For example, First Nations or aboriginal peoples have been in North America for at least 12,000 years but most did not develop a form of writing or have historical records until European contact in the last five centuries.
Archaeology is the science that studies human life through the physical remains of human activities.
Archaeologists look for sites , places of human activity, ranging from camp sites to burials to villages and cities. Information is systematically gathered from the site, usually involving excavation , or digging up the site. Information is carefully recorded so that it can be studied later. Archaeologists interpret what they have found and form theories about human societies and past events. The meanings found in objects come, not just from the object itself, but the context in which it is found.