Why is Archeology Important?

Archeology is a very important, but also very misunderstood, field where history, science, and often, faith, meet. It's also a commonly misunderstood science that many people get confused with treasure-hunting. Many people with a casual knowledge of archeology take it for granted and don't realize how much of a role it plays in our current understanding of history. Others dismiss it as a dull scientific field that the average person can't and shouldn't try to appreciate. None of these misconceptions are true.

While archeology deals primarily with the past, it tells us a lot about our present and can help us learn more about our possible future. It's a science that follows established methods in order for us to learn important details and facts from the past. Archeology also helps us learn a lot more about the people and places in sacred texts. An archaeological find can verify the events of a sacred text as fact, and can also provide key background information in understanding the historical context of a passage.

Many people, largely due to pop culture, mistake archeology with treasure-hunting. For them, the word archeology brings up images of expensive historical finds and mansions resembling museums. In truth, archeology is largely a labor of love. According to the Society for American Archaeology, the average annual salary for an experienced archaeologist is $45,000 (http://www.saa.org/public/faqs/students.html#4) Salaries for those with teaching or curator jobs may offer a higher salary (ibid.) Additionally, many people with a love for archeology volunteer their time assisting on digs.

It's easy to see archeology as dealing with the past, but not having any relevancy to anything in our present or future. It must be kept in mind that archeology is a field within anthropology, which deals with people and cultures as a whole. The other fields of anthropology are linguistic anthropology, which covers language and communication; physical anthropology, which includes studies of human remains; and cultural anthropology, which deals with cultures. (http://www.unt.edu/anthropology/whatis.htm) Archeology compliments and goes hand-in-hand with all of these other sub-fields. A study of languages from the past is helpful in learning how modern-day language evolved. Knowledge of artifacts that have been discovered can shed some light on what historical era people lived in based on objects found with their bodies. Extensive background knowledge of a culture's past history can explain many aspects of it in our current time.

Scientific subjects puzzle or bore many people. After all, many have memories of having to study scientific subjects in school that they had no interest in. It's common to believe that any further study of such subjects is pointless and useless. It can seem like the path to becoming an archaeologist or anthropologist is filled with years of study and few or no rewards. I feel that, for anyone with an interest in history or cultures, archeology is far from boring. While I am not a professional in archeology, I know first-hand how exciting finds can be. Whether it was an interesting rock with some semi-precious content found in a dry riverbed; a fossil or arrowhead found in the backyard, finds have always been exciting for me.

Several recent TV shows have generated a interest in archeology, particularly The History Channel's "Digging for the Truth", hosted by Josh Bernstein and later Hunter Ellis. The Indiana Jones and Tomb Raider movies have also contributed to interest in archeology. While movies may not provide a completely accurate look at the world of archeology, they can make archeology more interesting to the general public.

Hopefully, more people will come to appreciate the work that archaeological experts do and how important their work is to our society today.