What is anthropology

Anthropology is the study of man —what he is like, and how he lives and behaves, and almost everything else about him. The name comes from the Greek words anthropos. meaning "man," and logos, meaning "study." Anthropology is one of the most important modern sciences, but less than a hundred years ago it was practically unknown. People had many ideas about mankind, but much of their information was wrong. Today we know much more, because anthropologists have been studying man.

Anthropologists study man in different ways. Some study the history of man, others study present-day man. Some anthropologists are interested in where man came from, others in where he lives now. Some anthropologists want to learn how man survived through the ages, others are interested in how man fits himself for life in the modern world. Many of the things you study at school were first studied by anthropologists.