Paleontology, also spelled palaeontology or palæontology, is the scientific study of life that existed prior to, and sometimes including, the start of the Holocene epoch. It includes the study of fossils to classify organisms and study their interactions with each other and their environments. Paleontological observations have been documented as far back as the 5th century BC. The science became established in the 18th century as a result of Georges Cuvier's work on comparative anatomy, and developed rapidly in the 19th century. The term has been used since 1822 formed from Greek παλαιός, ὄν, and λόγος.

जीवाश्मिकी या जीवाश्म विज्ञान या पैलेन्टोलॉजी (Paleontology), भौमिकी की वह शाखा है जिसका संबंध भौमिकीय युगों के उन प्राणियों और पादपों के अवशेषों से है जो अब भूपर्पटी के शैलों में ही पाए जाते हैं।