Archaeology is more than Egypt and Machu Pichu. There are numerous types of archaeological specialties that will put scientist under ground, under water and under pressur
Archaeology isn’t all Machu Pichu and Egyptian pharaohs. While archaeologists can specialize in any number of geographical areas from Vietnam to South America, the types of archaeology practiced can be just as varied.
Historical archaeology is the best known variation. Archaeology can most easily be split into two segments, prehistoric and historic. Historic archaeology is the study of human culture during historic times. It is archaeology practiced with the aid of historical documents. In North America this area of study includes working sites that are also living history museums like Strawbery Banke in Portsmouth, New Hampshire, Plymouth Plantation in Massachusetts and Colonial Williamsburg in Virginia.
Biblical archaeology is similar to historical archaeology. The most famous example of this is the discovery and subsequent study of the Dead Sea Scrolls. It is important to note that scientists can be helped by the written record or can be greatly frustrated as historical records aren’t always correct.
Environmental archaeology is pretty exciting too, especially for botanists or other scientists interested in archaeology. This specialty involves the practice of archaeology through studying sediments and soil, pollen, diatoms and other environmental factors. You can find some form of environmental archaeology being practiced at nearly every dig and in numerous laboratories around the world.
Ethno archaeologists employ the practices of anthropology while pursuing archaeological theories. For instance, an ethno archaeologist may study a group of people to learn how they make certain tools so that he or she may better understand what has been found in a dig and put it in context.
Underwater archaeology is exactly what it sounds like. Think shipwrecks dating from Roman times to some of the ships that went down in the Great Lakes of North America. Many sites offer scuba divers the chance to tour the wrecks (please don’t touch or pick up any souvenirs from the ocean floor).
Then there’s experimental archaeology that is, recreating certain events to test theories. For example, an archaeologist may experiment by recreating a structure he has uncovered using the methods he thinks were employed at the time. By using the same tools in the same manner he may prove or disprove a theory about how a structure was constructed. The greatest example of this is the recreation, on a smaller scale, of the pyramids using similar techniques and tools that were available at the time.
As you can see, there are numerous subspecialties under the archaeological umbrella. As scientific practices become more refined, the variations of what was considered standard archaeology will continue to expand.
