The Study Of Human Activitity[Dhruv Kumar]

(1) Archaeology is the scientific study of the remains of past human culture, Archacologists investigate the lives of carly people by studying the objects that THE STUDY OF HUMAN ACTIVITY people have left behind. Such objects include buildings, artwork, tools, bones, and pottery, Archaeologists may make exciting discoveries, such as a tomb filled with gold or the ruins of a magnificent temple in the midst of a jungle. However, the discovery of a few stone tools or grains of hardened corn may reveal even more about carly people.

(2) Archacological research is the chief means to learn about societies that existed before the invention of writing about 5,000 years ago. It also provides an important supplement to our knowledge of ancient societies that left written records. In America, archaeology is considered a branch of anthropology, the scientific study of humanity and human culture. European archaeologists, however, think of their work as closely related to the field of history. Archaeology differs from history in which historians mainly study the lives of people as recorded in written documents. Archacologists look for information about how, where, and when cultures developed. Like other social scientists, they search for reasons why major changes have occurred in certain cultures. Some archaeologists try to understand why ancient people stopped hunting and started farming. Others develop theories about what caused people to build cities and to set up trade routes. In addition. some archacologists look for reasons behind the fall of such early civilizations as the Mayas in Central America and the Romans in Europe.

(3) Archacologists examine any evidence that can help them explain how people lived in past times, Such evidence ranges from the ruins of a large city to a few stone lakes left by someone making a stone tool long ago. (4) The three basic kinds of archacological evidence are artefacts, features and ecofacts. Artefacts are objects that were made by people and can be moved without altering their appearance. Artefacts include objects like arrowheads, pots and beads. Artefacts from a society with a written history may also include clay tablets and other written records. Features consist mainly of houses, tombs, irrigation canals and other large structures built by ancient people. Unlike artefacts, features cannot be separated from their surroundings without changing their form. Ecofacts reveal how ancient people responded to their surroundings. Examples of ecofacts include seeds and animal bones. Any place where archaeological evidence is found is called an archacological site. To understand the behaviour of the people who occupied a site, archaeologists must study the relationship among the artefacts, features and ecofacts found there. For example, the discovery of stone spearheads near bones of an extinct kind of buffalo at a site in New Mexico showed that early human beings had hunted buffalo in that area. (5) If objects are buried deep in the ground, their position in the earth also concerns archaeologists. The scientists study the layers of soil and rock in which objects are found to understand the conditions that existed when the objects were placed there. In some places, archaeologists find many levels of deposits called strata. The archacological study of strata, called stratigraphy, developed from the study of rock layers in geology. Archacologists use special techniques and equipment to gather archaeological evidence precisely and accurately. They also keep detailed records of their findings because much archaeological research destroys the remains being studied. Locating sites is the first job of the archacologist. Sites may be above ground, underground or underwater. Some large sites are located easily because they are clearly visible or can be traced from descriptions in ancient stories or other historical records. Such sites include the pyramids of Egypt and the ancient city of Athens in Greece.

(6) Archaeologists use systematic methods of discovering sites. The traditional way to find all the sites in a region is through a foot survey. In this method, archaeologists space themselves at measured distances and walk in pre-set directions. Each person looks for archaeological evidence while walking forward. Scientific methods are used to help discover underground sites. Aerial photography, for example, can reveal variations in vegetation that indicate the presence of archaeological evidence. Archaeologists describe, photograph and count the objects they find. They group the objects according to type and location. Three steps are followed to interpret the evidence found. They are classification, dating and evaluation.