archaeology
noun
ar·chae·ol·o·gy
ˌär-kē-ˈä-lə-jē 
variants
or archeology
1
: the scientific study of material remains (such as tools, pottery, jewelry, stone walls, and monuments) of past human life and activities
2
: remains of the culture of a people : antiquities
the archaeology of the Incas
Examples of archaeology in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
Greenfield has always treated her work as cultural archaeology.
—
Kevin Dolak, HollywoodReporter, 19 Aug. 2025
Here are three of our most recent eye-catching archaeology stories.
—Lauren Liebhaber, Miami Herald, 15 Aug. 2025
The study demonstrates that contemporary archaeology is not about hunting for treasure, but reading signs in the sediment and understanding relationships among all the surviving physical evidence, said Daniel Diffendale, postdoctoral researcher at the Scuola Normale Superiore in Pisa.
—Ashley Strickland, CNN Money, 14 Aug. 2025
Kate Wong is an award-winning science writer and senior editor at Scientific American focused on evolution, ecology, anthropology, archaeology, paleontology and animal behavior.
—Kate Wong, Scientific American, 13 Aug. 2025
See All Example Sentences for archaeology
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Kevin Dolak, HollywoodReporter, 19 Aug. 2025
Here are three of our most recent eye-catching archaeology stories.
—Lauren Liebhaber, Miami Herald, 15 Aug. 2025
The study demonstrates that contemporary archaeology is not about hunting for treasure, but reading signs in the sediment and understanding relationships among all the surviving physical evidence, said Daniel Diffendale, postdoctoral researcher at the Scuola Normale Superiore in Pisa.
—Ashley Strickland, CNN Money, 14 Aug. 2025
Kate Wong is an award-winning science writer and senior editor at Scientific American focused on evolution, ecology, anthropology, archaeology, paleontology and animal behavior.
—Kate Wong, Scientific American, 13 Aug. 2025
See All Example Sentences for archaeology
Cite this Entry
“Archaeology.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/archaeology. Accessed 5 Sep. 2025.
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archaeology
noun
ar·chae·ol·o·gy
variants
or archeology
: the science that deals with past human life as shown by fossil relics and the monuments and tools left by ancient peoples
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