Archaeology has been practiced for thousands of years as people collected artifacts from ancient monuments. However, modern archaeology emerged in the late 19th century with more systematic excavation and investigation aimed at understanding history. Some key figures who advanced archaeological methods were William Cunnington in the 18th century, Flinders Petrie in the 19th century with his scientific excavation of the Great Pyramid, and Mortimer Wheeler in the early 20th century who developed the grid system approach still used today. A major development was radiocarbon dating introduced in 1949, allowing more accurate dating of excavated materials.
Archaeology has been practiced for thousands of years as people collected artifacts from ancient monuments. However, modern archaeology emerged in the late 19th century with more systematic excavation and investigation aimed at understanding history. Some key figures who advanced archaeological methods were William Cunnington in the 18th century, Flinders Petrie in the 19th century with his scientific excavation of the Great Pyramid, and Mortimer Wheeler in the early 20th century who developed the grid system approach still used today. A major development was radiocarbon dating introduced in 1949, allowing more accurate dating of excavated materials.
Archaeology has been practiced for thousands of years as people collected artifacts from ancient monuments. However, modern archaeology emerged in the late 19th century with more systematic excavation and investigation aimed at understanding history. Some key figures who advanced archaeological methods were William Cunnington in the 18th century, Flinders Petrie in the 19th century with his scientific excavation of the Great Pyramid, and Mortimer Wheeler in the early 20th century who developed the grid system approach still used today. A major development was radiocarbon dating introduced in 1949, allowing more accurate dating of excavated materials.
The exact origins of archaeology as a disciplined study are uncertain because
excavations of ancient monuments and the collection of antiquities have been taking place for thousands of years. Archaeology had its start in the European study of history and in people who were interested in the past However, archaeological excavation is said to goes back to the 16th century Among the first sites to undergo archaeological excavation were Stonehenge and other megalithic monuments in England The first known excavations made at Stonehenge were conducted by Dr. William Harvey and Gilbert North in the early 17th century Talking about the modern archaeology, it is much more than earlier “antiquities collection making” It started at the end of the 19th century (1880-90s). At these times, many sites excavated and the aim of archaeological investigation changed. The Father of Archaeological Excavation was William Cunnington (1754–1810). He undertook excavations in Wiltshire from around 1798, in collaboration with his regular excavators Stephen and John Parker of Heytesbury. William Flinders Petrie is another man who may legitimately be called the Father of Archaeology. Petrie was the first to scientifically investigate the Great Pyramid in Egypt during the 1880s. The next major figure in the development of archaeology was Mortimer Wheeler
– He had developed a highly disciplined approach to excavation
and systematic coverage in the 1920s and 1930s brought the science on swiftly. – Wheeler developed the Grid System of Excavation, which was further improved on by his student Kathleen Kenyon. – The Wheeler-Kenyon system involves digging within a series of squares that can vary in size set within a larger grid. The major technological development in 20th century archaeology was the introduction of radiocarbon dating – It is based on a theory first developed by American scientist Willard Libby in 1949 – Radiocarbon dating and other major types of dating will be discussed further on the next sides