Thus, there is no limit to the number or range of societies that archaeology can study. In the scheme of things, this is scientific and modernist, or, in postmodern, socially constructed reality circles, hopelessly retro, old fashioned and even immoral. Kinds of Archaeology Several different varieties of archaeology, distinguished by subject matter and technique. Emphasis on societies whose members were literate, produced written records. Sources of information about these societies are both literary and material, ie the written records produced by people themselves, and the non-written material remains of their behavior.
Classical archaeologists dig sites, but also spend time deciphering ancient written records.
Homes include museums, academic departments of art, history. In N. American, the archaeology of capitalism. In New World, persisted until rather recently . Arch record begins 2.0-2.5 Myr. All these took place in prehistory.