Definition
Archaeology is the study of past human life and cultures by examining the things people left behind, such as tools, buildings, and bones. Archaeologists use these clues to understand how people once lived.
Etymology
From Greek “arkhaios” meaning “ancient” and “-logia” meaning “study of.” It literally means “the study of the ancient.”
Kelly Says
Archaeology is like doing a crime scene investigation, but the crime happened hundreds or thousands of years ago. Even a broken pot or a trash heap can reveal what people ate, believed, and fought over.
Translations
AMአማርኛ
ታሪክ ጥንታዊ ግንባታ
tarik tinṭawi ginbata
ARالعربية
أثريات
ʾaṯrīyāt
BNবাংলা
প্রত্নতত্ত্ব
prôtntôtto
CACatalà
arqueologia
arkeoLOdʒia
CSČeština
archeologie
arçeˈoːlɔɡɪjɛ
DADansk
arkæologi
ɑˈʁkɛʌlɒʒi
DEDeutsch
Archäologie
arˈçɛ̯oˈloːɡi̯ə
ELΕλληνικά
αρχαιολογία
arxaiología
ESEspañol
arqueología
arkeoLOxía
FAفارسی
باستانشناسی
bāstān-šenāsī
FISuomi
arkeologia
arkeoˈloɡia
FRFrançais
archéologie
aʁ.ke.ɔ.lɔ.ʒi
HAHA
tarihin kaka
tarihin kaka
HEעברית
ארכאולוגיה
ʾarkeʾologya
HIहिन्दी
पुरातत्व
purātatva
HUMagyar
régészet
reːɡeːsɛt
IDBahasa Indonesia
arkeologi
arkeologi
IGIG
akuko akụkọ
akuko akuko
ITItaliano
archeologia
arkeoLOdʒia
KKKK
археология
arxeolʹogʹiya
KMKM
បុរាណវិទ្យា
boraan vityea
MRMR
पुरातत्वशास्त्र
purātatvaśāstra
MSBahasa Melayu
arkeologi
arkeologi
MYမြန်မာ
ရှေးဟောင်းဗေဒ
hse houng bui
NLNederlands
archeologie
arçeˈoːlɔxi
NONorsk
arkeologi
ɑrkeˈɔlɔɡi
PLPolski
archeologia
arçeˈɔlɔɡja
PTPortuguês
arqueologia
ɐʁkɨoˈlɔʒi.ɐ
RORomână
arheologie
arheoˈloʒie
RUРусский
археология
arxeolʹogʹija
SVSvenska
arkeologi
arkeˈoːlɔɡi
SWKiswahili
jiografia ya kale
dʒioɡɾaˈfia dʒa ˈkaɫe
TAதமிழ்
தொல்லியல்
tolliyal
TEతెలుగు
పురావస్తు శాస్త్రం
purāvastu śāstram
THไทย
โบราณคดี
bo-raan-kha-dee
TLTL
arkeolohiya
arkeolohiya
TRTürkçe
arkeoloji
ɑɾceoˈloʒi
UKУкраїнська
археологія
arxeolʹohiya
VITiếng Việt
khảo cổ học
khảo cổ học
YOYO
ìṣẹ̀ṣe àṣẹ
iṣẹṣe aṣe
ZUZU
ezemidlalo zesikhathi
ezemidlalo zesikhathi
Ethical Language Guidance
Gender History
Archaeology developed in a context where early professional archaeologists were mostly men, and interpretations often projected gender stereotypes onto past societies. Women's labor in fieldwork, cataloging, and analysis was frequently undercredited or erased.
Inclusive Usage
Avoid assuming binary or stereotypical gender roles when describing past societies; refer to "people," "individuals," or specific roles instead of defaulting to "men" for active agents.
Empowerment Note
When appropriate, acknowledge women archaeologists and local women collaborators whose work reshaped understandings of gender, labor, and power in ancient societies.