Prior to the development of professional 'archaeology' in the 19th century, antiquarianism constituted the main way of 'looking' at the past's material remains (or, in more academic parlance, the dominant discourse about the past's material remains). Its key characteristics are often simplified by modern commentators to the detailed recording and description of monuments, buildings and structures, and almost obsessive collection of antiquities. Although these are features of the work of some antiquarians, a more sympathetic understanding acknowledges that many of the writers developed a keen eye for detail and were rigorous in their recording, some even attempting explanation. It was arguably archaeology before its professionalization.

References

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Schnapp, A. 1996. The Discovery of the Past : the origins of archaeology. British Museum Press