<p>Some schools offer Archaeology as part of their Classics department while others as part of Anthropology. Can anyone discuss the significant differences between the two at undergraduate level? Which one to choose?</p>
<p>There are two major differences.</p>
<p>Geography
[ul][<em>]Classics departments normally cover Greek and Roman archaeology. Occasionally they will cover certain other Mediterranean cultures (e.g. Cyprus).
[</em>]Anthropology departments normally cover the archaeology of the Americas.[/ul]</p>
<p>Methodology
[ul][<em>]Classics departments primarily focus on art and material remains (paintings, pottery, etc.).
[</em>]Anthropology departments primarily focus on a wide range of approaches (zooarchaeology, bioarchaeology, lithics, etc.).[/ul]</p>
<p>So Anthropology department would offer more general and broader education and potentially more prospects in the future. Is that correct? Thanks.</p>
<p>Which to choose: It depends on your interests. If you have an interest in Greek and Roman civilizations, choose classical archaeology. You would need coursework in Greek and/or Latin for that field, however. If you’re primarily interested in prehistoric cultures, choose anthropology.</p>
<p>Breadth/Potential Prospects: Both classics and anthropology are broad fields with relevance to many other fields. While differing in their focus and approach, both would offer a broad education. Again, it depends on your interests. If you choose classical archaeology, you will focus primarily on ancient Greek and Roman civilizations. If you choose archaeology in an anthropology dept., you might take a more comparative approach and focus on any number of prehistoric and ancient societies (although the subfield of historical archaeology might study colonial America, for example). Your potential prospects also depend on where your interests lie.</p>
<p>The degree to which you could subspecialize in archaeology within either a classics or anthropology department varies, depending on the particular department. Some schools offer an interdisciplinary major in archaeology. </p>
<p>Anthropology departments do not exclusively focus on the archaeology of the Americas. Usually, they make a broad division between Old World and New World prehistory. However, coursework on ancient Egyptian and Near Eastern archaeology usually is offered in a Near Eastern Studies dept. and coursework on East Asian archaeology in an East Asian Studies dept, due to the necessity to learn the relevant languages. Coursework on Biblical archaeology sometimes is offered in a religious studies dept. Coursework on Greek or Roman archaeology sometimes is offered in an art history dept.</p>