The term "programmer-archaeologist" was coined by the author Vernor Vinge in his 1999 "A Deepness in the Sky"[0] (a pretty great read and definitely recommended) and the field is arguably a real thing now[1].

[0] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/A_Deepness_in_the_Sky

[1] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Software_archaeology