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Archaeology is the study of people in the past, their activities and actions, cultural practices, tools and technological development, and in some cases (where possible) their superstitious and religious practices, expression of their cultural identity and other beliefs about themselves or the world around them. It mostly looks at material remains but has recently evolved to examine landscapes and concepts of topography, providing a crossover with both human geography and environmental studies. It began in Europe around the late 17th century, studying ancient monuments and sites with the expressed purpose of discovering artifacts and treasures and putting them on display.
Today, professional archaeologists study both the prehistoric and the historic period, although those who study the distant past are more likely to be anthropologists than archaeologists. It also differs from paleontology in that this area studies fossils of extinct species and not humans or human ancestors. They do share methods and tools and sometimes work on the same sites - especially where human remains are found alongside extinct species.