Archaeology has a long history, but it only developed into a science in modern times. Modern archaeology originated in Europe and then spread to all countries in the world. Epigraphy since the Northern Song Dynasty is the predecessor of China archaeology, but it was not until the 1920s that modern archaeology based on field investigation and excavation appeared in China. As a modern science, archaeology has a complete and rigorous methodology. It includes prehistoric archaeology, historical archaeology and field archaeology, similar to natural science and field archaeology.
The relationship between archaeology and other disciplines Archaeology is a very wide-ranging science, which is related to many other disciplines. Only with the support and help of these disciplines can we complete all kinds of research tasks.
The disciplines related to archaeology can be roughly divided into natural science, engineering technology science and humanities and social science.
In natural science, physical geography, geology, meteorology and ecology mainly help to study the geographical history and natural resources of the area where the site is located, and restore the natural environment at that time from all aspects. Biology (zoology and botany) and physical anthropology are mainly used to identify unearthed plant remains, animals and human bones and determine their ages. Physics and chemistry are used to explore human remains, analyze their composition and properties, and determine their ages.
In engineering science, architecture and civil engineering are applied to the excavation, measurement and drawing of sites, and the excavated sites are repaired or preserved on site. Mining and metallurgy, ceramics, dyeing and weaving are applied to the investigation of workshops, mines, kilns and other sites, and the analysis and research of bronzes, ironware, ceramics, glassware, textiles and other relics. Shipbuilding is especially suitable for shipbuilding workshops and ship excavation sites.
In the humanities and social sciences, ethnology, folklore, linguistics, human geography, sociology, religion, economics, politics and law are all information about their respective disciplines provided by studying and interpreting relics and relics. Art history and architectural history mainly study unearthed works of art and various architectural remains, and discuss their styles, styles, ages, architectural techniques and preservation. Make judgments and explanations. In addition to providing documentary descriptions of excavated relics and ruins to help judge their age, history also provides extensive documentary materials and detailed descriptions of ancient political organizations, social structures, economic systems and various issues involving spiritual culture to make up for the shortcomings and defects of archaeology in these aspects.
Here are some examples of related disciplines, taking geology, botany, zoology and physical anthropology as examples to further illustrate their close relationship with archaeology.
The greatest contribution of geology to archaeological research is to fully restore the natural environment of Quaternary. According to the study of Quaternary geology, it can be confirmed that the Pleistocene of early human life was an era of drastic climate changes on the earth. At that time, large-scale glacier activities occurred in the mountainous areas of high, middle and low latitudes in the northern hemisphere. The expansion and retreat of glaciers formed a cold glacial period and a warm interglacial period. Repeated alternation of the two causes a series of events, such as sea level rise and fall, climate zone shift, animal and plant migration or extinction, which greatly affects the evolution of early human physique, cultural development and the change of living scope. Therefore, the research results of Quaternary geology have become an indispensable basis for paleolithic archaeological research. Geologically, according to the nature of fauna, the characteristics of sediments and other environmental changes, the Pleistocene can be divided into three stages: early, middle and late.
The application of geology in general archaeology is mainly the identification of rocks and minerals. A large number of stone tools in Paleolithic Age and Neolithic Age, as well as many stone products in each era, including precious stones, semi-precious stones and other non-metallic minerals, can be identified by microscope through rock slicing. This can not only confirm the properties of rocks and minerals, but also infer their sources.
Botany is widely used in archaeology. In general sites and tombs, the most common plant remains are wood, fiber and seeds, the latter including grains, stones, melons and rapeseed. Through the identification of wood, we can know the materials of various wood products, and then infer their manufacturing methods and effects. Through the identification of fibers, we can know the material of textiles, and then discuss the situation of agriculture and textile industry. Through the identification of seeds, we can know the types of crops.
