THE Archeology it is a social science that is concerned with understanding or obtaining information about societies and ancient forms of human organization through the direct study of historical evidence. The most common is that the studies are undertaken by research on soil and archaeological materials that have been buried or damaged over time.
We know that the construction of societies, civilizations and the whole geographic space produced by human activities are expressed through a set of techniques and technical objects. Thus, the degree of advancement in the use of these techniques and the production of these objects directly influences the way these societies function. Therefore, obtaining information about these elements by Archeology is vitally necessary for understand how human beings performed their activities and constructed their space in remote times.
You archaeological sites these are the places where archeology studies are carried out. They are considered heritage areas where it is possible to obtain a large amount of information about the practices, values and structures of ancient societies. These areas need to be correctly identified and preserved so that no historical information assets are lost.
Furthermore, it is important to clarify the difference between archeology and paleontology, as they are totally different areas from each other. While archeology studies ancient human societies, paleontology studies the Earth's geological past as a whole., in times long before the constitution of humanity. Therefore, it is wrong to say, for example, that there is "an archaeological site of dinosaurs", as it is, in fact, a paleontological site.
According to many historians of scientific thought, the beginning of Archeology is attributed to the period of Rebirth, throughout the 16th century, given the growing curiosity about lost information about the past of societies throughout the evolution of times. The main place of the first archaeological practices was Italy, where the first great discoveries took place, with highlight for the discovery of the cities of Pompeii and Herculanum, which had been buried by ash from the eruption of the volcano Vesuvius.
Do not stop now... There's more after the advertising ;)
Over time, as scientific techniques and methodologies improved, more Archeology evolved and managed to garner greater achievements. In the 19th century, it was already possible to elaborate the first theories and debates about the human way of life in Prehistory, a period before the development of writing. In the 20th century, the large volume of discoveries made this science reach its peak and reach greater popularity, although even today there is the problem of trafficking in ancient parts and artifacts, which makes it difficult to study the past of humanity.
The archaeologist has a good horizon of work, as, in addition to working directly in research in areas of archaeological sites, the professional in the area can obtain other attributions from recurrent needs. According to current legislation, to build buildings or subdivision certain land, it is necessary before they are carried out studies and obtain reports on the archeology of the site to avoid the risk of ancient heritage being lost. This study can only be carried out by the archaeologist, who then has a great demand for work.
In addition, there are usually many vacancies for this professional in public bodies linked to history and culture, such as the Ministry public, IPHAN (Institute of National Historical and Artistic Heritage), Incra (National Institute of Colonization and Agrarian Reform), among others.
By Me. Rodolfo Alves Pena