archaeologist

American  

[ahr-kee-ol-uh-jist] / ˌɑr kiˈɒl ə dʒɪst /

Or archeologist

noun

archaeologists plural

1. a specialist in archaeology, the scientific study of prehistoric peoples and their cultures by analysis of their artifacts, inscriptions, monuments, etc.

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Other Word Forms

Noun Inflected Forms

• archaeologists
  plural

Etymology

Origin of archaeologist

archaeolog(y) + -ist

Explanation

An archaeologist is a scientist who studies human history by digging up human remains and artifacts. Lucy, the oldest human known to man — nearly 3.2 million years old — was dug up in Ethiopia by archaeologist. We know about the history of the human species thanks to archaeologists who spend countless hours sifting through dirt and digging through ruins to find evidence of human life from across time. The word archaeologist can also be spelled archeologist. It comes from the Greek root archaeo-, for "ancient, primitive."

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

archaeologist archaeologists

John Bolton, an archaeologist, was visiting the 11th Century Pembroke Castle in 2010 when he heard there was a cave beneath it.

From BBC ● Jul. 16, 2026

The modern Harvard Cornell partnership began in 1958 under Harvard archaeologist George M. A. Hanfmann and Cornell architect Henry Detweiler from the College of Architecture, Art and Planning, whose expertise centered on documenting historic buildings.

From Science Daily ● Jun. 25, 2026

A more sophisticated version of the Marxist model was developed in the 1930s by V. Gordon Childe, the archaeologist who first named the Neolithic Revolution and the Urban Revolution.

From The Wall Street Journal ● May 1, 2026

The presence of foreign teams is "crucial", said Aqeel al-Mansrawi, an Iraqi landscape archaeologist.

From Barron's ● Mar. 31, 2026

In 1997 an archaeologist and a medical doctor with archaeological leanings identified them as human fetuses.

From "1491" by Charles C. Mann

These seals were important tools for trade and business, yet archaeologists usually find them inside ordinary homes rather than concentrated in public buildings.

From Science Daily ● Jul. 30, 2026

The series focuses on a trio of inhabitants whom archaeologists have investigated—a teenager, a businesswoman, and a Roman guard—in episodes that will also be available on Disney+ and Hulu starting July 23.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 19, 2026

Although it is in an area of outstanding natural beauty it is not protected as a scheduled monument, but archaeologists argue that it should now become one.

From BBC ● Jun. 1, 2026

Young’s team, the so-called Greek Desk, was comprised of fellow Ivy League archaeologists and Greek-American commandos.

From The Wall Street Journal ● May 31, 2026

Five years later, archaeologists remained unsure of the answers to such basic questions as where the geoglyph builders lived—the structures show no sign of habitation.

From "1491" by Charles C. Mann

Related Words

• paleontologist