It is the only discipline that attempts to understand humans as a whole, as an animal both biological and social, as a literate being, and as a culture bearing organism with an evolutionary past. In order to accomplish these tasks, the anthropologist might be unearthing fossils in some ancient riverbed, observing chimpanzees in the wilds of Tanzania, or separating blood proteins in a laboratory. Archaeology approaches the study of humankind from the things that people have left behind. By digging up artifacts such as pots, house foundations and discarded food, the archaeologist pieces together the patchwork of social institutions of preliterate societies and reconstructs their cultures. Much of his time is spent in unearthing and then classifying the environment of our ancestors.
Language is the symbolic interaction that so far has separated humans from other animals.
The study of language is linguistics. Through the study of the history, development and relationships of language, anthropologists attempt to define the human condition and its influence on the lives of people. Many anthropologists study modern communities as urban anthropologists or customs in large bureaucratic organizations, as for example, schools or hospitals. The most recent trend is to study corporate cultures of large national and multinational corporations. Anthropologists are using data processing and computer skills in both qualitative and quantitative analyses of business and international trade.