What is Archeology?
Archaeology is a branch of science that examines historical artifacts, such as excavations, from cultural, artistic, and historical perspectives. While it is often incorrectly translated into Turkish as “Kazi Bilimi” (the science of excavation), excavation is just one of the archaeological research methods. Archaeology primarily focuses on the cultural history of humanity, cultural changes, and their interrelationships. It is also one of the sciences that assist in understanding history.
The word “Archaeology” comes from Greek words that mean knowledge, science, teaching, instruction, explanation, and presentation. As a word, it can be interpreted as “knowing, teaching, describing, and revealing the ancient.”
Archaeology encompasses various subfields, including prehistoric archaeology, classical archaeology, protohistory and Near Eastern archaeology, Egyptian archaeology, biblical archaeology, and medieval archaeology.
Archaeologists often conduct their research by excavating sites believed to have been inhabited by people. Since old cities are often built over with new ones, ancient cities tend to remain underground, and the architectural remnants of overlapping settlements (usually made of mudbrick) eventually form a mound. In Turkey, these mounds are called “Höyük,” in Greece, “Magula,” in the Middle East, “Tell,” and in Iran, “Teppe.”
In our country, ancient settlements like Alacahöyük, Yalıhüyük, and Çatalhöyük are mounds. However, not all archaeological findings are mounds. Tunnels, flat settlements, and ancient cities are also within the research scope of archaeology.
Prehistoric archaeology examines periods before the emergence of writing. Excavations for this type of research are carried out with great precision. Shells, stone tools, architectural remains, and organic remnants from prehistoric times hold significant importance.
What Do Archaeologists Research?
There are many written records that have survived from ancient times to the present. However, most of these written documents contain information about taxes, laws, religious rules, kings, and rulers. While studying these records, we cannot obtain information about how the people of that time lived. But if archaeologists discover the remains of houses, royal palaces, tombs, and temples through archaeological excavations, we can learn how people from commoners to the nobility lived.
Throughout the centuries, people have looked with admiration and interest at intriguing structures like the pyramids in Mexico and Egypt or the Acropolis in Athens. Archaeology was born as more and more curious individuals began not only to observe such buildings but to carefully examine them. These curious individuals became the first archaeologists. It’s easy to inspect protruding ancient structures above the ground, but discovering hidden colonies deep underground is more challenging. First, the locations of these settlements must be identified. Sometimes, broken pottery found in an area can be the initial research step for archaeologists. Today, archaeologists use aerial photographs taken from planes. The way plants grow in fields or the presence of ancient underground walls and ditches can provide clues.
How Does History Benefit from Archaeology?
By studying the tools and equipment used by ancient societies in prehistoric times, archaeology significantly contributes to historical research, especially in illuminating the past, understanding the thoughts of people from the past, and shedding light on the creations resulting from those thoughts. Every discovery provided by archaeology actually uncovers a story. In pursuit of this goal, archaeologists find and describe the remains of ancient cultures, attempt to reconstruct and interpret them, and shed light on ancient cultures by enlightening the present with the knowledge of the past. It plays a leading role in enlightening today’s people about their past and roots. In fact, archaeology and history are both scientific disciplines with the same specific objectives.
People have a tendency to collect, preserve, and store things that interest them or hold good or bad memories. The materials collected in this way can sometimes become a collection and sometimes cannot go beyond a simple collection. Whether for entertainment or intentional reasons, this collecting tendency is most evident in the emergence of large archaeological collections and later museums.
Archaeology and Collecting
It is believed that the oldest complete collections were created by Roman emperors and leading wealthy citizens of Rome. Roman emperors preferred to decorate their palaces, castles, and villas with antique objects, including sculptures of various sizes brought from all over the country. In doing so, they paved the way for the formation of valuable archaeological collections we see today. Looking back at the history of archaeology, we can see that some efforts have been made for a long time to shed light on human history. This actually presents the full story. Initially serving to explain history and philosophy, archaeology eventually broke free from this dependency and evolved into a scientific identity.
The Relationship Between Archaeology and History
History and archaeology are closely related disciplines, but, as mentioned earlier, they have different methods and are mutually fundamental and complementary disciplines. If we were to give an example from the common ground of archaeology and history, it can be likened to the collaboration of two master craftsmen trained in similar materials but requiring different skills.
In summary, archaeology has made significant contributions to historical research. The information we have about periods when people could not describe themselves through written sources is also thanks to archaeology. Archaeology reveals the concrete evidence that history needs. Many sciences assist in history, just as history assists many sciences. Among these sciences, archaeology can be considered quite useful.