Archaeology: The Science of the Human Past

Archaeology is the discipline that involves the study of human activity through the recovery and analysis of material culture. Biofacts, artifacts, architecture, and cultural landscapes are some examples of archaeological record. Several academic sub-disciplines fall under archaeology such as ethnoarchaeology, archaeometry, historical archaeology, and experimental archaeology. The discipline involves surveying, excavation, and the analysis of collected data to glean insights into the past. As a vast discipline, it draws upon various fields, including history, geography, anthropology, paleozoology, sociology, literary history, semiology, information sciences, paleography, and statistics, among others. Remote sensing, field survey, excavation, computational techniques, and virtual archaeology are some of the key methods employed in archaeology. This book provides comprehensive insights into the field of archaeology. The topics covered in this extensive book deal with the core aspects of this field. Coherent flow of topics, student-friendly language and extensive use of examples make this textbook an invaluable source of knowledge in the field of archaeology.