As part of the introduction to the ARC volume 35.2 on ‘knowledge-scapes’, this paper introduces the concept, its components and its application in archaeology. The origins, development and use of knowledge-scapes in the fields of cognitive theory and archaeology are explored and contextualized within current archaeological thinking. Practical approaches to the study of knowledge-scapes are also presented by using the papers published in this volume as case studies. These papers offer a variety of methods, datasets and approaches to identify, explore and interpret past landscapes of knowledge. We argue that the study of the dynamic transmission and transformation of knowledge in the past, including the related socio-cultural and material aspects, should be a core aspect of archaeological research.