Archaeology - Disciplines

Over the past several decades, as new laboratory technologies have become available, so have the number of disciplines or fields of study that are linked to archaeology. Although they may seem unrelated, each is important, in that they contribute to the growing body of knowledge about humankind.

Physical anthropology, ethnobotany, DNA analysis, x-ray emission microanalysis, and palynology are but a few of the dozens of specialized areas of study. However, the individual field archaeologist tends to focus his or her research on a specific culture and/or era in time.