the word was about talking about the past rather than digging it up. The term passed into Middle French as "archéologie," and English later borrowed the word from that French form. The sense shifted over the centuries from the study of ancient texts and history toward the study of material remains. The modern meaning, the study of artifacts left by past peoples, is what the word has come to mean, while its original Greek sense still hints at its older concern with stories of the past.

Synonyms: archaeology, archaeological science, excavation, antiquarianism, paleontology