The Primary Goals of Classical Archaeology
Classical archaeology is a field that studies the cultures of ancient Greece and Rome. It is one of the oldest fields in history, but it’s still strong today. The goals of classical archaeology are to understand the ancient world, how it was created and evolved, and to study it to apply that knowledge to the modern world.
To Educate
Classical archaeology is a discipline that studies ancient history, art, and architecture. It aims to provide information on the past that people can use to understand their historical place. To educate the public, classical archaeologists research artefacts from the Classical period—the Greek and Roman eras before about 500 BCE—and publish their findings widely so that everyone can benefit from them.
The goal of classical archaeology is not just about educating people about what happened in ancient times; it also helps encourage them to visit museums or read books about ancient civilizations like Greece or Rome. It can help develop new lines of inquiry within academic fields such as Classics (the study of Greek & Roman literature) or History (the study of non-written sources).
Discover The Past
Another goal of classical archaeology is to discover the past. The process of making discoveries about the past involves several steps:
- Observe and collect data from sites that have been excavated or surveyed. These sites can be located in ancient cities like Pompeii or Rome or on remote islands like Malta or Malta-era Greece.
- Determine how long ago a site was occupied by people who lived there (and, therefore, when they built it).
Classical archaeologists seek to advance our understanding of classical archaeology through new techniques, tools, and other resources that can assist researchers in their quests. They also recognize the importance of studying ancient cultures and civilizations for us to understand our own better.
