Archaeology

=** Archaeology**=

==Also spelled archeology, this science (according to Merriam-Webster's online dictionary) is the study of material remians, for example: fossils, relics, artifacts, and monuments, of past human life and activities. Sub-categories in Archaeology There are many sub-topics in the field of archaeology. One of these is classical archaeology. Classical archaeology is the archaeology of the beginnings of Western civilization. Another sub-topic is historic archaeology which concerns itself with civilizations that had written records. Prehistoric archaeology concerns itself with civilizations that did not have written records. Underwater archaeology deals only with archaeological sites that are located underwater. Pseudoarchaeology deals with evidence that is real or imaginary and non-scientific accounts. An example of this is looking for Atlantis. There are other forms of archaeology like zooarchaeology and ethnobotany. Required Schooling To work in the field of archaeology, one must have a minimum of a four-year college degree, BS or BA. They must have a major in either archaeology or anthropology and training in both laboratory and archaeological field techniques. With this minimum level of education, though, people can usually only be laboratory or field assistants. If you wanted to be considered an actual archaeologist, you would have to have more schooling. One must have a post-graduate study in anthropology, either a MS or a MA. He or she must also have had field experience. Regular collages and universties have departments for archaeology. To see a list of these schools, click here: []. Suggested High School and College Classes If you are interested in archaeology, then there are some classes that you should take in high school and college. It is important to take basic classes. Foundations in English, math, history, and science are all very important to archaeologists, and the skills learned in these classes are used by archaeologists on a daily basis. It is also useful to learn foreign languages, basic computer skills, and comunication skills. These classes should be taken in high school. In college, one should take classes needed to get degrees in anthropology or archaeology. ==

History of Archaeology
==People have been looting tombs in search of items belonging to the deceased since the days of the pharaohs of Ancient Egypt, but a man who can be considered the founder of archaeology is Flavio Biondo. Biondo was a humanist historian who lived in Italy during the Renaissance. In the early 1400s, he created a guide to the ruins and the topography of Ancient Rome. Other important people in archaeology include Thomas Jefferson, who supervised an excavation on his land of a Native American burial mound. He did this in a systematic way and tried not to compromise the mound while excavating it. Napoleon Bonaparte brought many scienctists with him to Egypt while on a campaign there. He brought them to learn about the ancient civilizations of Egypt. An important archaeologist was Champollion, who deciphered the Rosetta stone. It was Mortimer Wheeler who, in the 20s and 30s, developed an excavation method in which an archaeological site would be on a grid pattern. This was a big advancement in archaeology. Another important advancement in archaeology was radiocarbon dating. This meant that any organic artifacts could accurately be dated. Geophysical surveys are also important to archaeology. This allows archaeologists to get an idea of what is under the ground before an excavation even begins. == ==News in Archaeology Footprints were recently discovered in Kenya that are believed to belong to Homo erectus or Homo ergastor, and were made about 1.5 million years ago. Another recent find in archaeology was the rediscovery of the tomb of Amenhotep. It was origanlly found in the 1800s, but later was covered by sand. Amenhotep was the deputy seal-bearer of Tuthmosis III. Typical Pay The median salary for a person who has been an archaeologist for one to two years is $38,344. Someone who has five to nine years of experience being an archaeologist makes a median of $41,158. The typical pay of an archaeologist who has been an archaeologist for ten to nineteen years is $46,626. After twenty years of being an arcaeologist, the median amount of pay for a person is $61,166. Why Archaeology? Archaeology is not something that people do to get rich. Most archaeologists will never be famous. Archaeologists must spend many years in school. So the question arrises: Why spend so much time on archaeology, when you probably will not get any fame or fortune from it. The answer is simple: if you want to do something just for those reasons, then don't become an archaeologists. There are so many reasons to become an archaeologist, though. It is important to learn history, and archaeology is an important tool for learning history. History is important because by learning from the past, we can prepare for the future. Archaeology is also very exciting. Scientists are learning more things about our ancestors all the time. Archaeology is extremely important now that we live in a global comunity in which we must learn about cultures very different from our own. One part of this is learning about the cultures that effected these cultures. We learn about past cultures through archaeology. Though it may not get you a lot of money, archaeology is a very important and exciting profession. Bibliography "archaeology." Merriam-Webster Online Dictionary. 3 March 2009 [] == == "archaeological headlines." 5 March 2009 [] Salary Survey Report for Job: Achaeologist. 10 March 2009 [] Malloy, Maureen. FAQ Preparing for a Hobby or Career. 10 March 2009 [] == "An Outline History of Archaeology." 10 March 2009. [] Pyburn, Ann. "Kinds of Archaeology." 10 March 2009.  = 2]]=