The application of botany in archaeology is also fully manifested in the analysis and research of spore pollen. Spore pollen has the characteristics of small volume, light weight, solid texture, large output and easy flying, so it exists in a large number of strata in various sites and can be collected and analyzed. Through the identification of spore pollen, we can infer the species of plants at that time. By counting the number of spores and pollen, we can know the vegetation at that time. Because some plant species need a certain ecological environment, we can further infer the natural environment such as geography and climate at that time by studying the appearance of vegetation. The discovery of pollen from aquatic plants such as water lilies indicates that there were lakes and swamps nearby. The discovery of a large number of pollen from cold-tolerant trees such as spruce and fir shows that the local climate was cold and humid at that time. As time goes by, the plant kingdom always evolves from low to high, from simple to complex. Therefore, the discovery of different kinds and combinations of sporopollen in different strata is also helpful for archaeologists to divide and check the strata.
Prehistoric archaeology and historical archaeology are closely related to zoology. The animal bones unearthed from Paleolithic sites are all wild animals. The characteristics, combination and replacement of fauna, as well as the statistics of the proportion of extinct species and surviving species in fauna, are helpful to determine the relative age of sites, divide strata and conduct comparative studies between sites. According to the characteristics and distribution of various ecological types in the fauna, combined with other aspects,
In the Neolithic Age, livestock appeared one after another all over the world. Therefore, the animal bones unearthed from various sites can be used as the most direct basis for studying the origin of livestock. Studying the primitive characteristics of livestock in the early Neolithic period is helpful to understand how human beings first recognized and transformed nature. Through the comparative study of animal bones unearthed from sites in different regions of the world, we can also understand the regional development and spread of various livestock breeding industries, and then infer the economic and cultural exchange relationship between regions.
In Neolithic sites, there are often a large number of animal bones; There are many remains of fish and shellfish in the ruins of nearby waters. If they are all wild animals, it can be explained that the fishing and hunting economy still plays an important role. If it is mainly livestock, it can be said that it has entered the stage of animal husbandry economy. If there are both wild animals and domestic animals, their proportion can be used as a sign to judge which is more developed. If the animal remains buried in tombs and the aggregates used in bone products do not belong to the animals produced in this area, we can infer the communication and exchange relationship between local residents and foreign residents. The study of the remains of animals and livestock unearthed from tombs in various historical periods is also helpful to further understand the times.
The application of physical anthropology in archaeology includes not only prehistoric archaeology in Paleolithic and Neolithic Age, but also archaeology in various historical periods. Judging the age and sex of the deceased from the bones is one of the basic projects of physical anthropology research. The data of human bones identified by sex and age can be an important clue to explore the funeral customs, marriage system and social organization at that time. It is also of great significance to study the development and disintegration of primitive clan society in Neolithic archaeology. In addition, the identification of the gender and age of the tomb owner is helpful to understand the division of labor and some special customs of the residents at that time. By analyzing the age distribution of the deceased in contemporary tombs, we can also observe the living conditions of the residents at that time from one side.
Because the appearance characteristics of human beings are closely related to the morphological structure of bones, ethnographic research can be carried out by observing ancient bones. Combining archaeological data with ancient documents is also an important subject of anthropological research. Although analyzing the ethnic types of residents in an ancient site does not mean that they can solve their ethnic problems, ethnographic research on residents of a certain ethnic group can also provide clues for exploring the origin of the nation. Studying human bones in different times and regions can help us understand ancient times. According to the appearance of physical polymorphism in the same site, we can understand the problems of migration and expedition at that time. In addition, according to the study of bone pathology, we can also understand ancient diseases and environmental conditions.
Archaeology is an integral part of historical science, but its research scope is ancient, so it has nothing to do with modern history and modern history. Archaeology in all countries has its own age limit. For example, the age limit of British archaeology is Norman invasion (1066), and the age limit of French archaeology is the fall of Caroline dynasty (987). The age limit of archaeology in American countries is Columbus who discovered the New World (about1451~1506) (1492). Generally speaking, the time limit of archaeology in China can be set at the end of Ming Dynasty (1644).