2015 What is Archaeology and Why Archaeological Research?

The purpose of archaeological work is far more than the excavation and conservation of ancient artefacts, but also includes the following aspects:

Research on history and culture: Archaeological work has important historical and cultural value, which can provide empirical evidence for the study of the development of human society and civilization, and provide experience and reference for the construction of modern civilization.

Promote interdisciplinary and multidisciplinary integration: Archaeological work itself covers history, geography, anthropology, social excitation, cultural relics protection and other disciplines, and at the same time combines with other scientific and technological fields (such as non-destructive testing technology, labeling, etc.), which can promote the interaction and integration between different disciplines and form a new interdisciplinary knowledge system.

Promoting sustainable development of cultural heritage: By excavating, investigating, classifying and protecting cultural heritage, archaeological work can effectively promote the sustainable development of cultural tourism and creative industries in the local area and even the entire country, and promote economic growth and cultural inheritance.

Promote public education and cultural popularization: Archaeological work can popularize cultural knowledge and historical stories to a wider public through the promotion of museum exhibitions, public cultural education, social communication and other forms, and improve the public's understanding of China and the world's history and culture.

Therefore, the purpose of archaeological work is far from simply excavating and discovering ancient cultural relics and protecting them, it essentially promotes the progress and innovative development of human civilization, and has far-reaching significance.

Archaeology is a science that studies the history of ancient human societies through physical materials. Its connotations should include:

First, the object of research is physical materials;

Second, it is necessary to obtain, organize, analyze, interpret and study these materials with special technical methods and theories;

Third, the ultimate goal of research is ancient human society and history. In addition, archaeology also attaches importance to the protection, display and utilization of cultural heritage such as ancient artifacts and ancient sites.

Archaeology, the study of antiquity, is a humanities science that is a branch of history in China, while the rest of the world is mostly subordinate to anthropology. Archaeology aims to study the history of ancient human societies based on material data left over from various activities of ancient humans.

Archaeology, the study of antiquity, belongs to the humanities.

In China it is a branch of history, while the United States and Canada are considered one of the branches of anthropology and in Europe are regarded as independent disciplines or part of history. Archaeology aims to study the history of ancient human societies based on material data left over from various activities of ancient humans. Physical materials include various relics and relics, which are mostly buried in the ground and must be scientifically investigated and excavated before they can be systematically and completely revealed and collected.

Archaeology, that is, the study of antiquities. In the Eastern Han Dynasty, the term "ancient studies" already existed, which generally referred to the study of ancient learning. During the Northern Song Dynasty, a discipline of bronze and stone carvings was born, the predecessor of Chinese archaeology.

At this time, the words "test" and "ancient" also began to be used together. The term "archaeology" was first used in the "Archaeological Map", which was written in 1092 A.D. to examine ancient bronze and jade artifacts.

China is the first country in the world to germinate archaeological ideas and publish monographs on antiquities research. During the Spring and Autumn Period and the Warring States Period in the 4th century B.C., people had a vague understanding of the value of collecting antiquities, and even built a "guard room" similar to today's museum in Luoyang at that time. In the Song Dynasty, the study of gold and stone was quite developed, and ancient gold and stone research works began to appear.

For example, the "Archaeological Map" compiled by Lu Dalin in the seventh year of the Northern Song Dynasty and Yuanyou not only painted a diagram of the shape of the vessel, but also recorded the fame, size and location of each vessel. Since then, there have been Liu Chang's "Pre-Qin Ancient Artifact Tablet" and "Pre-Qin Ancient Artifact Record", Song Huizong's "Xuanhe Bogu Tu", Xue Shanggong's "Zhongding Yi Ware Paragraph Recognition Law Post" in the Past Dynasties, Ouyang Xiu's "Collection of Ancient Pictures", Zhao Mingcheng's "Jinshi Lu" and so on.

The purpose of archaeological work is not only to excavate and uncover ancient artifacts and preserve them. Archaeology is also a discipline that aims to understand the past way of life, culture, history, social structure, political system, religious beliefs, etc., through the study of objects, buildings, and sites left over from ancient cultures. This information helps us better understand human history and civilization and provides inspiration for current societies and cultures.

In addition, archaeology is also an important means of preserving cultural heritage. Through archaeological work, we can discover and preserve many ancient relics and artifacts that have profound significance to our history and culture, and represent human ingenuity and creativity.