12th October 2011, 12:10 PM
It depends on what we define "science" as... Wiki turns out to be quite helpful in this case: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Science. There are several definitions and uses of the word, so depending on how strictly one is in their use of the word, archaeology can or cannot be a science. The basic definition they give ("a systematic enterprise that builds and organizes knowledge in the form of testable explanations and predictions about the universe") is broad enough to potentially let archaeology into the club. That said, when I'm asked whether archaeology is a science, I usually say no so as to avoid confusion. There is no simple answer to this question, imo.