The Museum of Anthropological Archaeology embraces research and education on all aspects of humanity's past. The field and laboratory research conducted by our curators and affiliated researchers and graduate students explores large questions: "when and why did human culture emerge?"; "why did human societies develop and adopt agriculture?"; "why and how do social inequalities and state societies develop and expand?"; among many others. The hallmarks of Museum of Anthropological Archaeology scholarship are our commitment to a broad comparative perspective, and to integrating anthropological theory with rigorous archaeological research in specific contexts throughout both the New and Old Worlds.
The more than three million objects in the Museum's collections constitute an invaluable resource for scholarship dedicated to refining and transforming understandings of human diversity and culture change. Museum curators and staff are dedicated to the care and documentation of these collections to the highest possible standards, and to assuring their accessibility to scholars, educators, students, descendent communities, and the general public. Through undergraduate and graduate field-training, laboratory research opportunities with museum collections, and course work in our associated unit, the Department of Anthropology, we strive to provide U-M undergraduate and graduate students with critical skills and experiences in the methods and practice of archaeology and with the theoretical tools to ask the big questions about what it means to be human.
How you can help
The generous support of alumni, individual donors, foundations, and corporate citizens is essential for the Museum of Anthropological Archaeology to be able to continue to conduct significant archaeological research and make our world-class collections available to a broader audience at the University, in Michigan, and across the globe.
