ETYM Greek; archaios ancient (fr. arche beginning) + logos discourse, lego to speak.
1. The scientific study of material remains (as fossil relics, artifacts, and monuments) of past human life and activities.
2. Remains of the culture of a people; antiquities.

Study of remains of past human life.
Study of history (primarily but not exclusively the prehistoric and ancient periods), based on the examination of physical remains. Principal activities include preliminary field (or site) surveys, excavation (where necessary), and the classification, dating, and interpretation of finds. Since 1958 radiocarbon dating has been used to establish the age of archeological strata and associated materials.
History
Interest in the physical remains of the past began in the Renaissance among dealers in and collectors of ancient art. It was further stimulated by discoveries made in Africa, the Americas, and Asia by Europeans during the period of imperialist colonization in the 16th–19th centuries, such as the antiquities discovered during Napoleon's Egyptian campaign in the 1790s. Towards the end of the 19th century archeology became an academic study, making increasing use of scientific techniques and systematic methodologies.
Related disciplines that have been useful in archeological reconstruction include stratigraphy (the study of geological strata), dendrochronology (the establishment of chronological sequences through the study of tree rings), paleobotany (the study of ancient pollens, seeds, and grains), epigraphy (the study of inscriptions), and numismatics (the study of coins).The branch of anthropology that studies prehistoric people and their cultures; SYN. archaeology. + prikaži više