Anthropology, in the most general sense, is the study of the human being. It is a discipline with a broad license of study. Anthropology is divided into four sub-fields: ethnology (or cultural anthropology), archaeology, linguistics, and physical anthropology.

Ethnology deals with specific characteristics of culture. Within this study is the analysis of values, beliefs, behaviors, and material components of a society. It may be further divided into specializations:

Archaeology is the systematic recovery (excavation) of the material remains of past human occupation. It is a scientific discipline utilized for the interpretation of human socieities of the past. Archaeology also has several specializations:

Linguistics is the scientific study of language. The components of language are scrutinized and laws governing the dynamics of language are developed in this branch of anthropology. The varieties of linguistic anthropology include:

The fourth subfield of anthropology is physical anthropology. It is concerned with human biology and the natural history of human beings. Specializations in physical anthropology are: