that these remnants are preserved in a complete good condition. Things do not turn up in
complete sets. Usually, they are worn out and fragmented pieces from a certain artifact or fossil.
This is due to exposure in the places or soil which they are found to also elements of decay and
corrosion. It may also be due in part to human or animal activities which cause these things to be
lost or fragmented.
Ancient civilizations and societies usually turn up with little or no written records at all about
them and if there are, they have never been found. This is where archeology is different from the
study of history. Since archeologists have very little to no written recordings of ancient cultures
and since culture in and by itself is non-material, they can only rely on the physical evidence left
behind by the ancients to tell and help them document and record about the past. This is where
material culture is most important to archeologists. Like forensic experts, archeologists conduct
extensive studies and research on these artifacts and fossils of evidence and try to reconstruct a
picture the cultures of the ancient as completely as possible. From this, they deduce a relative idea
of the culture, lifestyles of these ancient civilizations. Things like statues and buildings from the
past give a general idea or picture of how the people might look and dress physically and how
they might have lived or work. They also might give an insight to their beliefs and religions.
Movies like Indiana Jones often give people the false impression that archeology is adventurous
treasure hunting in far off exotic places. That was how archeology started out in the past. People
were more concerned in great findings of exotic and beautiful artifacts and structures. It was not
until very much later when archeology became recognized as a science that people began to focus
more on finding the small or ordinary things left behind by a culture or civilization. Things like
tools, cutlery, weapons, clothing, utensils and even stationery usually speak more volumes on the
culture and lifestyle of the ancients than those huge finds. They reveal more especially about the
general population of commoners of that time, not only the rulers or nobles.
Through material culture, archeologists are able also to place a certain civilization in an
approximate time period. Using a number of dating methods, archeologists are able to assign
various artifacts and fossils to a certain age on the timeline of humankind. Though these dating
methods are not totally accurate, they nevertheless provide insights to when a civilization lived in
relation to the others. Though non-material culture has a minor contribution to the study and
research of archeologists, it still however has its use in the understanding of past human societies.
Observations of modern populations in their habits, behaviors, technologies or tools sometimes
help to link physical clues to past ancient societies. Archeologists sometimes ‘borrow’
modern cultures to interpret past cultures based on the artifacts they find.
Ultimately, however, in the study of archeology it still provides us with nothing more than an
approximation of the things and cultures of the distant and ancient past. That is why ancient
cultures and civilizations continue to be define and redefine by discoveries of new and important
artifacts and fossils. Then again, however vague or inaccurate it may be, it gives us an idea about
how people live and work, their technologies and achievements in the past. It helps us understand
the remarkable diversity and uniqueness of the human race even in the ancient past.
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