The process of development of archaeology

Archaeology has a long history, but it is only in modern times that it has developed into a science. Modern archaeology originated in Europe and later spread to all countries in the world. Since the Northern Song Dynasty, metallurgy has been the predecessor of Chinese archaeology, but it was not until the 1920s that modern archaeology, based on fieldwork and excavation, appeared in China. As a modern science, archaeology has a complete and rigorous methodology. It contains branches of prehistoric archaeology, historical archaeology and field archaeology, and has a close relationship with many disciplines in the fields of natural and technical sciences, as well as other disciplines in the fields of humanities and social sciences.

Archaeology is a humanistic science that studies ancient societies through the excavation and investigation of ancient human relics and documents. Traditionally, archaeology has been a sub-discipline of cultural anthropology, but it is becoming more and more independent as a separate discipline.

Archaeologists, unlike historians who study only the historical record, study prehistoric cultures that have no historical record as well, by examining the remains of ancient humans. Archaeologists are dedicated to exploring the origins of human culture.