What Is Archaeology, and Why Social Archaeology?

Archaeology is the discipline that investigates the past by examining the material traces of past human thoughts and deeds, and the environments in which they took place. The past left behind material traces of human action: ‘happenings’ of all sorts left material evidence, which archaeologists can use to put together a picture of the past. Archaeologists, who professionally decide what to study, how to study it, and for what purposes, live their lives as citizens in their respective communities and societies. Like all people, archaeologists are habituated to take certain things for granted and this can influence them not to take certain factors into account in an archaeological study. It is clear that archaeologists’ choices have the potential to lead to negative, and at times potentially catastrophic, social consequences. History and trend of archaeology share some basic common ground on different continents—that is, agencies of cultural materials can provide social identities and origination of nations.