It encompasses social formation processes, family or co-residential organization and the material culture associated with such activities.
Scholarly inquiry into household studies began in the 1960s with research emphasis upon a micro-scale analysis of social groups.
"[2] The household has three elements: the social (demographic), the material (possessions and dwellings) and the behavioral (activities).
Household archaeology is concerned with the material culture remaining from basic activity patterns as a result of human behavior.
[4] Scientific inquiry within household archaeology is a balance between theoretical arguments and empirical data to support or refute the evidence.
Friedrich Engels argued that the sexual division of labor was an "outgrowth of nature" because men went to war, and hunted while women cared for the house and prepared food.
[6] Anthropological inquiry into the sexual division of labor in the domestic domain began with Ester Boserup's work on women and economic development.
The structured system of social relationships also implies an “idealized” gendered identity associated with a public vs. private dichotomy.
Site layouts, and conceptions of households provide information about gender roles in the past.
Human settlement patterns, site formation processes, and material culture help to organize household studies that bridge theoretical and methodological interpretations of archaeological assemblages.
Botanical, Faunal assemblage, ceramic, privy, historical documents, art history, and refuse data provide information for methodological applications of household archaeology.
Applications of “longue durée,” an Ethnohistory approach are suggested as a method for household anthropological Archaeology.
[5] Uniquely preserved examples allow archaeologists to examine households carefully and devise new techniques for analysis.