The Cornell Anthropology Collections include over 20,000 archaeological and ethnographic pieces, Lower Paleolithic to modern, for teaching and research.
Visits by appointment only. The Anthropology Collections at Cornell University include over 20,000 pieces, archaeological and ethnographic, ranging from the Lower Paleolithic through the 20th century. The collections are available by appointment for teaching and research. The origins of the Anthropology Collections can be traced to the University Museum, one of the first three buildings constructe
05/29/2026
Current status of the McGraw Hall renovation. Fred went up to consult with Alison on a variety of projects — it’s been a crazy semester and we hadn’t been able to get together for ages! Alison will be doing an open-house for Reunion as usual, next Friday in the new Collaboratory space, so those coming for Reunion should be sure to stop by!
05/13/2026
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Why was an Egyptian mummy stuffed with a fragment of Homer’s Iliad? The fragment wasn’t placed besides the body, but stuffed inside it.
05/13/2026
A little update on the McGraw Hall renovation project
McGraw construction melds modern with historical | Cornell Chronicle As McGraw Hall, one of the university’s oldest buildings, is rebuilt from the inside out, workers have made several discoveries, and faculty are reusing and studying materials from the building in the classroom.
05/01/2026
A nice article on a great collection of material culture!
How a Radical Historian Saved the Schlock of ’76 (Gift Article) Yale’s Bicentennial Schlock collection offers a window into the star-spangled commercialism that swept the country 50 years ago.
04/15/2026
Today from the Kittyverse — the Collections do not currently include much of this genre; Curator Emeritus Fred used to bring in examples from his personal collection. Curator Alison is also a fan, and eventually there will be more formally added. This sort of popular material culture is very interesting and important — and students love seeing such more familiar things alongside more traditionally collected ethnographic objects.
We have several bronze axes in the Collections, great to see this experimental project!
03/23/2026
The story of the Llhuros collection, now housed in the Anthropology Collections
https://civilizationofllhuros.org/a-significant-work-of-art-is-acquired-by-the-anthropology-collaboratory-at-cornell/
03/06/2026
We are happy to have once again collaborated with The History Center, lending some local pieces and supplying photos for their current exhibit on water and its historic uses in Tompkins County.
03/04/2026
We have a 19th-century plaster cast of this wonderful piece, a perennial favorite for teaching and talking about Paleolithic art!
Mammoth Shaped Spear Thrower, 16,000 to 13,500 Years Old, 'Ice Age Art Now' Exhibition, Cliffe Castle, Keighley, Yorkshire
The value of a good spear thrower shows in this fragment which was repaired to keep it functioning. The mammoth's tail, later restored with a bone insert, originally curled over to form the hook. When the handle broke it could not be mended again.
The mammoth is sculpted for effect rather than realism. The holes that look like eyes are too large and incorrectly positioned. They once contained inserts creating an awesome appearance. The small ears are right, and the tusks are on the sides of the broken shaft. The legs pirouette unnaturally but the broad, snowshoe feet are realistic.
Montastruc rockshelter, Midi-Pyrénées, France tish Museum, Palart.551
02/02/2026
And a couple of views across West Campus — Fred and Alison were consulting today on an upcoming exhibit at The History Center downtown, and on teaching museum methods….