An Introduction to Archaeology: What is Archaeology and Why is it Important?

What is archaeology? In the broadest definition possible, archaeology is the study of human history through the material culture left behind. The desire among human beings for knowledge of what came before has always been there. Just look at ancient cultures who often have myths relating the beginning of the universe and the human race.
This interest in human history is not new, and the practice of archaeology is closely intertwined with numerous other disciplines such as history and anthropology. Where historians focus on written evidence from history and anthropologists undertake the study of humanity, archaeologists focus on human history as told through the physical evidence left behind including artefacts like pottery, tools, human remains, cave art, coins, figurines and jewellery, and larger things like the pyramids, tombs, temples and domestic architecture.
Why is archaeology important? Why have people for thousands of years already been interested in digging up what has been left by those that came before us? One of the biggest reasons is that it is pretty difficult to understand the present, to understand our society and the human race as we are today, without understanding where we have come from and who came before us. Archaeology in particular can highlight how little we have changed, especially when there are no written records, or written records only from the perspective of the elite.
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- CHAPTERS -
0:00​ Introduction
1:00 What is Archaeology?
2:44 Tools of Modern Archaeology
5:32 Famous Archaeologists and Discoveries
10:34 Why is Archaeology Important?
12:18 Outro
- WANT TO KNOW MORE? -
Archaeology www.worldhistory.org/Archaeol...
Pompeii www.worldhistory.org/pompeii/
Knossos www.worldhistory.org/knossos/
Tutankhamun www.worldhistory.org/Tutankha...
Troy www.worldhistory.org/troy/
Wonderful Things: Howard Carter's Discovery of Tutankhamun's Tomb www.worldhistory.org/article/...
The History of Excavations at Tel Gezer www.worldhistory.org/article/...
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#archaeology #whatisarchaeology #importanceofarchaeology #famousarchaeologists

[@WorldHistoryEncyclopedia]

What do you think is the greatest archaeological discovery of all time?

[@kevinkant6817]

Trojan war

[@HistoryfortheAges]

Sir Arthur Evans work on the island of Crete.

[@lakshmipraveen8734]

Persepolis!!!

[@morrari690]

Persepolis, and the thousands of clay tablets. also the behistun inscription which helped to translate sumerian/akkadian and elamite languages by the old persian

[@adamc1966]

Rosetta Stone.

[@historydocumentary]

Archaeology is where all the real history nerds end up.

[@avilacanario]

Totally agreed; hard just to had a conversation with my thirteen-year-old grandson this morning that was the only word that came out of his mouth was "NERD" of course, we happened to be talking about archaeology. 😢 it saddened me that he took it that 😒 serious.

[@Coinz8]

Agreed. Most people I encounter that claim they like history only care about WW2 and Spartans.

[@theophilepopbou2915]

Hello ! My name is Théophile Popbou. I'm a student in Archealogy and preservation of cultural heritage in the university of Dschang in Cameroun. I am in Master 1 . Thanks for your video

[@WorldHistoryEncyclopedia]

Hi, Théophile! Good luck with your studies!

[@gw7120]

As a kid i was fascinated by it and always wanted to be a archeologist, now with youtube , we get to see first hand digs and discoveries , history youtube is truly amazing.

[@tawan20082008]

wil watch soon

[@yasal123]

I do study archaeology and I know you might didn't have enough time to mention some other important Scandinavian archaeologists. Me myself am not a Scandinavian but archaeologists like Christian Thomsen, Jens Worsaae and Oscar Montelius are very important aswell. But I do appreciate the video you made, it was very informative and correct.

[@WorldHistoryEncyclopedia]

Thanks for your feedback and your kind words. 🙂

[@yasal123]

@@WorldHistoryEncyclopedia You’re welcome! Keep doing the good work 🙏

[@srdeboramary9529]

Wonderful explanation thank you v much

[@WorldHistoryEncyclopedia]

You're very welcome. 🙂

[@Davlavi]

Surprised this was not sooner.

[@tawan20082008]

thanks

[@WorldHistoryEncyclopedia]

Thanks for watching!

[@ItumelengMotlana]

I would like to know the difference between object centred and object driven.

[@WorldHistoryEncyclopedia]

Object-centered is the description of the object, while object-driven is about the role that object has and its place in the world.

[@avilacanario]

Has anyone noticed what they did at tell Kabri!

[@MuhammadIbrahim-tz5wm]

👍🏻❤️

[@WorldHistoryEncyclopedia]

😊

[@savagesuku123]

Can I know the books that are in the book shelf

[@WorldHistoryEncyclopedia]

Hi! If you look up the titles on Google, you should be able to find them.

[@starcapture3040]

the discovery of the library of ninva

[@professor0076]

discovery? the greatest...wow my mind went blank ... i heard they found a chariot wheel or wheels while searching the route of the Exodus across the Red sea.....pretty cool! not able to tell if its the big guy Ramsey's the great but they said its from that time. also The royal tombs of UR....sorry everything bible related. john 1:3kjv.

[@jonerlandson1956]

ok... me... me... i'll guess... archaeology is important to man because... you cannot go into the future... without... the past.... knowz why?... because... you cannot exhale... without... first inhaling... it is impossible to do...

[@osw330904]

Kelly is 🥵

[@YeshuaCameAndGaveUsLifeandLove]

I know !! Sooo hot 🔥

[@jamesn.economou9922]

Archeology as a science is in serious trouble. The late nineteenth century/ early twentieth century paradigms, are not accurate. Modern scientific methods, such as carbon dating, gas spectrometry, mass spectrometry, lidar, ground penetrating radar, etc. have more than proven, that places like Angkor Wat, Sigiriya, the Sphinx, Kailas Temple, are all much older, than an expensive education will teach you. We know these things, yet it is still being taught. We are STILL supposed to believe, that Angkor Wat was built in the 1300s by an unpopular king, with a massive ego problem. Same kind of thin wispy story about Sigiriya, and most of the Indian, and south east Asian temples, and palaces. So now what does a young aspiring archeologist do? Try this. Try asking hard questions about the dates, of such places. Question the methodology of the investigations, into dating these places. See for yourself, if archeologist, have been following due diligence, and proper scientific methods, when stating conclusions. See for yourself, if the dates in question, hold up to modern dating and testing techniques and protocols. If at the end of your investigation, you still feel, that the great pyramid, was a tomb for Kufu. Then you might enjoy an academically funded career, in archeology. If you want the truth, you will find resistance, and little reward, financially. Knowledge is the right choice.