A personal account of the current state of archaeological studies by the Research Professor at the Archaeological Insitute of Copenhagen University. The structure is thematic - chapters for example on 'The place and its context', 'Interpretations and society', 'Archaeology and history' - and it does not attempt to present any single archaeological tradition, with examples taken from Europe, the Mediterranean and the Near East. More than just an introduction to the subject for students, it concentrates on the important issues of the unity of archaeology and its great potential for the future.