Final answer:
Archaeology is the study of human history through the excavation and analysis of artifacts and fossils, providing insights into ancient cultures and their development.
Step-by-step explanation:
The Study of Human History Through Excavation and Analysis
The study of human history through the methods of excavation and analysis is called archaeology. This field involves exploring human cultures and their development by examining artifacts, which are objects made by humans such as tools and pottery, and fossils, which are preserved remains of organisms. Archaeologists perform careful excavation to discover these historical objects, aiming to understand how societies in the past lived before and after the development of writing. Techniques like chronometric dating, including dendrochronology, help determine the age of finds, whereas the study of cross-cutting relationships in geology and archaeology reveals the relative dating of events. By combining scientific methods with a curiosity about the past, archaeologists contribute immensely to our knowledge of ancient peoples, their relationships with the environment, and the overall archaeology of human development.
Moreover, archaeology as a subset of anthropology often overlaps with other disciplines when it delves into understanding human evolution, cultural variations, and the environmental impacts on societies. Excavations such as those led by Tom Dillehay in northern Peru not only chronicle the evolution of societies but also provide insight into how ancient people adapted through fishing, farming, and herding, demonstrating their sociocultural complexity.