The focus of archaeology ranges from reconstructing the rudimentary institutions of the individuals responsible for making the very first stone tools (some 2.5 million years ago), through rather complex constructs of industrial archaeology in the current century.

Some archaeologists focus upon particular topics or processes, such as the origins of animal domestication or the development of writing. Other archaeologists may study particular regions or civilizations, and hence may be Egyptologists, Mayanists, First American specialists, or Greco-Roman experts.

Why Major in Archaeology?

The Big Questions

Archaeologists possess insatiable curiosity about the basic questions surrounding human existence—what, when and where, how and why, and who. To answer these questions, researchers draw almost literally on every academic field.

The Challenge of Linking Diverse Fields

The challenge of integrating concepts from diverse fields makes archaeology one of the potentially most exciting and rewarding disciplines. Regardless of your interest, there is a branch of archaeology that depends heavily upon that topic. Linking the different aspects of archaeology provides new insight.