History and Establishment
- Established in 1866 through a gift from George Peabody
- Peabody committed $150,000 to establish the museum
- Museum opened its first exhibition in 1867
- Museum building completed in 1877 and expanded in 1888 and 1913
Collections
- Steward to archaeological, ethnographic, osteological, and archival collections
- Focus on cultures of North and South America and the Pacific Islands
- Collections from Africa, Europe, and Asia
- North American collection spans 10,000 years
- Central American collection includes Mayan material culture
North America
- Archaeological and ethnographic holdings from North America
- Artifacts from various parts of the continent
- Mimbres collections from the Southwest
- Grace Nicholson Collection of California baskets
- Lewis and Clark Collection
Central America
- Focus on archaeological materials from eastern Honduras, Nicaragua, and lower Central America
- Large collection of Mayan material culture
- Stone sculptures from Copán
- Fine artifacts from the Sacred Cenote of Chichen Itza
- 600 plaster casts of monuments at important Central American sites
Asia
- Collection includes objects made and used by the Ainu people
- Japanese and Chinese ceramics and porcelains
- Colorful textiles made by the Kachin people
- Siberian hide costumes and carved wooden household items
- Extensive collection of excavated artifacts from Tepe Yahya and Tarsus
The Peabody Museum of Archaeology and Ethnology is a museum affiliated with Harvard University in Cambridge, Massachusetts, United States. Founded in 1866, the Peabody Museum is one of the oldest and largest museums focusing on anthropological material, with particular focus on the ethnography and archaeology of the Americas. The museum is caretaker to over 1.2 million objects, some 900 feet (270 m) of documents, 2,000 maps and site plans, and approximately 500,000 photographs. The museum is located at Divinity Avenue on the Harvard University campus. The museum is one of the four Harvard Museums of Science and Culture open to the public.
Peabody Museum of Archaeology and Ethnology, Harvard University | |
Established | 1866 |
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Location | Harvard University Cambridge, Massachusetts |
Coordinates | 42°22′41.50″N 71°06′53.30″W / 42.3781944°N 71.1148056°W |
Type | Archaeology museum Ethnographic museum |
Accreditation | American Alliance of Museums |
Founder | George Peabody |
Director | Jane Pickering William and Muriel Seabury Howells |
Curator | Ingrid Ahlgren Ilisa Barbash Patricia Capone Diana Loren Stephanie Mach Michele Morgan |
Owner | Harvard University |
Public transit access | Harvard (MBTA) |
Nearest parking | Street |
Website | www |