Why Archaeology?

Archaeology is, at essence, a study of the past. Archaeology is a broad discipline which incorporates aspects of many other related disciplines, e.g. sciences, anthropology and history. While history largely concerns the study of the past through written evidence, archaeology is primarily concerned with the actual artefacts or objects left by past societies. It is a subject that involves problem solving and sophisticated use of evidence and theoretical argument.

As an undergraduate you can major in archaeology, or you can simply take subjects of particular interest to you in addition to your other subjects of choice. Core subjects in archaeology might be complemented by other streams e.g. Science, Aboriginal Studies, Museum Studies, Heritage Studies and even Architecture or Fine Arts. At the University of Sydney, a degree in Archaeology involves a high proportion of library research, although fieldwork is also involved.

There are no prerequisites for Archaeology, however, those who have studied Ancient History, Geography, Geology or other related subjects at HSC level are well placed to start studying in Archaeology.