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What is Archaeology? 1995 Views


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Description:

This video defines Archaeology through a discussion of what Archaeologists study—from artifacts to the Pyramids. Why is Archaeology so important? Can it really help us learn about the past AND the present?

Language:
English Language

Transcript

00:05

What is Archaeology?, a la Shmoop.

00:12

Think about all the stuff you have.

00:15

All of the stuff you throw away.

00:17

Everything you can see and touch.

00:18

Without getting into trouble.

00:22

Now imagine you’re suddenly… gone. Forever.

00:25

All your stuff is left behind.

00:27

Oh, and 2,000 years have passed. Your little brother has probably called dibs on everything by now.

00:33

What even still exists?

00:35

Your banana peels and tissue boxes have decomposed…

00:40

What about less… perishable stuff?

00:43

Your headphones? Your computer keyboard?

00:44

That underwear your parents gave you last year when they forgot it was your birthday?

00:51

Based on the stuff you left behind, what could someone understand about you?

00:55

Assuming they didn’t have access to your diary. That would be cheating.

00:58

Besides, they’ll never figure out where you hid the key.

01:02

This is the essence of archaeology.

01:06

Archaeologists study the people and cultures of the past, be it 20 years ago… or 200,000.

01:12

Although… they tend to find more fossils from 200,000 years ago.

01:17

If they uncover remains from 20 years ago,

01:19

it probably warrants a friendly call to the local police station.

01:24

The process of digging up various old junk is called excavation.

01:29

Archaeologists excavate to dig up artifacts… which is basically anything that’s been

01:33

hidden below the surface for years.

01:36

Could be your sister’s diary… could be a metallic cylinder from the Byzantine era.

01:41

But digging isn’t all archaeologists do.

01:44

If that were the case, their biceps would be ridiculous.

01:48

They also study stuff that doesn’t need to be excavated…

01:51

…like the pyramids, the Roman coliseum, or those cool bronze statues they haul out

01:55

of the sea once in a while.

01:57

Okay, now we know what archaeology is...

01:59

…but why in the world is it important?

02:01

Can’t we just let the past remain in the past? Are we really going to solve any pressing

02:05

modern problems by knowing what the ancient Egyptians used to brush their teeth?

02:10

Believe it or not, the stuff we’ve unearthed has given us a better understanding of who

02:14

we are today… not just who we used to be.

02:17

By examining where we started, and comparing it to where we are today…

02:20

…we can piece together patterns of human progress…

02:23

…as well as figure out where we might be going wrong.

02:28

It’s sort of like there’s this vast world history book buried in the ground…

02:32

…and archaeologists are in charge of putting it back together, page by page.

02:36

But it’s even more extensive than a regular world history book…

02:39

…because it allows us to learn about things that pre-date written history.

02:44

Plenty of fascinating stuff happened thousands of years ago…

02:47

…even if no one could tweet about it.

02:51

Archaeology has helped us to understand ancient religions,

02:55

the daily routines of various cultures,

02:58

how military weaponry has evolved over time,

03:02

and oh so much more.

03:04

It also serves as a fantastic backdrop for epic adventure movies.

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